Following the delay, Ubisoft's next Assassin's Creed game, Shadows, still has a few months left to go before the gaming masses get their hands on it. To prepare fans for the title, the studio is looking to drop rounds of gameplay details as the weeks go by. The first of this bunch has landed, and it focuses on the game's stealth elements that primarily focus on Naoe, the Shinobi protagonist.
As a part of the game's new "stealth philosophy", Ubisoft is dropping the use of series staple eagle companion altogether. Instead, both Naoe and Yasuke will now have the "Observe" ability to quickly gather important details about their surroundings.
Naoe will have an upgraded version of this that takes back the name "Eagle Vision", but instead of the view from above like in previous games, she can see through walls for enemies and mark them for later opportunities.
As previously announced, and evident by the game's name, shadows play a big role in stealth for the first time in the series. "Naoe is a perfectly capable shinobi in broad day light," says associate game director Simon, "but the cover of darkness gives her a remarkable edge over her enemies - especially on higher difficulty settings."
Players will also need to crouch and move slower to avoid being a large target and to reduce footstep sounds when in stealth. Another first is going prone, which both Naoe and Yasuke are also able to do.
"Naoe is our smallest Assassin to date" adds Simon. "And she uses that to her advantage: she can squeeze through tiny wall cracks, and she can hide inside small storage spaces and boxes in order to get the drop on her enemies."
Unlike in the previous RPG entry of the series, she is able to do double assassinations, grab enemies to move them before dispatching them (lethally or not), and use a wide range of assassin gadgets like smoke bombs, throwable bells for distractions, kunai, and shuriken.
Ubisoft is making stealth in enemy compounds more interesting by adding a new type of enemy too, but they don't pose a threat to the player directly. Servers can't fight, but will raise alarms and call for guards when spotted. Guards will also get more suspicious as the player uses more and more distraction tactics, eventually making them useless, while also making them keener to your presence.
Shadows being an RPG entry, assassination success can depend on the level of the player and unlocked perks, meaning higher level enemies can avoid hidden blade attacks even from stealth. However, the studio has added an option in the settings to disable this level function for assassinations.
While Naoe is the assassin built for stealth, Yasuke is still able to do stealth kills, but only at a range using his bow. He can also take down enemies from behind, but instead of a hidden blade, he will use his primary weapon, potentially revealing his position. For others. Speaking of Yasuke, Ubisoft's next deep dive on Assassin's Creed Shadows will focus on the combat of the game.
Assassin's Creed Shadows is out February 14, 2025, across PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5.
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