Highlights
- Players will step into the shoes of Naoe and Yasuke in Assassin's Creed Shadows, who provide a blend of old and new gameplay styles.
- Naoe excels in stealth gameplay, reminiscent of classic Assassin's Creed heroes, while Yasuke brings action to the forefront.
- Players can freely swap between Naoe and Yasuke in most missions, offering a diverse gameplay experience in Assassin's Creed Shadows.
Shortly after the long-awaited reveal of its official title, Assassin's Creed Shadows has finally been unveiled in its very own cinematic premiere trailer. Formerly known as Assassin's Creed Codename Red, Assassin's Creed Shadows will see players stepping into the shoes of two protagonists: Naoe and Yasuke. This confirms that some of the rumors surrounding Assassin's Creed Shadows were true and that it features a female protagonist, Naoe, alongside Yasuke, who is based on a real figure from Japanese history. Ubisoft will likely reveal even more about Assassin's Creed Shadows in the coming months, but for now, the premiere trailer provides a wealth of information to speculate on, including the unique roles these two protagonists will fill.
Along with what Ubisoft has already verbally confirmed in an interview with IGN, the premiere trailer for Assassin's Creed Shadows tells plenty about Naoe and Yasuke — their combat styles, in particular. Fortunately, veteran Assassin's Creed fans will likely be pleased to see that, rather than fully reverting to the series' gameplay roots, Assassin's Creed Shadows will blend classic Assassin's Creed gameplay with the franchise's new era, which consists of installments like Assassin's Creed Valhalla and Assassin's Creed Odyssey. It appears it will accomplish this by allowing Naoe and Yasuke to fill roles that not only complement one another but also both the classic and more modern styles of Assassin's Creed gameplay.
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How Assassin's Creed Shadow's Naoe and Yasuke Complement Each Other
Naoe Will Fill a Stealth Role
Likely in response to fans' requests for Assassin's Creed to be brought back to its stealth roots, Ubisoft has specifically designed Naoe to fill a stealth role in Assassin's Creed Shadows. As the fictional daughter of the real historical figure Fujibayashi Nagato, Naoe is an agile shinobi who is more like the heroes of classic Assassin's Creed than those of the series' modern era. With Naoe, players will be able to strike from the shadows just as the earliest Assassins, like Altair and Ezio, were known for.
Assassin's Creed Mirage certainly brought the franchise back to its humble beginnings by prioritizing stealth gameplay above what the series has done in more recent years, but, in some ways, it felt a little too much like classic Assassin's Creed. To compensate for that, Assassin's Creed Shadows will use Yasuke's more action-oriented role as a complement to Naoe.
Yasuke Will Play a More Action-Oriented Role
As Assassin's Creed has gradually shifted into an RPG more than the action-adventure that it once was, its combat has needed to shift as well — and that's where Yasuke comes in. Whereas Naoe prefers to remain in the shadows, Yasuke is a bold fighter who approaches battle head-on. Clad in full samurai armor, Yasuke is a front-liner who is not afraid to get his hands dirty and take a hit or two.
Yasuke's cosmetics are also likely to be a bit more intricately designed than Naoe's, as she is seen wearing a traditional Assassin cloak throughout the trailer.
Players Will Be Allowed to Swap Between Naoe and Yasuke
Ubisoft has confirmed that, for the most part, players will be allowed to swap between Naoe and Yasuke during their time with Assassin's Creed Shadows. There will be some missions that will require players to use either Naoe or Yasuke, but the larger portion of Assassin's Creed Shadows' gameplay will allow players freedom to experience both playstyles on a whim, even in the middle of the quests themselves.
Ubisoft will likely reveal even more about Assassin's Creed Shadows' gameplay during the Ubisoft Forward event on June 10, but there seems to be enough information divulged already to give players an accurate idea of what to expect. That being said, seeing it all in action will be much different than simply hearing about it, but that is most likely just around the corner.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Previously known as Codename Red, Assassin's Creed Shadows is an upcoming game in Ubisoft's open-world franchise. Set in Feudal Japan, Shadows includes two playable characters, a ninja assassin specializing in stealth and a samurai who focuses on power.
