If you’re someone who is still trying to make sense of AC canon (me too) Ubisoft informed players in a tweet that a Canon mode will be available in Shadows. While this mode had been announced previously, Ubisoft reminded players that Canon Mode is still on the table. This mode removes most of the options and choices for outcomes in the story and side quests for those who want to experience the “canon” story. The tweet also contains a trailer which showcases how the mode works. With Assassin’s Creed Shadows having 2 protagonists, this might be a handy feature for people who do not care about the RPG elements of Shadows.
After multiple delays, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is arriving March 20, 2025. Shadows looks to set itself apart by immersing players in the two main characters which can be switched between during gameplay. Yasuke is the samurai and in general the more tank/heavy weapons character. Naoe is a shinobi which offers a more nimble and stealth based approach to gameplay. Both of these characters represent a specific playstyle that players can switch between to experience different gameplay moments.
Prior to this announcement, Ubisoft has done deep dives into elements in the game such as the open world, exploration, and safehouses. Ubisoft has overhauled the open world to make it more immersive and less cumbersome for players by adding additions such as a pathfinder system and NPC scouts you can hire. In contrast to previous titles, you will not have an eagle companion to scout for you in Shadows. Another gameplay element that saw a deep dive is the parkour and movement system. Shadows features a “parkour up and parkour down” system that aims to make parkour much more fluid than previous titles. Players can also hold down a button while running to perform contextual actions such as auto bashing through obstacles or leaping over them. There’s also a grappling hook for those who want to live out their dreams of being Batman Ninja.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows is aiming to be an incredibly polished release after multiple delays. After the disappointing sales of Star Wars Outlaws and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora Ubisoft needs a title to revive their business. For what it’s worth, I reviewed both Outlaws and Avatar and found both to be wonderful games. It is sad that they did not manage to hit sales expectations. Ubisoft is the only publisher in the business that is able to create and masterfully sculpt such amazing open world experiences. As a long time Assassin’s Creed fan, I will always play every new AC release, but the hype train for Shadows seems to be moving at double the speed after it received glowing previews from outlets and creators last month. While we at Lv1 did not have the chance to play a hands on, I have yet to see any negative sentiment from folks who played the 6 hour preview.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows launches March 20,2025 and I for one cannot wait.
Leave a Reply