Summary
- Fans finally get their wish with Assassin's Creed Shadows being set in Feudal Japan, following the success of Ghost of Tsushima.
- Assassin's Creed Shadows' HUD bears striking resemblance to Ghost of Tsushima's, with similar weapon menus and ability icons.
- Borrowing elements of the UI from Ghost of Tsushima may enhance immersion in Assassin's Creed Shadows, but balancing inspiration with innovation is key, as if they are too similar, AC Shadows could look just like a copy.
While plenty of games set in Feudal-era Japan have been released over the last few decades, it's still a setting that many want to see more games adopt. Assassin's Creed is a great example of this. For years, fans have longed for an Assassin's Creed game set in Feudal-era Japan, and this year, they're finally getting their wish, with Assassin's Creed Shadows set to launch in November. And if the recent Ubisoft Forward gameplay trailer is any indication, it seems as though Assassin's Creed Shadows is going to capture that long-awaited setting very well.
But Assassin's Creed Shadows won't be the first AAA open-world action-adventure game set in Feudal-era Japan, with Ghost of Tsushima beating it to the punch four years ago and setting an incredibly high bar. Naturally, comparisons between AC Shadows and Ghost of Tsushima are unavoidable. But while many of these early comparisons can be chalked up to coincidence, there's one major area of similarity that seems a little harder to explain.
Assassin's Creed Shadows' HUD Bears a Striking Resemblance to Ghost of Tsushima's
The recent Assassin's Creed Shadows Ubisoft Forward breakdown gave fans their first proper look at the highly anticipated entry's gameplay. Along with a good look at AC Shadows' combat and stealth, fans also got to see the game's HUD user interface for the first time, and some have already started to point out the glaring similarities between it and Ghost of Tsushima's.
While Assassin's Creed Shadows' HUD UI is a natural progression of Valhalla's, there are some key changes that have made it look very similar to Ghost of Tsushima's own stripped-back HUD. The biggest points of comparison are Shadows' weapon menu being located in the bottom left corner of the screen alongside the health bar and the Adrenaline meter, and the character's special abilities being presented in the lower right corner of the screen. While the placement of these HUD elements is essentially the same as it was in Valhalla, their icons have been changed quite dramatically.
Rather than Valhalla's horizontal yellow bars, Assassin's Creed Shadows' Adrenaline meter is now represented by a series of yellow diamonds, which bear a striking resemblance to Ghost of Tsushima's Resolve meter circles. The icons for Assassin's Creed Shadows' various weapons and abilities also look fairly similar to Ghost of Tsushima's, being represented as black and white, or black and gold illustrations. The recent gameplay trailer also showed that Assassin's Creed Shadows' detection meter during stealth looks nearly identical to Ghost of Tsushima's, with both being a white bar with an arrow that fills and eventually flashes yellow when the player is spotted.
Most Assassin's Creed games have let the player customize their HUD, and the same will likely be true for Assassin's Creed Shadows.
Assassin's Creed Shadows Borrowing HUD UI From Ghost of Tsushima Isn't Necessarily a Bad Thing
It's unclear whether or not Assassin's Creed Shadows has taken deliberate inspiration from Ghost of Tsushima for its HUD UI, but regardless of the truth, it doesn't have to be a bad thing. Ghost of Tsushima's minimal HUD was a major point of praise upon its initial launch, letting players further immerse themselves in the gorgeously realized world around them. Assassin's Creed Shadows' own paired-back HUD might be able to capture that same sense of immersion. Borrowing artistic cues from Ghost of Tsushima's HUD icons also gives Shadows a similar sense of style, though this is a tricky thing to balance, as borrowing too heavily from Ghost of Tsushima might make the end product feel a bit cheap.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows
- Released
- November 15, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
Experience an epic historical action-adventure story set in feudal Japan! Become a lethal shinobi Assassin and a powerful legendary samurai as you explore a beautiful open world in a time of chaos. Switch seamlessly between two unlikely allies as you discover their common destiny. Master complementary playstyles, create your shinobi league, customize your hideout, and usher in a new era for Japan.
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft Quebec
- Publisher(s)
- Ubisoft
- Franchise
- Assassin's Creed
- Platform(s)
- PS5, PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Amazon Luna
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Action-Adventure, RPG
