- By Prateek Levi
- Fri, 14 Feb 2025 03:10 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Assassin's Creed Shadows Launch:Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Shadows is gearing up for its launch set in March after a few hiccups that caused its delay. This time Assassin's Creed has amped up its gameplay style and unlike what we had experienced in other Assassin's games where you have two different protagonists to play with but both have similar styles and endings (to some extent), in this new edition you will be able to experience two distinct playstyles altogether, and I am talking about combat and exploration both, marking a distinction between a stealthy gameplay and all-out action across its two protagonists. But if you like one character over the other and prefer a specific playstyle that does not relate to your chosen protagonist, you need not worry the game will allow you to have this flexibility.
Which Protagonist Will You Choose?
Jonathan Dumont, the creative director of Assassin's Creed has expressed that players will not miss out on key game moments if they choose a specific protagonist for the majority of the game.
“I don't think you're missing out on things too much. I think it's more on your preference to [say], "okay, I'll see how the game will adapt a little bit to the character if you choose one over the other,” Dumont stated in a recent interview with ScreenRant.
This Assassin's Creed features two protagonists- the colossal Samurai Yasuke who is favourable for head-on combat, and then the stealthy Assassin, a style we are familiar with in the Assassin's games, Shinobi Naoe, great from striking from the shadows. Both protagonists will bring distinct skill sets, weapon abilities and move sets.
Dumont has said that both the main characters will have their separate intros and personalised quest lines where you can pick the other protagonist, but the main quest will not force players to balance their playthrough across the two. The game will categorically "adapt" to the player's choice whether you choose Yasuke or Naoe.
“There's going to be a couple of choices here and there that I wonder what happened, what would happen with this character, but I don't think you're missing out,” Dumont said.
“We're not imposing players try to split the time. So if you prefer one character for any reason, you can play maybe — I don't know, I'm not going to put a percentage — but quite a bit of the game using one of them,” he iterated.
Why The Delay?
Assassin's Creed Shadows will be the first mainline installment in the series since 2020’s Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. Initially slated for release in November 2024, the action-RPG, set in 16th-century Japan, was delayed to February 14, 2025. Ubisoft explained the delay at the time, saying they needed extra time to refine the game further. “This will enable the biggest entry in the franchise to fully deliver on its ambition, notably by fulfilling the promise of our dual protagonist adventure, with Naoe and Yasuke bringing two very different gameplay styles,” the company stated in their September announcement.
In January, Ubisoft delayed Assassin’s Creed Shadows once again, citing the need to incorporate valuable player feedback gathered over the past few months. The new release date is set for March 20, and the game will be available on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X.