Land of the Rising Sun – Assassin’s Creed Shadows Announced

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Originating as a next-gen Prince of Persia before turning into a new IP, the Assassin’s Creed franchise is huge. The series has had releases across multiple generations and platforms, evolving its gameplay with new styles and systems. In addition, it also respects the many eras in history. A time period the series never explored was Japan. That was until recently, with Ubisoft announced Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Assassin’s Creed Shadows Reveal Trailer

Announced May 15th, this latest title in the series is set for release on November 15th, 2024 on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Below is a brief description of the game;

In Assassin’s Creed Shadows, you will live the intertwined stories of Naoe, an adept shinobi Assassin from Iga Province, and Yasuke, the powerful African samurai of historical legend. Against the backdrop of the turbulent late Sengoku period, this remarkable duo will discover their common destiny as they usher in a new era for Japan. From chaos to purpose, from darkness to light. A new Creed rises over Japan.

Breakdown of the Assasin Creed Shadows Trailer

The team behind the game made a video going over key details one could glean from the reveal trailer. It reveals some information about the leads Naoe and Yauske. The latter is very important, considering his character here is based on a real figure in history, not unlike prior characters in the franchise.

This video also cites that gameplay differences between the leads will be noticeable, with Naoe favoring stealth while Yauske favors a more direct approach. In many ways, it seemingly sounds as if Assassin’s Creed Shadows will be two games in one.

Considering Ubisoft has made the effort as of late to appease different fanbases in the series, this is a smart decision.

Assassins Creed Infinity Hub

While not mentioned in any marketing materials for Assasins Creed: Shadows, reports indicate the Infinity launcher will be utilized here.

Insider Gaming has stated the following on how Assasins Creed: Shadows will use the launcher;

‘The Exchange’ will be the item shop, offering players the opportunity to purchase daily and weekly in-game cosmetics for Red’s two protagonists, Naoe and Yasuke. In addition to The Exchange, Infinity also has a ‘Synchronisation’ feature that allows the player to access ‘Projects’ for each protagonist. To explain them in their simplest form, Projects are mini ‘battle passes’ with a narrative behind them offering players the ability to earn cosmetic rewards. Projects will be added throughout Infinity constantly, focusing mainly on DLC and new game releases, or even as a means of sustaining player interest during a lack of any new content.

In many ways, this sounds similar to the optional ‘time savers’ present in games like Assasins Creed: Odyssey but with proper battle passes implemented in addition to the time savers and cosmetics.

The launcher will also house other future projects in the series, such as an AC: Black Flag Remake among others.

Currency and Season Pass Prices Leaked

Insider Gaming also reported pricing for the currency pricing, stating the following;

500 Helix – $/€5
1050 Helix – $/€10
2300 Helix – $/€20
4200 Helix – $/€35
6600 Helix – $/€50

In addition to the currency pricing, two post-launch expansions will be bundled for $40 together or sold separately for $20. While the purpose of Helix currency isn’t known yet, that will likely have some usage for the Infinity launcher.

Game Pricing

The game itself will cost $69.99, with a $109.99 Deluxe Edition and a $129.99 Ultimate Edition. The later editions include three-day early access and other DLC extras.

Similar to what the company did with Star Wars Outlaws, you can instead just subscribe to Ubisoft Plus. Through that, you can play the Ultimate Edition without the insane price point. Similar to what happened with Star Wars Outlaws, the gaming community did not take kindly to this pricing.

But with the price of making these AAA games ballooning to such degrees, one could somewhat understand trying to encourage players toward these higher tiers.

Assassins Creed Shadows ‘Controversy’

It is a shame to say this isn’t a surprise, but having Yasuke be the male player character has sparked some issues in the gaming community. Not unlike other characters that joined the Assassins Creed franchise, his character here is based on a real person.

Not much is known about Yasuke’s early life. Some historians speculate he was born in Mozambique, Ethiopia or Nigeria. Thomas Lockley, co-author of African Samurai: The True Story of Yasuke, a Legendary Black Warrior in Feudal Japan, says it’s possible Yasuke was enslaved and trafficked as a child but believes he was a free man by the time he met Alessandro Valignano, an Italian Jesuit missionary. The duo traveled from India to Japan in 1579, with Yasuke essentially serving as Valignano’s bodyguard.

Yasuke “was employed as muscle because missionaries aren’t allowed to have weapons,” Lockley says. “Japan at the time was in the middle of a brutal century of civil war, and therefore [Valignano] needed somebody to look after him.”

So people acting surprised to see him headline a Japan-centric video game is confusing. In addition, the lack of an Asian character is also a confusing criticism. Noae, while not based on a real person, fills the role of the Asian Assasin many wanted to see in this game.

IGN published an article recently covering this backlash, which I highly encourage you all to read. But here is a poignant comment in the article;

I find comments saying that Assassin’s Creed Shadows is a missed opportunity to represent even more Asian protagonists embarrassing. As an Asian man, I don’t want to see us have the roles we’re expected to have. I want the roles we’ve not had before. I would love for the next Alan Wake-style horror game to have an Asian protagonist, or for Star Wars to follow in the footsteps of The Acolyte and have an Asian lead.

Closing Thoughts

My history with this franchise is limited admittedly, only really playing Assassins Creed 2 back on the PlayStation 3 and only a few hours of Black Flag a few years later.

But the series always impressed me, celebrating history across the world while also being fantastic ‘fictional’ adventures. In many ways, Assassin’s Creed doubled as a ‘window’ into history for people curious about the past.

These are fun adventures with heartfelt stories, all the while having to evolve gameplay for each installment. This latest effort looks to push both the historic content and major gameplay evaluations that people wanted from the series.

Expect further coverage at Lords of Gaming on this and other Assasins Creed content in the future. Will you join the Brotherhood? Let us know in the comments below!