Assassin’s Creed Shadows preview: Two protagonists, two styles of play

Assassin’s Creed Shadows will finally take the series to Japan, a setting that fans have requested for most of its 15-plus-year history. Specifically, Assassin's Creed Shadows is set in the 16th century Azuchi–Momoyama period, where Ubisoft hopes to juxtapose long-running political turmoil against a blossoming cultural renewal in the castle-towns that characterized early Japanese urbanization.

Against this backdrop, we meet two characters: the shinobi Naoe and the samurai Yasuke. Aside from some key story segments, the two can be switched between at will, and their very different play styles were the focus of the hands-off Assassin's Creed Shadows demo at Summer Game Fest.

The demo opened with Yasuke hunting down a corrupt samurai in a springtime village. Rumors overheard on the street point Yasuke in the right direction, and he’s soon thrown into battle against a number of powerful swordsmen.

Yasuke’s fighting style is more direct than the stealthy Naoe, and relies on timely blocking and parrying. It can also be pretty brutal—his spiked club can easily crush a man’s skull, or you might choose to swipe a foe's head off with a katana instead. Yasuke even has access to a rifle, a reflection of the Portuguese influence that brought him to Japan in the first place, and that continues to impact the politics of this tumultuous era.

Perhaps because of his background, Yasuke wants to be a force for justice, and killing one samurai is only a small step in that direction. As you walk around the world, other characters murmur about high taxation and corruption, hinting at a broader story that will entangle both Yasuke and Naoe and turn them into allies.

After Yasuke defeats his opponent, Naoe shows up to save him before he can be surprised by another attack. The pair share a bit of banter before the player is asked to choose who will infiltrate the castle and take out the daimyo behind all of this trouble.

Our demo first switched over to Naoe, giving us a look at her sneakier approach to murder. In addition to the classic Assassin’s Creed rooftop parkour, enemy-spotting Eagle Vision, and sneak attacks with the Hidden Blade, Naoe has a grappling hook for quickly scaling buildings and hiding in ceiling nooks. She can also hide in the shadows—or even make new ones by knocking out lights in order to keep out of sight.

She has the ability to go prone as well, wriggling through tall grass and low water for maximum stealth. It's somewhat surprising that this is the first Assassin's Creed to include this ability, given how well it fits into the stealth-centric series, but it’s one more way Naoe sets herself apart from Yasuke.

On the other hand, Naoe can get just as bloody as Yasuke when necessary. Fighting with a reverse-grip katana or a chain-sickle combo, Naoe is quick and agile, but must make use of the rhythm of enemies’ movements to find her openings.

After seeing the assassination of the daimyo done Naoe’s way, we also got to watch Yasuke’s approach. His is much more straightforward, and involves immediately getting into noisy fights. Yasuke can even break down doors that Naoe would have to find a way around (or over). Interestingly, while Naoe can brawl if she wants to—or needs to, after accidentally getting spotted—Yasuke lacks many key stealth tools, such as the ability to see foes through walls and the ability to scale environments.

There may be hope that Yasuke can pull off some quieter assassinations at certain times, though. Assassin's Creed Shadows introduces a more detailed weather system than previous games in the series, with loud thunderstorms making a quiet entry easier, for example. Changing seasons will also impact the look of the world. The demo, taking place in spring, was damp and green—and of course featured plenty of cherry blossoms.

Shifting between characters based on the mission and world conditions seems like a fun approach to Assassin's Creed Shadows, although some players will no doubt pick their favorite and stick with them.

Where previous games allowed for both sneaky and more combat-focused playstyles, having them tied to individual characters is an interesting choice and I’m curious about the impact it will have on the stories of both Naoe and Yasuke. So far, their personal involvement in the complex politics of the era—and the Assassin’s Creed series’ overarching storylines—has only been hinted at. For example, the developers say that Yasuke, who was often referred to as a “stranger” in the demo, will be partially focusing on “finding a place he can belong.”

Assassin’s Creed Shadows releases on the Epic Games Store on November 15, 2024.

For more from Ubisoft’s presentation, read our recap of the full Ubisoft Forward 2024 show, and our hands-on with Star Wars Outlaws.