Assassin’s Creed Shadows takes a run at improving parkour, as Ubisoft strives to make the system less 'like a gas pedal'

pcgamer.com:

Parkour has always been a distinguishing feature of Assassin’s Creed. Hooded figures leaping between rooftops and flinging themselves into conveniently placed haystacks is one of the series' most consistent visual motifs. But as the games have evolved from historical action-adventures to quasi-RPGs, on-foot traversal has become increasingly sidelined in favour of more elaborate stealth and combat systems, as well as other travel mechanics like riding horses and sailing boats. Assassin’s Creed Shadows is intent on changing this, however, with Ubisoft making numerous additions to the hallmark free-running system that had me gradually sitting up in my chair as I read about each one.

Ubisoft's really focused on the details this time—so much so that Shadows still isn't quite finished, and is being delayed from February to March 20.

These additions were detailed in ablog post published on Ubisoft’s website, which provides a complete overview of the new game’s parkour. For starters, while the fundamentals remain the same (ie, holding down the parkour button and pressing up and down to climb and descend), parkour will be slightly different depending on which character you play as. Shadows’ shinobi Naoe will be able to «jump further and reach higher» than the samurai Yasuke, who is better primed for combat than climbing. Both characters must be careful about where and when they implement parkour, however, as climbing and leaping around is considered “high-profile” by guards, increasing the likelihood of being spotted.

The most notable change is the incorporation of the dodge button into parkour, which unlocks an array of new moves. Dodging near the edge of a rooftop will see Naoe cartwheel off the ledge, landing quietly on her feet. Naoe also has a unique 'sprint dodge' ability that lets her dive over objects while dashing and tuck-roll to maintain her momentum. This doesn’t replace the ability to automatically mantle over objects, but sprint dodging provides increased