The upcoming Assassin’s Creed Shadows game will return many familiar elements to the popular, 17-year-old franchise. For one, it will feature two playable protagonists in the form of Fujibayashi Naoe and Yasuke, similar to Assassin’s Creed Syndicate’s twin protagonists Jacob and Evie Frye.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows will additionally have gamers return to the 16th century, similar to Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood and Revelations, though the games’ settings of Renaissance Europe and Sengoku Japan are a world apart from one another. One major returning aspect from older Assassin’s Creed games is having the protagonist be more developed and featuring locked in narratives compared to more recent, RPG-like entries.
Assassin’s Creed’s Past Narrative Structure
With relatively recent entries in the Assassin’s Creed series featuring more RPG elements, new players may not know that Assassin’s Creed was not initially designed to be an RPG game. Rather, the series was intended to be an action adventure game centered on having players relive the lives of Master Assassins. This narrative structure was prominent from the series’ get-go, with Desmond Miles being forced by the Templars to use the Animus to relive the life of his ancestor, Altair Ibn-LaʼAhad, to find the Apple of Eden. Here, players were restricted to performing actions Altair wouldn't commit, such as killing civilians, or were encouraged to complete every activity in order to achieve full synchronization with Altair’s life.
This structure remained one of Assassin’s Creed’s core pillars for the entire series up until Desmond sacrificed his life at the end of Assassin’s Creed 3. With Desmond gone, Ubisoft used this opportunity to allow anyone to access anybody’s ancestral memories with the Animus as long as they have some kind of DNA source. This is how players were able to relive the protagonists' memories from Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag to Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. None of the modern-day protagonists after Desmond were related to the past protagonists, with many modern player characters not receiving names at all.
Assassin’s Creed’s RPG Elements
Not having modern-day protagonists directly related to past characters allowed players to have more freedom in how they can relive the past within the Animus. This additionally allowed Ubisoft to introduce more RPG elements in the series, starting with Assassin’s Creed Origins’ open world and wider array of complex side quests. This was further expanded upon with Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Valhalla by allowing players to choose their gender, select various dialogue options, and achieve alternate endings for certain quests. Despite the freedom these choices offered, it often made the lore of these stories uncertain, with Ubisoft only confirming which choices were canon after the game was released, such as Kassandra being made the canon lead of Odyssey.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Narrative Structure Explained
While Assassin’s Creed will have more defined characters in the form of Naoe and Yasuke, Shadows will still feature a few RPG elements. Shadows will allow Naoe and Yasuke to romance several characters throughout the game, even characters of the same gender. Unlike romance options in Odyssey or Valhalla, however, Naoe and Yasuke’s romance options are restricted to each character, meaning Naoe and Yasuke can’t fall in love with the same person. Romances in Shadows will be more developed and complex than ones seen in previous titles, allowing players to form serious relationships with some characters or have short flings with others.
Little is known about how Shadows' story will impact the modern-day storyline. Assassin’s Creed executive producer Marc-Alexis Cote has confirmed that the Animus Hub, otherwise known as Assassin’s Creed Infinity, will address most of the modern-day storylines going forward as a separate entity from the mainline games. With Layla Hassan’s death at the end of Valhalla, it’s unknown who will be connected to Naoe or Yasuke’s genetic memories in the Animus. If a new modern-day character is revealed to be Naoe or Yasuke’s descendant, it could further support Assassin’s Creed Shadows narrative as being more defined and less confusing for players by having them synchronize with their ancestors’ lives.
In addition to optional romances, Assassin’s Creed Shadows will feature the return of dialogue options from Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Valhalla.
Assassin's Creed Shadows
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 81 /100 Critics Rec: 82%
- Released
- March 20, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft Quebec
- Publisher(s)
- Ubisoft
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.
• Explore the captivating open world of feudal Japan, from spectacular castle towns and bustling ports to peaceful shrines and war-ravaged landscapes. Adventure through unpredictable weather, changing seasons, and reactive environments.
• Become Naoe, a shinobi Assassin, and Yasuke, a legendary samurai, as you experience their riveting stories and master their complementary playstyles. As Naoe, use stealth to avoid detection and agility to confound your enemies. As Yasuke, strike your foes with lethal precision and power. Unlock new skills, gear, and progression independently for each character.
• Make information your weapon as you explore the world, and build your own network of spies to be your eyes and ears across locations to hunt down your next target. Along the way, recruit new allies with unique abilities to help accomplish your missions.
• Create a fully customizable hideout for your growing shinobi league as you train your crew, craft new gear, interact with key characters, and choose your base’s layout, decorations, and accessories.
- Engine
- AnvilNext
- Franchise
- Assassin's Creed
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
