We played 4 hours of Assassin’s Creed Shadows: the comeback?

A little mysterious, with a strong emphasis on narration while managing to plunge quickly into the action, the prologue bit ofAssassin’s Creed Shadows discovered was blowing hot and cold. Oddly sequenced and quickly shortened to throw us to the heart of the matter, it was above all an appetizer to immerse us in this Japan of the end of the Sengoku period, marked by violent clan wars.

It is in this bloody political context that the two protagonists ofAssassin’s Creed Shadowsa shinobi and a samurai, will have a very active role to play, while being interested in a funny MacGuffin which reminds us that the lore mystic-conspiratorAssassin’s Creed will have its place in this new episode.

Shinobi or not to bethis is the credo of Assassin’s Creed Shadows

But let’s be honest, what really interested us with this first contact was the discovery of a first part of this open world Japanese that we have been dreaming of almost since 2007 — and the final scene of the first episode which foreshadowed a thousand and one adventures in the four corners of the globe and History. From this point of view, there is no need to procrastinate: Assassin’s Creed Shadows puts on the show.

Carried by a largely revised version of its historic Anvil engine, this episode is immediately captivated by the feeling of life that emanates from its settings, particularly thanks to its astonishing work on dynamic lights and climatic conditions which create unique visual atmospheres, while reinforcing the credibility of what is before our eyes. The scale of the decorations also contributes to this feeling of realism by approaching real proportions which reinforce the gigantism of the temples and fortresses. This observation then exacerbates the pleasure of exploring them with the vivacity of a feline.

And with a character like Naoe in our hands, it’s obviously a pleasure that we didn’t shy away from! The shinobi, light and athletic, moves with a grace and speed that her predecessors must envy. Even the slender ArnoAssassin’s Creed Unityuntil now undisputed champion of Parkour within the series, risks having his crown stolen by the young Japanese. She can also count on an effective grappling hook (but not too abusive) to climb low walls, towers and buildings in choreographies involving pirouettes and somersaults.

Naoe puts this breathtaking vivacity to the benefit of discretion, more in its place than ever in this episode. Yes, here we go again for the infiltration of camps, bastions, fortresses and temples, but with a range of movements, tools and configurations of places which promise to add even more depth to this facet well known to gameplay of the series. Here too, dynamic light management plays a welcome role. Like his cousin Splinter Cell, this episode makes darkness our best ally during these game sequences. Like any good shinobi, Naoe will be more effective at night and can especially extinguish all the lanterns and lights in the settings. candles (by passing by or with shuriken) to then surprise his helpless targets.

This will be necessary against guards who seem a little more cunning and tenacious than before. In any case, they react in a less monolithic manner. Thus, the general alert is not systematically given at the slightest misstep and they tend to investigate in small groups, so that diversions are easier to attempt. The other element that reinforces the challenge is the weakening of the famous eagle vision. It still makes it possible to detect nearby threats and mark them, but they are then only indicated by a simple, very discreet white arrow. We must therefore be extra careful and constantly stay on the alert to avoid unpleasant surprises. I speak from experience…

Only Samurai suits me

Assassin’s Creed Shadows seriously assumes the infiltration nature of the saga, but offers a decompression valve between two tense passages thanks to Yasuke. Even if he can crouch and climb a little, the samurai colossus is not really cut out to go unnoticed and is not shy about quickly finding himself involved in brutal, bloody and… surprisingly fun fights. That’s a bit of the surprise of this preview session: Yasuke, although quite far from the spirit of the series, contrasts (it’s fair to say) with Naoe and offers a totally different side which allows you to discover the game in a whole new light. With this pair of heroes so radically opposed, it’s almost two games in one that delivers Assassin’s Creed Shadows. The samurai allows you to better discover a more calm and technical combat system, still a little confusing when there are too many opponents, but which delivers beautiful, hard-hitting and sadistic sensations.

In short, the one we feared to be the annoying squatter turns out to be a real alternative to discover Assassin’s Creed Shadows differently. Because, as in Assassin’s Creed Syndicate (from the same studio), a click in the menu is enough to switch from one to the other, as desired. For the main missions, it is through cutscenes that we are given the choice: go head-to-head with Yasuke or try to play it smart with Naoe. The physiognomy of the action then changes completely; two games in one, we tell you!

It now remains to be seen to what extent the title will be able to exploit this promising complementarity. Apart from the prologue which focuses on each of them distinctly, the majority of the adventure can be completed with one or the other, as desired. Will missions be playable together, with more collaborative work such as Assassin’s Creed Syndicate had outlined it in his final mission? In what way will the unique narrative arcs be revealed to deepen and develop their character? The loop of gameplay will it allow itself some creative deviations to avoid the feeling of repetition? What about also the quests and side activities and the exploitation of theopen world to make it more than a magnificent decoration? Beyond its structure and content, will the game evolve in the coming weeks to further refine its combat or improve certain small details, such as these animations (notably facial) of NPCs, which are too robotic (especially in THE cut scenes secondary)?

Yes, there are still quite a few questions surrounding this Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Because, despite this first contact being very reassuring and even exciting in many aspects, he undoubtedly needs to put forward a few additional arguments to achieve unanimity. If fans, amateurs of the series, will a priori be delighted by the proposal, this new episode on which Ubisoft is banking so much (everything?), does not seem set to violently overturn the table. An evolution, rather than a revolution, in short. But it is too early to venture into this kind of conjecture. For now, Assassin’s Creed Shadows succeeded in the main thing: allaying fears (two postponements were starting to do a lot) and even more, with the awakening of a real curiosity and a frank impatience to fully dive into it next March.