Ubisoft keeps talking about Assassin's Creed Shadows like it finally remembers it used to make Splinter Cell, the greatest stealth games
After years of Assassin's Creed games that show signs of classic stealthy goodness but aren't quite what I'm looking for, I've been trying really hard not to get excited about Assassin's Creed Shadows. Yes, the series is finally going to Japan and yes, Naoe's stealthy moves look fantastic, but my eyes roll into the back of my head when I see chunky health bars and «level 28» above guard heads. Shadows still has that loot-heavy RPG stink that put me off Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla.
And yet, the way Ubi keeps talking about Shadows suggests it's not only moving in a stealthier direction than ever before, but doing so by evoking the best games the studio ever made: Splinter Cell. Not by name, though—in a new «Stealth Gameplay Overview» blog, Ubi talked about the core pillars of Shadows' stealth, which heavily involves a new light visibility meter that's ripped straight out of the Splinter Cell playbook. The blog also includes new gameplay snippets, like this one showing the visibility meter in action:
«For the first time in the Assassin's Creed series, hiding in the shadows will make you invisible to enemies,» Ubi said. «During nighttime, any pocket of shadows becomes a dynamic hiding spot in which you can progress without being seen. This applies to both interiors and exteriors.»
As an even more direct pull from Splinter Cell, pockets of darkness can be created by extinguishing lanterns with shurikens. This is all stuff that Ubi has previously talked about, but I don't think we've seen Naoe's ability to grab enemies and move them before knocking them out (another notch in the Sam Fisher column).
«While undetected, you can briefly grab and drag enemies in any direction to silently assassinate or take them down non-lethally,» the blog reads. «This grab mechanic removes some of the automation we've had in the series before.»
This looks so cool: Naoe skulks up behind a guard, loops a rope around his neck, and starts dragging him away like a belligerent toddler before
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