Summary
- Assassin's Creed Shadows is still the same old Assassin's Creed
- Add in Ghost of Tsushima, and even the setting isn't that fresh
- Hexe seems far more unique, but needs interesting gameplay too
People have been asking for an 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Assassin's Creed set in Japan for a long time, and Shadows is finally giving it to them. Until now, the closest answer we had was Assassin's Creed Chronicles, which took us to China, but was also a 2D puzzle platformer and not exactly a vintage Assassin's Creed experience. Or maybe the closest thing was 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Ghost of Tsushima, a triple-A𒁃 samurai game with very Ubisoft-inspired map markers and open world design, which beat Assassin's Creed to the punch by four years.
There seemed to be a sense that Assassin's Creed was therefore arriving in feudal Japan too late. One of the draws of the series is that it takes us to settings we don't traditionally see in video games, from the Renaissance to the construction of the Eiffel Tower to the American Revolution and concurrent displacement of Native peoples. Thanks to Ghost ofꦉ Tsushima, Shadows is no longer taking us somewhere new. Next up we have😼 Hexe, and that could be the most interesting Assassin's Creed yet - though not for the reason most people think.
Assassin’s Creed Hexe Is The Next Chance For A Series Reset
We don't actually know where or when Hexe is set, or even its name (Hexe is a codename, just like Red for Shadows). However, the teaser trailer and logo shows ꦜgnarled branches arranged in ritualistic patterns, while the word 'hexe' means 'witch' in German. Those things combine to suggest a game set in medieval central Europe, and while that period is a great inspiration to the fantasy genre, to explore it more directly and likely in a more grounded, historically-adjacent way, is extremely unique.
, which lines up with most predictions.
That's interesting, but it's not really the draw for me. For a long time now, my favourite Assassin's Creed game has been the next one. When Origins confirmed the series' new direction as a bigger RPG, I hoped the next game would perfect this idea. Odyssey got closer, but there was still more to be done, and more modern touches to flourish. Valhalla seemed like a step backwards, bloated and dated, but hey, the next one up reacted to that by being smaller. But shrinking Mirage down didn🐓't help it feel any les♐s like a game from a decade ago. Thankfully, the series was finally going to Japan! But then...
We still haven't played Assassin's Creed Shadows, but from what was shown at 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Ubisoft Forward, and the more extended section screened behind closed doors at 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Summer Game Fest, it convinced me to kick the can down the road. Once more, Shadows just feels behin﷽d the times. It's not just that Ghost of Tsushima beat Shadows out the door by four years, it's that Shadows seems like it's four years behind Tsushima, not four years in front of it.
Assassin’s Creed Needs To Modernise Or Innovate
It's not really a ques༒tion of photorealism, which is less important than many studios seem to think it is, but how games immerse players in their world. Ubisoft tells us that weather and the seasons will impact gameplay, highlighting that a pond may freeze over, but when showing us three different routes to an assassination, the weather had no impact that I could see, despite a pond being present. In one scene, there was a storm in the background, but nothing💖 changed.
In another clip, Naoe was crawling near a candle and with a tap ꧑of a button, the candle went out. She didn't stand or even reach towards the candle, the player just pressed a button. If you're trying to sell us that a game offers realistic stealth, you can't be so dated in your approach to traversal like this. We're also told that the clue system is updated from its limited use in previous games, but in the clip we saw Yasuke⭕ simply arrived at a street and the camera immediately zoomed in on the target, who did not flee despite watching his men get torn to pieces.
The very first clip Ubisoft showed off from the game was Yasuke petting a dog, which shows the era of gaming the studio is still stuck in. That motivated me to write about how it might be time for me to st🐓op expecting it to change, but now I'm already going back on my word. I'm not convinced Shadows will be the Assassin's Creed game I'm waiting for, but maybe Hexe will♚.
Series producer for Assassin's Creed Marc-Alexis Cote described Hexe as "a very different type of Assassin's Creed game", and while I know he's mostly (perhaps💞 entirely) talking about the haunted forest setting, I have to believe that eventually, Ubisoft is going to take a Leap of Faith. The series has already left its roots behind to embrace the bloat en vogue, and sooner or later it needs to leave that behind too and rise as something more streamlined and modern. Maybe that can start with Hexe.
Assassin's Creed Shadows
- Top Critic Avg: 81/100 Critics Rec: 82%
- Released
- March 20, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language ꧑
- Developer(s)
- 💧 Ubis༒oft Quebec
- Publisher(s)
- Ubisoft
- Engine
- AnvilNext
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.
&🦂bull; 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.
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