How Assassin's Creed Shadows Encourages Cautious Gameplay

Summary

AC Shadows emphasizes cautious gameplay due to an AI overhaul.
Enemies are more alert and responsive, increasing AC Shadows' challenge.
Combat is unforgiving in AC Shadows, pushing players to strategic thinking.

The Assassin's Creed series has long been defined by its stealth mechanics, though they have been repeatedly adjusted throughout the franchise's history. In more recent entries, Assassin's Creed's stealth was dumbed down in favor of action-oriented gameplay that saw players directly overpowering their foes rather than strategically eliminating them from the cover of tall grass, walls, objects, and more. However, Assassin's Creed Shadows has taken the series' stealth system to a new degree of realism and challenge, encouraging more cautious gameplay than any other entry before it.

With its AI overhaul and dual protagonist system, Assassin's Creed Shadows ensures that players are more likely to play cautiously when controlling Naoe, the game's stealth specialist. Whether they are infiltrating an enemy castle or trying to retrieve a well-guarded treasure chest, players are better off approaching each situation more carefully than the series has ever pushed them to before.

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By Josh Cotts

Players Need to Play Cautiously in Assassin's Creed Shadows

Enemies Are More Alert Than Ever in AC Shadows

The primary way Assassin's Creed Shadows encourages more cautious gameplay is through its extensive AI overhaul, which sees enemies behaving in unprecedented ways that ultimately increase the game's challenge. With Assassin's Creed Shadows' AI overhaul, enemies are more alert than they have ever been, even before seeing Naoe emerge from the shadows. Enemies in Assassin's Creed Shadows still have that iconic Assassin's Creed AI flair to them, but they are more likely to notice even the slightest cues that Naoe is in the vicinity, and players can guarantee they will respond to those cues.

Yasuke can function in a stealth capacity as well, but there is little need for that, as he is intentionally designed to overpower enemies in direct confrontations.

Once enemies are alerted to Naoe's presence in Assassin's Creed Shadows, whether they've stumbled on a dead body or spotted a suspicious figure moving through the area, it takes a considerable amount of time for them to reset to their normal position. Even then, from that point on, their awareness is heightened, and it's far more difficult to assassinate them without being detected. For example, should an enemy be investigating some bushes that players have chosen to hide in, attempting to assassinate them might do more harm than good, as enemies can now stop assassinations from happening if they are on high alert. This makes every engagement in Assassin's Creed Shadows one that requires plenty of thought before proceeding.

AC Shadows Ensures Naoe Can Be Easily Overpowered

Assassin's Creed has really never been known for having challenging combat, and that's largely because the series has emphasized stealth and parkour elements more, which allow players to either quickly escape danger or avoid it altogether. In Assassin's Creed Shadows, however, combat is highly unforgiving, especially for Naoe. Players who move recklessly through an area are likely to be overwhelmed by enemies, and since it's difficult enough for Naoe to take on one enemy, attempting to take on multiple simultaneously is a recipe for disaster.

In light of that, players are far better off choosing to approach each situation cautiously in Assassin's Creed Shadows using the game's refined stealth mechanics. It's also better that they weight the outcome of a situation before engaging an enemy in Assassin's Creed Shadows, even if they are doing so from a stealth vantage point, as alerting nearby enemies can ruin a heist very quickly. Thankfully, as challenging as this may make the game, it also makes Assassin's Creed Shadows' stealth much more engaging and realistic, which is something the series has needed for some time now.

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