Highlights

  • Assassin's Creed Shadows introduces a dual-protagonist system for more engaging gameplay and storytelling.
  • The complex relationships between Yasuke, Naoe, and the main villain can lead to intense exchanges.
  • Ubisoft must ensure the distinct personalities of the protagonists are utilized to tell a more layered narrative.

The villains of the Assassin's Creed franchise have always been a bit of a mixed bag. While the Templar Order/Order of the Ancients is a great overarching villain for the whole series, the individual members within it haven't always been overly compelling, often feeling like generic 'evil leader' archetypes. A big issue the AC franchise has with its villains is that players are often simply told how evil these people are, rather than being shown first hand. But Assassin's Creed Shadows might finally turn things around.

For the first time in a while, Assassin's Creed Shadows is using a dual-protagonist system, where players can switch between two characters to participate in different missions. From what Ubisoft has revealed so far, it already seems like Yasuke and Naoe will be very different characters, both in terms of gameplay and personality, and hopefully, that's something that remains true for the final game. Hopefully, these differences can pave the way for a more complex Assassin's Creed antagonist.

assassin creed shadows yasuke and naeo in combat position
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Assassin's Creed 'Shadows' Dual Protagonist Pave the Way for a Complex Villain

Yasuke and Naoe Could Have Very Different Relationships with AC Shadows' Villain

Assassin's Creed Shadows has the perfect opportunity to deliver the most intriguing villain the series has ever seen, and it all hinges on the relationship between them and the game's two protagonists. The best option would be to cast a main antagonist that has a very different dynamic between Yasuke and Naoe. For instance, this antagonist could be someone that Naoe has grown up hating and longing to take down, while at the same time, they could be a figure that Yasuke respects and maybe even admires.

This then paves the way for a more layered narrative, and some more complex character relationships, as Naoe would have to try and convince Yasuke that this figure he respects so much isn't actually worthy of his affection. This dynamic naturally lends itself to plenty of intense exchanges between the two Assassin's Creed Shadows protagonists and could result in a constant underlying tension that only continues to build throughout the game's events.

While Assassin's Creed Shadows' main villain hasn't been officially confirmed yet, Oda Nobunaga would be a perfect fit for this dynamic. In the recently released Assassin's Creed Shadows trailer, it seems as though Yasuke is working as a samurai under Nobunaga's banner, where he's ordered to burn down Naoe's home village. It's currently unclear how and when Yasuke and Naoe start working together, but it seems a likely theory that Naoe will convince Yasuke to turn on his master.

In the mobile card game Assassin's Creed: Memories , Oda Nobunaga is said to have been killed by Assassins in 1582 after he came into possession of a Sword of Eden, though it's currently unclear if these events will be made canon in AC Shadows .

Assassin's Creed Shadows Needs to Make the Most of its Dual Protagonists

Regardless of whether Ubisoft uses this approach for its Assassin's Creed Shadows villain, it needs to ensure that its two protagonists have distinct personalities and roles in the narrative. The Assassin's Creed franchise has rarely experimented with two separate playable protagonists as it's notoriously difficult to make them stand out while also making them similar enough that they share gameplay mechanics and story motivations. Hopefully, Assassin's Creed Shadows embraces the differences between its two protagonists and uses them to tell a more complex story.