With Assassin’s Creed Shadows, for the first time in an Assassin’s Creed game, both protagonists are going to share the spotlight equally, rather than one taking the spotlight over the other, and there’s reason to be excited about both Yasuke and Naoe stepping up to take the reins for the action RPG. But for multiple reasons – especially for someone like me, who has been obsessively playing Assassin’s Creed since the series’ inception close to two decades ago – it’s the prospect of stepping into Naoe’s shoes that has me truly excited.
That’s not to say that Yasuke isn’t shaping up to be an interesting protagonist in and of himself. Even a cursory look at the character is enough to tell you that he’s going to be a fascinating lead. He’s the first ever Assassin’s Creed protagonist to be based on a real, historical figure, while as a samurai of African origin who is fighting in Oda Nobunaga’s service, he also boasts quite an intriguing backstory that could pave the way for a captivating arc over the course of the game. To top it off, as the combat-focused bruiser between the two protagonists, he’s also surely going to be many players’ go-to character, especially if Shadows does well in the combat department.
But though Yasuke is looking like an undeniably strong leading man for Assassin’s Creed Shadows based on everything that has been shown of him so far, it’s Naoe who’s really caught my eye- and I imagine it’ll be the same for many a longtime Assassin’s Creed fan. She is, after all, the assassin in this Assassin’s Creed game, which means both from gameplay and narrative perspectives, she could naturally grow into the spotlight as the game’s central lead- ironically enough for a character clearly fond of the shadows.
It remains to be seen how Naoe’s story will tie into the larger Assassins vs Templars plot, or how she will officially find her way into the Assassins Brotherhood, though we do know that she will begin the game as a shinobi already trained in the art of stealth- and if the idea of playing as a badass shinobi who laps about the rooftops of Japan like a lethal, feudal version of Batman doesn’t excite you, I honestly don’t know what will. Conceptually, she’s got a lot going for her right off the bat- and that’s without the whole Brotherhood business being thrown into the mix, mind you.
As conceptually interesting as she is, Naoe’s looking and sounding even more so from a gameplay perspective. It’s lamentably true, as many Assassin’s Creed fans will tell you, that the series has continuously moved away from stealth over the last few years, to the extent that entries such as Odyssey and Valhalla are effectively out and out action games that happen to incorporate some stealth elements from time to time. The upcoming Shadows, however, is promising a reversion in the stealth department, and it’s clear that a lot of that is going to hinge on Naoe.
Where Yasuke will be the combat-focused character and the protagonist of choice for those who prefer the direct approach, for the stealth fans who like to keep quiet, stick to the shadows, and slip in and out of heavily fortified locations without raising the alarm (or at least try to), Naoe the shinobi is likely going to be the star of the show. Both characters will be able to perform actions such as going prone and crawling around, which means the fundamental stealth moveset will be expanded across the board in Shadows, but Naoe will have several more tricks up her sleeve that will promise to make her a force to be reckoned with when you’re slinking about.
From being able to hide in tiny boxes to having the ability to hide underwater while breathing through a bamboo reed, from being able to hang on to ceilings while indoors to being equipped with tools such as smoke bombs and shuriken, Naoe will have several cards to play when the odds seem to be stacked against her on paper. Beyond that, Shadows is also promising some notable mechanical improvements in the stealth department that are sounding promising- like different enemy types that will demand unique tactics and approaches, or sound being a bigger factor for players to consider, or even, say, foes being alerted to your presence if they happen to spot your footsteps in the snow.
And that’s not all. One of the biggest new mechanical introductions to speak of in Assassin’s Creed Shadows is light and shadow mechanics, with Ubisoft deciding to throw a little bit of Splinter Cell into the mix just to spice things up a little bit. When hidden in shadows, you’ll be significantly harder to spot for enemies, which means observing your surroundings and taking advantage of the environment to manipulate light and shadow will be a big part of the stealth loop. Can’t make it through a heavily defended area? Try and create dynamic hiding spots by destroying light sources- or better yet, wait until nightfall.
Stealth games are always at their best when they rely on systems-driven gameplay to create fun gameplay opportunities and emphasize player agency, and it certainly looks like that is exactly what Assassin’s Creed Shadows is hoping to do. No, I’m not suggesting this is going to be an emergent masterpiece like Metal Gear Solid 5 or the new Hitman trilogy by any means- but Shadows is promising to go back to Assassin’s Creed’s classic stealth style while also bringing in several of its own improvements and ideas, which has the potential to work out rather well for the game, as long as it can actually execute on its ideas.
Beyond stealth, Naoe’s affinity for parkour is something else that has me excited. Like stealth, parkour is another gameplay element that was once a pillar of the Assassin’s Creed franchise, but has diminished in importance in recent instalments (barring Mirage). Again, however, Shadows is appealing to the longtime Assassin’s Creed fan in me (as I’m sure it will be doing with many others) by promising a parkour style that’s closer to what it used to be pre-Origins. The “climb anywhere” philosophy is gone, with handholds now being an actual consideration, which means traversal should ideally be way more involved and, in turn, engaging.
Meanwhile, Naoe also has access to a grappling hook, which also promises to elevate traversal in interesting ways, while more importantly, her base movement and moveset are also looking incredibly slick. From her animations to just the movement speed in general, Naoe is looking exactly like the nimble, agile, and slippery assassin that series fans grew used to playing as in its earlier years. Shadows’ developers have described her as the fastest assassin in series history, which is an incredibly high bar to live up to- but it’s also a salivating promise.
Of course, there’s no guarantees that Assassin’s Creed Shadows is going to live up to the many promises that it is making, but all evidence in the lead up to its release is strongly suggesting that it will. Unless things go spectacularly wrong somehow, it’s looking like Naoe is going to be a strong lead for the game from both gameplay and narrative viewpoints. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that my optimism proves to be justified.
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