Assassin’s Creed Shadows is one of the top games hitting shelves next year, no doubt. After all, Assassin’s Creed is Ubisoft’s top video game series, so expectations are pretty high for this next entry in the storied franchise, which has been going strong since 2007.
This will be the first game in the series since Assassin’s Creed Syndicate (which came out back in 2015) to feature dual protagonists. That is, you will be able to switch between two different playable characters, unlike in other Assassin’s Creed games in which you choose a specific character at the start. In Assassin’s Creed Shadows, you get to play as both Yasuke, a 16th century samurai of African origin, and Naoe, a Japanese girl from the city of Iga.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows will let you play as both a samurai and a ninja during the violent Sengoku period of Japanese history, then, even if both Yasuke and Naoe won’t be on the same side at the start of the game.
So said the game’ narrative director Brooke Davies on Reddit (via GameSpot). “Their unique backgrounds and perspectives do not always align”, said Davies. “This is something we will see them and sometimes even help them to work through by making some interesting choices”, although “their paths do ultimately converge and we see them form a league together around common cause”, added Davies.
Japanese leader Oda Nobunaga invades Naoe’s city of Iga, with Yasuke (his retainer) taking part in the attack. So Naoe and Yasuke are initially enemies, but team up at some point in the game.
Also, the fact that the game will have a “canon mode” will be of interest to Assassin’s Creed fans.
The Assassin’s Creed series introduced dialogue choices with 2017’s Assassin’s Creed Origins, and Assassin’s Creed Shadows will feature these too. But the game allows you to skip dialogue choices altogether, as game director Jonathan Dumont revealed on Reddit.
“Choices come more into play when recruiting allies and romance some of the characters. Since the fan base is divided on branching dialogues, we have incorporated an option called CANON MODE which allows you to play the game with choices already made for you, to give you a choice free experience. Hope this makes it fun for everyone”, said the game’s director.
Naoe (pictured) will team up with Yasuke in Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ feudal Japan.
So Assassin’s Creed Shadows can play more like the earlier Assassin’s Creed 2, in which you did not have to worry about making choices during dialogue. But unlike the 2010 game, Assassin’s Creed Shadows will be a large open-world game like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla with multiple side quests and a core narrative to follow, and as big in size as Assassin’s Creed Origins as Ubisoft’s developers said on Reddit.
It remains to be seen, though, whether this latest game in the series lives up to its promise, especially considering how it will be competing with Ghost of Yotei next year, one of the top sequels arriving in 2025 for sure. But Ubisoft really needs Shadows to be a hit after this year’s Star Wars’ Outlaws failed to sell as well as the company had wanted, with Ubisoft finding itself in dire straits right now.
Ubisoft is still an iconic video game company, though, and the Assassin’s Creed series still has millions of fans worldwide, so hopefully Assassin’s Creed Shadows turns out to be another very good entry in the series when it hits the shelves next year.
Read more: Assassin’s Creed Shadows trailer showcases feudal Japan setting and protagonists