After seeing its release date pushed back no less than twice, Assassin’s Creed Shadowsthe next episode of Ubisoft’s game series which uses History as its playground will finally arrive on March 20, almost four months after its initial release date. An increasingly common practice in the industry, but which also brings its share of doubts about the quality of a game.
To see more clearly, Duty was invited by Ubisoft to test a preliminary version of Shadows for a few hours.
For this new opus, the Ubisoft Quebec team – which is leading the development of the project – decided to respond to the greatest demand from fans of the saga: to offer an episode set in feudal Japan. More precisely, players will explore, katana and secret blade in hand, a Japan in the midst of political change towards the end of the 16th century.e century.
The open world designed by Ubisoft, true to form, is very beautiful. Its breathtaking landscapes and dense villages brimming with details beg to be explored. A seasonal system modifies environments, offering new possibilities to the player — a lake will be frozen in winter and enemies will be more present outside in summer, for example. The passage presented in Duty However, it took place exclusively in spring, allowing you to appreciate the magnificent cherry trees in bloom, a real pleasure for the retina.
Between renewal and familiarity
In a few minutes of play, it is already impossible to mistake it: the episode is part of the “role-playing game” formula that the franchise began with Assassin’s Creed Origins in 2017. Experience points and equipment galore are therefore available to help the two playable characters evolve in different ways. Difficult to evaluate these systems — Duty was launched in a part that was already well advanced – but the whole thing seems more refined at first glance.
It is also here that Shadows offers its most effective novelty: two very distinct protagonists, who make it possible to respond to the identity problem from which Assassin’s Creed for several years. In a nutshell: over time, what started as a series of stealth games increasingly emphasized combat.
Ubisoft Quebec has therefore found a solution to please fans of infiltration without alienating others: giving the choice between Naoe, a discreet ninja but less skilled in melee, and Yasuke, a samurai who can act like a small armed on his own, but who is much less in his place when it comes to pirouettes on the roofs.
-The latter also marks a first for the saga by being the first playable character to be a real historical figure. Yasuke is a former slave who arrived in Japan through Portuguese traders. He then began to serve the daimyo Oda Nobunaga, a character who will be central in the plot of Shadows.
The two protagonists will therefore work and evolve together. Using a menu and a button, it is possible to change who you play as almost at any time, which allows you to prioritize the strengths of each. Infiltrating a temple teeming with ronins standing guard to gather information is easier with Naoe and his grappling hook, but is still possible with Yasuke. The noise produced by the samurai’s armor does not prevent discretion; The ninja’s quick dodges allow her to survive if she is spotted.
During certain missions where both are present, the game even offers to change characters between two sequences. It was therefore possible to use Yasuke and his ability to break doors to force entry to a castle, then to play as Naoe to dispose of enemies more stealthily. A transition which is carried out in an extremely fluid manner, with the help of a cutscene where the two characters discuss their plan.
The same cannot be said, however, for character switching when exploring the game world, where a simple loading screen breaks the immersion. Said immersion, so well developed during exploration or during fights against a single enemy, also disappears during group fights, which are too chaotic, and during obstacle and infiltration sequences, which too often prove clumsy.
Observation: the game undoubtedly has potential – Naoe’s speed and Yasuke’s superb combat animations stand out – but still badly needs to be refined. Let’s hope that the additional time will be used wisely and that, unlike the disjointed storyAssassin’s Creed Valhalla (2020), the narrative plotAssassin’s Creed Shadows will make you want to continue.
