Assassin’s Creed“Red” was in my shopping cart as soon as the Feudal Japan setting was confirmed.Ubisofthad quietly been bringing the fan-favorite premise of samurai and ninja assassins to fruition for years, and it was a marriage I was automatically on board with - existing as a casual weeb - before its inevitable reveal.
The backlash against protagonist, Yasuke, taking the spotlight was irrelevant to my long-term desire for a Japanese-based brotherhood because all I needed was the cultural aesthetic of the mystical land combined with the franchise’s idyllic open-world mechanics for me to disappear into.
The cinematic trailer did nothing to reinforce my advocacy, it was already fortified, but it left me starry-eyed and made the itch for November’s arrival stronger. Since I was already convinced the now-titled Assasisn’s Creed Shadows was a day-one purchase, the four-minute visual welcome simply opened the door to pre-orders, even though many gamers will begrudgingly wait in the wings for gameplay footage.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Will Be The Most Detailed Game In The Franchise According To Dev
In an interview, Assassin’s Creed Shadows' producer talks about how no previous work in the series has dealt with so much data.
Assassin’s Creed’s Open-World Recipe Is Easy To Digest
The first Assassin’s Creed game I experienced wasOrigins, and this introduction was made sweeter by the free price tag after winning a copy from a bag of Doritos. Initially drawn in by the Ancient Egypt setting and the mythos-spiced narrative, Ubisoft’s 10th entry became one of the few gameplay experiences I could truly integrate with. A combination of systematically clearing map markers, stealthily picking off Roman guards, giddy looting, and galloping across picturesque sand dunes to my next Phylake battle kept gameplay engaging and escapism high.
Much to my delight, this formula was repeated inOdysseyandValhalla, swapping the desert sands for splendid Greek cities and Viking culture. The fundamentals remained the same, and lines of throwaway NPC dialogue were carried across to my amusement. But regardless of being considered a copy/paste job by some, I was sound to repeat the process and delve into another ancient pocket of history.
Shadows will serve a reunion with the formula I love, and I’m ready to drink the Kool-aid once again.
Mirage was a hiccup (in my eyes), retorting back to linear gameplay which didn’t carry the same appeal. However, Shadows will serve a reunion with the formula I love, and I’m ready to drink the Kool-aid once again. Comparing the map size to Origins' filled me with excitement despite this entry removing a few features, likedecluttering map markersto give players a sense of agency and leavingbird-of-prey dronesout of the picture - but hopefully not trapped in the Animus. These missing elements are a small price to pay for exploring an ancient Japan-based open world, and as much as I loveGhost of Tsushima’semotional offering, Assassin’s Creed’s recipe helps switch my brain off - in the nicest way possible.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows' Naoe Was Originally A Generic Ninja Design Before Revamp
Assassin’s Creed Shadows' Naoe has had some subtle changes since her early concept art days.
Shadows Will Be My Only Pre-Order For A While
As a casual gamer, I’ve only pre-ordered a handful of games in the past, likeFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth, andGuardians of the Galaxy. I usually enjoy dipping into the hype and rush of going out to secure a physical copy on day one instead of waiting for the postman, or the cost comes into play on release day as a guilt trip to put me off committing. This isn’t the case with Assassin’s Creed Shadows, however, as it’s one of the few games I know my neurospicy brain will play a decent chunk of, and therefore, the cost and pre-order are justified.
[Assassin’s Creed Shadows is] one of the few games I know my neurospicy brain will play a decent chunk of, and therefore, the cost and pre-order are justified.
Players who sit on the fence with Ubisoft’s long-running franchise are validated to hold off pre-ordering until gameplay footage surfaces because any investment should be sold to the buyer. What I don’t support are the toxic social media users repurposing this reasonable practice as fuel to bash Shadows because it’s not living up to their narrow-minded wishlist. It’s trendy to be negative towards a new release these days, either in the film or videogames industry, but heckling gamers for pre-ordering before seeing any gameplay footage is rather pathetic.
Being swept up in the ridiculous fashion of hating something many are passionate about, several keyboard warriors have forgotten fandoms exist, and if you’re an avid Assassin’s Creed fan or have a more singular love for the open-world entries like myself, it’s a given these followers will automatically pre-order new entries as soon as the gates open because there’s already an established love there. Once November 15th rolls in, those who pre-order will happily disappear into the abyss, leaving any animosity to fester with the haters.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows' Seasonal Changes Should Be A New Standard For Open-World Games
It’s long overdue that we say goodbye to static, frozen-in-time worlds.
