Highlights

  • Assassin's Creed Shadows returns to the series' stealth roots with a focus on lurking in the shadows and non-lethal takedowns.
  • The global illumination mechanic in AC Shadows relies on light and darkness to obscure protagonists from enemy sights.
  • Yasuke and Naoe in Shadows represent a blend of classic clandestine roles and modern RPG elements, setting a new trend for the franchise.

For a while now, shaking up a few of the core principles and features that catapulted the Assassin's Creed franchise into an elite status in the gaming community. Most notably, the switch from the early games' traditional stealth premise in favor of modern RPG elements in its newer editions divided public opinion - a drastic paradigm shift that revealed cracks in the wall in the developer's strategy. However, the mechanics of the recently revealed Assassin's Creed Shadows seem to pick up from where Mirage left off, heralding a stylistic change in Ubisoft's approach. AC Shadows' premiere trailer teased a return to the pronounced focus on the stealth dynamic, and if the trend continues, future titles could yet benefit from the original Assassin's Creed fabric.

While Yasuke's role as one of Assassin's Creed Shadows protagonists went viral and grabbed all the headlines, finer aspects of the upcoming title's formative elements flew relatively under the radar amidst the focus on Ubisoft's main character choice. Yasuke and Naoe, Shadows' leading acts, present the two eras of the developer's strategy -- with the shinobi taking on the classic clandestine role, while Yasuke continues the modern RPG legacy Assassin's Creed has tried to build in recent years. Naoe's presence in this capacity and Shadows' teased stealth mechanics show Ubisoft's return to the drawing board, and this trend reversal could be a good omen for future games in the franchise.

assassins creed shadows naoe on a snowy rooftop
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Assassin's Creed Shadows is an Opportunity To Bring Back an Old Protagonist

Assassin's Creed Shadows, while set in Japan, has the potential to feature one classic, Chinese Assassin as a mentor for Naoe and Yasuke.

Assassin's Creed Shadows Brings Stealth Back to the Forefront

Although variety is the spice of life, as the axiom waxes, Assassin's Creed's entries since Black Flag have had to endure waves of criticism for their departure from what made the first few installments tick. For instance, Valhalla (and Odyssey, to an extent) could be completed by applying brute force in most scenarios, a sharp contrast to the Splinter Cell-esque gameplay style gamers had become accustomed to in the likes of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. Valhalla's emphasis on melee muted the effect of stealth, and opting for stealth-focused builds felt counterproductive when enemies could easily be overwhelmed in combat.

With complaints about the deviation from the series' fabric increasingly vocal, Mirage yielded to pressure and marked a return to the franchise's roots. Subtle tweaks to assassination mechanics restored the classic feeling of lurking in the dark and avoiding head-on conflict, and Shadows is following the same playbook, albeit with a few twists.

A Bigger Focus on Stealth in Shadows Could Be a Good Thing for Ubisoft

Traditionally, stealth in Assassin's Creed has been predicated on camouflage or hiding behind objects; from weaving around dense crowds to crouching in tall grass. Assassin's Creed Shadows' stealth system features a global illumination mechanic, relying on light and darkness to obscure its protagonists from enemy sights. There have been rumors of Naoe being unable to block or parry attacks from enemies. If this proves true, Assassin's Creed Shadows encourages using stealth on a scale that makes previous titles look trivial.

Non-lethal takedowns are also coming to Shadows, presumably to mute the emphasis on combat that previous Assassin's Creed titles featured. This inclusion harps on staying hidden in the shadows -- when playing as Naoe at least -- as the name implies. Players can temporarily immobilize servants carrying lanterns to ensure areas remain dark enough to hide AC Shadows' protagonists, instead of unrealistically executing every character they encounter.

Valhalla and Odyssey seemed to use the mechanic to merely thin out an enemy location before direct combat, but Shadows is finally putting the horse back before the cart once more. Ubisoft's decision to pivot to an increased focus on stealth after such a long RPG-focused hiatus may have been influenced by its positive reception in Assassin's Creed Mirage, and leaning into the dynamic in future games like Hexe would only serve to further the series' legacy as a primarily covert experience. Shadows' template of lurking in the dark heralds a return to the importance of assassinations, which is what made the franchise so popular in the first place.