AC: Shadows Map Won't Be Buried in Markers. Ubisoft Prepares Big Changes in Exploration and Stealth
The world in AC: Shadows will change with the seasons, offering new opportunities, and the titular shadows will play an important role in the game.
Along with the presentation of the first trailer for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Ubisoft shared some information about the characters, the world, and the gameplay itself. According to the information provided by the developers, this will be the most extensive installment of the series.
Game world
The action of AC: Shadows will be set in feudal Japan, specifically in the late Sengoku period, which is the end of the 16th century. The game world will be divided into three regions - Iga, Arima, and Omi - and will be similar in size to that of AC: Origins.
The title will offer changing seasons, which will affect the gameplay. For instance, in spring, when the vegetation blooms, our character will be able to hide among it. During winter, the water reservoirs will freeze, and our position will be given away by the icicles hanging from the roofs if we accidentally hit them.
A dynamic weather system is also supposed to be important. Fog, gales, storms - all of this will affect the sight and hearing of the opponents.
Source: Ubisoft.
Source: Ubisoft.
Synchronization points will make a comeback, but this time getting them won't overwhelm the map with a ton of markers. Instead, we will need to explore the area from a higher vantage point, uncovering interesting places that we will then visit.
Gameplay
In Assassin's Creed: Shadows we will focus mainly on eliminating targets. How we approach this will depend on us, and the devs won't "point" us where to go and how to complete a given mission.
AC: Shadows will offer two playable characters. Yasuke's strength will be more effective in close combat, where active skills learned in skill trees will assist us. The skills will be separate for each of the characters. The game will also feature the ability to crawl.
Many different weapons will be entrusted to us, such as katanas, shurikens, yari, or arquebuses. It's interesting that each weapon will have its own skill tree, and our proficiency in using them will grow over time.
Source: Ubisoft.
Naoe, being a nimble shinobi, will excel in stealth and quiet elimination (they can also be incapacitated if we choose to play pacifist). This time, however, we won't have access to the "bird drone," so we will have to do the reconnaissance ourselves.
As the subtitle of the game suggests, shadows will play a significant role during sneaking. The developers boast about implementing a new dynamic lighting system, which will affect the visibility of opponents.
There will be no obstacle to destroying the lanterns - it will be held by servants, opponents who don't participate in the fight, but are able to raise the alarm (unlike "ordinary" opponents, they will be marked in orange - not red - when we activate the so-called eagle's sight) or extinguish the torch and hide in the resulting darkness. A new feature in the interface, called the "light meter," will help us determine if we are visible.
Assassin's Creed: Shadows will be released on November 15 on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
