The trailerfeatured many exciting points such as the grappling hook that will lead to some amazing memorable moments and an all-out civil war which we’re sure we’ll become embroiled in. There are many things we’re looking forward to, and we can’t wait to see more on 10 June at the nextUbisoftForward event. Let’s explore that trailer in some more detail.
Grappling hook
Grapple
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Dual protagonists
Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Japan
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Finally, the long-running series has gone to Japan. It is something fans have been asking for for over a decade due to the idea that stealth and ninjas go hand-in-hand. However, given the past few iterations of the franchise, and Ubisoft’s dedication to historical accuracy, this gets us even more excited as we know that the team will create a brilliant version of Japan for us to explore. Knowing the effort that went into creating Baghdad forAssassin’s Creed Mirage, we can trust Ubisoft to create an accurate picture of 16th-century Japan.
A mix of action and stealth
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Given we have two protagonists, and we know their backgrounds, it’s likelyAssassin’s Creed Shadowswill feature a mix of play styles. Naoe is raised as a Shinobi and relies on stealth. She also has a much smaller health pool, making her more fragile, and she needs to stick to the shadows, which emulates the roots of the franchise. Yasuke, however, was known to be a big guy at 6’2” and he’s seen in the trailer wielding several melee weapons including a spiked club. This means he’ll likely step in when things need to get messy.
Potential new wristblade techniques
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Towards the end of the trailer, we finally get to see the series’ most famous weapon - the wristblade, but this time it looks a bit different. As Naoe reaches out to make her kill, the blade pivots on a mid-point in the metal and turns sideways allowing her to stab the enemy in the side of the neck. Will this mean we can wield different techniques? Or will there be multiple versions of the wristblade available? Surely Yasuke gets one too, right?
Another open-world
Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Ubisoft has made it very clear thatAssassin’s Creed Shadowswill be another open-world title like so many of the games before it. And it’s going to be huge. Thankfully, not as big as the seemingly never-endingAssassin’s Creed Valhalla, but the developer has gone on record to say (in anexclusive conversation with IGN) that it’s a similar size toAssassin’s Creed Origins, which many believe was about the right size. Ubisoft has also spoken about wanting each district to feel unique and more believable, which means mountain ranges will be larger and the different districts should look discernable to each other.
Huge castles
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As part of their research trips to Japan, Ubisoft noted that the castles that still dot the landscape are already perfect for video game progression. This is due to their tiered construction which acts like vertical dungeons in many video games. This is a big focus for the team and castles will likely feature at predominant moments in the story, perhaps even freeing up portions of the map where enemies won’t be as active, when the heads of factions are toppled.
Based on real history
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Seasonal Cycles
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Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ story will likely play out over a long time in-game as Ubisoft has commented on the game featuring passing seasons. They highlighted that in summer, Naoe will be able to hide in tall grass that will slowly die out as the world passes into winter. She will also no longer be hidden in trees past the autumn as the leaves will thin out and drop off. This points to a very dynamic weather and seasonal system but also hints that events could play out over several years as the story moves forward.
Reactionary AI
Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Ubisoft has noted that the AI NPCs and enemies will react in a more lifelike way. One example was mentioned as part of the seasonal changes in the game; during the summer, enemies will walk more freely throughout areas they patrol, while in winter they’re more likely to gather around fires, making them harder to take out. It’s also been hinted at that weather could also affect how they patrol as they’re more likely to take cover from rain. Dynamic AI has always been at the forefront of Assassin’s Creed games given the patterns players must learn for assassinations, so it’ll be interesting to see how this has developed.
Spy networks
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Topics:Assassins Creed,Ubisoft,Assassin’s Creed Shadows,Xbox,PlayStation,PC
