How Assassin’s Creed Shadows Blends New And Classic Ideas With Dual Protagonists

ign.com:

16th-century Japan is ripe with fascinating historical context for an Assassin’s Creed game to thrive, which is one aspect that makes the upcoming Assassin’s Creed Shadows so enticing. The way the series bends history for its fiction has me hyped to see its version of feudal Japan, but it’s also a setting that lends itself well to the kind of combat options that have been encompassed by the entire franchise.

In a hands-off preview demo of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, I was able to see roughly 30 minutes of gameplay that showcased both Naoe and Yasuke – the two protagonists – and their combat styles in action. They represent both worlds of the series’ combat: Naoe, a stealthy shinobi wielding the iconic Hidden Blade, and Yasuke, a force of nature with pure power and masterful swordsmanship.

At the start of the demo, I saw Yasuke pulling up to a town where everyday people are squeezing out an existence under the boot of a corrupt shogunate that enforces a caste system. It’s a common dynamic in stories set in this era of Japan, but it’s also ripe for Yasuke to do right by the people who revere him. He has a commanding, respected presence, and the first combat encounter was against a group of samurai who were harassing a villager that shows off Yasuke’s swordsmanship. The challenge is to dodge or counter enemy attacks (indicated by blue and red glints on their blade) in traditional melee combat.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows doesn’t hold back when it comes to the brutality of its combat. Yasuke has finishing moves where he either slices enemies’ heads off clean or stabs them in the gut before lifting them up just to slam them back down. These finishers are also highlighted with black-and-white frame cuts with blood splattering, giving it a bit of the samurai cinematic flair. What’s just as brutal is Yasuke’s spiked club, which is a heavy blunt-force weapon that pounds armored foes. Seeing them take a swing straight to the dome brought a little, “Oooooh!” out of me. The point