With only two weeks left before Assassin’s Creed Shadows takes its players to the Sengoku era of feudal Japan, Ubisoft is gearing up for what is shaping up to be a very successful addition to its flagship franchise. Selecting feudal Japan as its time period has allowed the French studio to explore a historical time period that was rife with political strife and intrigue.
A recent interview indicates that Ubisoft has made good use of Japan’s political upheaval to give its two new Assassins a lot of complex situations to navigate while they set up the Hidden One’s presence in a land that many players have been eager to visit through their eyes.
Inspired by the Games That Came Before
Feudal Japan has been a popular location for modern gaming, with many titles like Ghost of Tsushima and Rise of the Ronin setting their narratives in various points of its history. That makes comparisons to these games an inevitability. However, it seems that Ubisoft has risen to the challenge, crafting a narrative and gameplay loop that takes inspiration from them in ways that are set to elevate the experience it has created for its players.
A recent interview with creative director Jonathan Dumont shows how Ubisoft has taken one of the best parts of 2024’s Rise of the Ronin in a direction that could make Assassin’s Creed Shadows a narrative powerhouse, allowing its protagonists Yasuke and Naoe to truly influence its world in ways that make it come alive.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Doubles Down on Japanese Politics
Feudal Japan has always been known for political turmoil, with varying factions vying for power and influence as ideologies collided and loyalties were tested. Rise of the Ronin looked to bring that very turmoil to the story of the Blade Twins, placing them on opposing sides of a conflict that dealt with complex themes of cultural erosion and personal identity in an era that blurred the lines between the individual and the state.
However, these thematic influences never went beyond the narrative, their only effect on gameplay being which of its supporting cast accompanied the player’s character on specific missions. While Rise of the Ronin’s cast was indeed memorable, they were unable to bring the world Team Ninja created to life, making the experience fall flat in terms of how its story and gameplay blended together into a cohesive whole.
Dumont’s comments indicate that Ubisoft was well aware of this pitfall and chose to make its take on Japan’s Sengoku era feel more impactful as far as its protagonists’ roles in the game’s events are concerned.
“All I can say is that there are different factions in the game, and things are not always black or white when it comes to their intentions and goals.”
With the Shinbakufu already known to be Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ Templars, akin to the Cult of the Kosmos in Odyssey complete with scary masks, an interesting detail is how their masks represent their place in the Templar hierarchy.
Considering that feudal Japan placed a lot of emphasis on social hierarchies, it is an addition that could be excellent if those rankings played a role in how the Templars influenced Japan’s populace and how the Assassins chose to counter them. Dumont’s assertion that the Shinbakufu are not the only ones vying for power in Assassin’s Creed Shadows is particularly interesting considering that its Claws of Awaji DLC has already confirmed another faction called the Sanzoku Ippa who are more than happy to use the Assassin’s best tactics against them.
While other potential factions remain under wraps at this time, it’s clear that Shadows is bringing a narrative that touches upon the grey areas of being either an Assassin or Templar, a narrative beat that Ubisoft has used to great effect in past titles like Assassin’s Creed Unity and Assassin’s Creed Rogue.
The franchise’s fans might just be in for a treat like no other when Assassin’s Creed Shadows releases on March 20th, 2025, barring another delay, for the PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Mac
For more Thumb Wars Gaming coverage, take a look at how Ubisoft may be tired of Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ many controversies or our review of Monster Hunter Wilds on the PS5.
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With a passion for gaming that is equaled only by his love for writing, Varun has either a controller, keyboard, or a guitar in his hands when he is not out exploring the middle of nowhere on a motorcycle. Soulslikes, RPGs, and action-adventure titles keep him awake at night and get him out of bed in the morning. He will never stop lamenting the lack of a Bloodborne sequel even as he spends another couple of hours exploring the Lands Between in Elden Ring.
