Ubisoft seems all-set to take its players to a much-requested time period in the Assassin’s history with Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Taking place in the Sengoku era of feudal Japan, the French studio and publisher seems to be pulling out all the stops to ensure the success of its latest iteration of the stealth-action behemoth it has built over the years.
With two delays already pushing the highly anticipated release of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Ubisoft fans simply cannot wait for more information on the new adventure that awaits them. Will the game face more delays? Is the story going to live up to the hype? Will its protagonists be able to give the studio the redemption it so desperately needs? We have answers to all of these questions and more!
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| This article will be constantly updated as time passes, keeping it up-to-date with the latest news regarding Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Make sure to check back regularly! |
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Release Date
While originally planned for a November 2024 release, Ubisoft decided to delay Assassin’s Creed Shadows by two months to ensure it avoided the pitfalls of past releases like Assassin’s Creed Unity, which was a buggy mess at the time of its launch. The studio seems determined to ensure a well-tuned experience this time around, further delaying its February 2025 release window to March 20, 2025, to further polish its take on an era that its fans have been hoping to see for a long time.
However, Assassin’s Creed Shadows seems to be on track for its March 2025 release at the time of writing.
Platforms
The Assassin’s Creed franchise has historically been available across all platforms and Shadows is no different. The game is slated to be released on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Mac on its release date, ensuring that everybody gets to dive into the adventure irrespective of the platform on which they choose to play it.
What’s more, preordering Assassin’s Creed Shadows will give players access to the Claws of Awaji DLC which includes more than 10 hours of content as a bonus across both the standard and deluxe editions when it releases later this year!
Story
While Ubisoft has remained especially vague about the story in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, early previews of the game featuring its dual protagonists Naoe and Yasuke indicate a narrative that pits them against an oppressive Shogunate with the samurai acting as its enforcers. It will be interesting to see how Yasuke’s relationship with Oda Nobunaga plays a part considering their murky relationship in Japanese history.
While Yasuke’s inclusion in the story created controversy in the early stages of the game’s announcement, it is evident that the samurai is meant to play an important part in Assassin’s Creed Shadows working with Naoe, a shinobi, to bring freedom to an oppressed populace in a personal story that is sure to pit him against his samurai brethren in some form.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows is also slated to revamp the franchise’s problematic modern-day narrative, an issue that Layla Hassan was unable to solve in her many appearances across multiple titles in the wake of Desmond Miles’ sacrifice in Assassin’s Creed Revelations. With Basim (or Loki) already finding himself in the present after events in Valhalla, it will be interesting to see how the presence of an actual Isu affects the ongoing conflict between the Assassins and Abstergo Industries.
Multiplayer
Multiplayer has never been a strength of the Assassin’s Creed franchise with Unity being the last title in the franchise to feature it in some form. While its co-op mode featured heavily in promotional materials for the game, it was relegated to a small selection of missions and was so poorly implemented it failed to make an impact.
While a co-op mode is rumored to be in development for Assassin’s Creed Shadows and is expected to be added to the game post-launch, details are scarce about whether it could allow players to complete story or side missions together or the number of players who can dive in at the same time.
Gameplay
Assassin’s Creed Shadows is certainly drawing on the best of the franchise’s illustrious past with Ubisoft attempting to shake off criticisms about its gameplay loop in recent titles. A new and improved gameplay loop allows players to tailor their approach to the game based on their personal preference, featuring a combat system that Yasuke can use to devastating effect while Naoe relies on her wits and stealth to tear through enemy lines from the shadows.
It’s an approach that worked very well for Assassin’s Creed Syndicate and is sure to create a balance between stealth and combat with creative director Jonathan Dumont assuring players that they will not be forced to choose between the two Assassin’s for the major part of the game.
“They get individual introductions and then they get their own questline also. Let’s say [for] Naoe, a personal questline cannot be played by Yasuke and those are two distinct things. But the core of the game can be pick your character and the game adapts.”
Furthermore, recruiting members of Japan’s populace is a possibility with each recruit likely to have their own personal questlines with one particular recruit being played by a rather well-known face that has anime fans quite thrilled.
An improved gear system and skill tree are also expected to give players the most refined Assassin’s Creed experience they can get, doing away with the convoluted loot system that featured in Odyssey and Valhalla.
The game is also set to feature a city-builder-esque mechanic that will allow players to develop and design their hideout as they see fit, building new buildings wherever they may like, which will then give bonuses to other parts of the gameplay. This could be one of the most innovative mechanics in the franchise’s history.
All in all, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is shaping up to be a very memorable experience that could take the series to the highs of 2015’s Assassin’s Creed Black Flag.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows DLC
Ubisoft hasn’t hung around with announcing Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ DLC, as has now become the norm for AAA games pre-release. At least two expansions are planned at present, and details on the first are readily available.
Claws of Awaji
Ubisoft has confirmed that Claws of Awaji will feature a faction that could potentially turn the tables on Naoe and Yasuke, the latest protagonists to join the ranks of the Assassins. With Yasuke and Noae bringing distinct approaches to a common goal, Claws of Awaji is reported to add over 10 hours of new content to the main game and features a new faction called the Sanzoku Ippa who is apparently familiar with the Assassins’ ways.
Players will find themselves being hunted by these new villains as they try to survive in the new region of Awaji, but players will have the benefit of a new weapon to help in this goal, the Bō, for Naoe. Nothing is known about new weapons for Yasuke yet.
Related Media
Once again, Ubisoft is taking every possible measure to ensure Assassin’s Creed Shadows does not miss the mark considering its dismal showing in recent times. A prequel manga is slated to flesh out the game’s narrative and will be released alongside the game globally. The manga is expected to dive into Naoe and Yasuke’s backstories, shedding light on their motivations and the reason they join the Brotherhood.
For more Thumb Wars Gaming coverage, check out how a recent preview of Assassin’s Creed Shadows caused problems for Ubisoft or how the game’s Japanese version has been forced to make a few key changes.
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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.
