What to Expect from Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Assassin’s Creed is one of the biggest gaming franchises, with currently 13 main instalments in the series. It seems to be Ubisoft’s unique way of implementing historical accuracies into setting, characters and gameplay, which keeps fans coming back for more! With the next release, Assassin’s Creed Shadows to be available to play 20th March 2025, what do we know so far?

Assassin’s Creed Shadows has been a hot discussion recently, due to the game’s release already being delayed twice. Although, some people have managed to get their hands on an early copy of the game and have been sharing it online. The gameplay footage available to watch has been confirmed by Ubisoft to be genuine, however urges fans to not share spoilers!

Shadows will take place in 16th century Japan and will display a wide range of different locations including cities, towns, farm land, mountains and even a 1:1 scale castle! An Assassin’s Creed game set in Japan seems to be a perfect match for stylish combat, with swords, katana duels and ninja arts. There is a choice of two protagonists, each with distinct play styles on how they interact with the world. Firstly, the female choice – Naoe – is a shinobi/ninja, representative of an infiltrator in medieval Japan. Secondly, the male choice – Yasuke – also known as the ‘African Samurai’ and the first real historical figure playable in the franchise.

Assassin’s Creed wouldn’t be the same franchise without the classic parkour mechanics, which will link together nicely with the aesthetics defining Shadows. According to rumours, we can expect the world size to be similar to Origins, but an emphasis on landscape being real-scale-sized. There are new features too, including a new stealth system, with dynamic lighting and shadows which affects enemy vision and creates areas to hide. Also a dynamic weather system and seasonal cycle relevant to each location, will affect NPC behaviours and other gameplay mechanics. I think one of the best features is the ability to find and pet cats across the world!

While you wait for the game to release, you could watch the TV show Shogun which is set 2 decades after Assassin’s Creed Shadows. This would be a great way to immerse yourself in the history of medieval Japan, and learn about culture, architecture and combat. Or you could watch the game’s official trailer…just make sure to avoid the spoilers circulating online!