Summary

  • Assassin's Creed Shadows will feature same-sex romance options.
  • Unlike Odyssey and Valhalla, most romanceable NPCs in Shadows won't be playersexual.
  • Naoe and Yasuke will hence have different romance options, with the game also being set to offer platonic relationships.

A Ubisoft official revealed quite a few new details about Assassin's Creed Shadows in a recent interview, including the confirmation that the upcoming game will feature same-sex romance options. But the way romance in general will be handled in Assassin's Creed Shadows will be slightly different compared to the last few entries in the popular franchise.

Same-sex romance was featured in both Assassin's Creed Valhalla and Odyssey. The latter offered 14 romanceable characters, while the former had a dozen of them. Each game allowed its respective pair of protagonists to get intimately involved with any romanceable character.

Assassins Creed Shadows Scenic Shot
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Can Leverage Its Dual Protagonists To Create a Special Villain

If Ubisoft plays its cards right with Assassin's Creed Shadows' two protagonists, it can create one of the most complex villains the series has seen.

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Naoe and Yasuke Will Have Different Romance Options in Assassin's Creed Shadows

In a recent interview with YouTuber JorRaptor (via TheGamer), Assassin's Creed Shadows Associate Narrative Director Brooke Davies confirmed that the upcoming game will also feature same-sex romance options. However, Ubisoft is moving away from playersexual NPCs, and will instead be focusing on offering different romance opportunities for Naoe and Yasuke to pursue. This change largely stems from the fact that both characters have their own identities and roles in the story, unlike their counterparts from Valhalla and Odyssey, respectively.

Assassin's Creed Shadows Will Also Offer Some Platonic Relationship Options

Davies also revealed that the Assassin's Creed Shadows protagonists will have opportunities to pursue "more developed" relationships compared to the previous series entries, some of which will be platonic in nature. As for romance, the Ubisoft official said that the game isn't aiming to be a "dating simulator," but that it will nonetheless try to offer a balanced mixture of serious romance and flings. She also confirmed that Naoe and Yasuke will both have optional opportunities to romantically pursue both male and female characters, and that none of those encounters will be missable by making certain story choices.

Based on that overall description, it sounds like Assassin's Creed Shadows will build on the way romance worked in Valhalla, but while significantly cutting down on the number of playersexual characters. Having predetermined sexual orientations for NPCs has the potential to make the game's world feel more realistic.

Assassin's Creed Shadows Is Removing Meditation Time Skips

Davies also revealed some other details about the game as part of the same interview, including the fact that Yasuke won't be able to wear a hood like Naoe, and that the seasons in Assassin's Creed Shadows will only change on their own based on a dynamic clock, which won't be tied to story progression. Additionally, the game won't have the meditate feature from its last few predecessors that allowed players to quickly skip to any time of day at will. Most Templar targets will be available during all four seasons, but the experience of getting to them will be significantly different based on the in-game time of the year, Davies said.

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Assassin’s Creed Shadows
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Open-World
Action-Adventure
RPG
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Systems
PlayStation-1 Xbox-1
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Released
November 15, 2024
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WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
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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
Genre(s)
Open-World, Action-Adventure, RPG