Thanks to a renewed focus on the core concepts that the series was originally built upon, Assassin’s Creed Shadows delivers the most satisfying experience the franchise has seen in years. The game reintroduces fluid parkour, reminiscent of the best since Unity, allowing players to seamlessly transition from the ground to castle rooftops. The addition of a grappling hook further enhances the thrill of reaching strategic vantage points swiftly. Perched on a tightrope high above the enemy, you're just a drop away from executing the perfect kill—as long as you're playing as Naoe, the game's swift shinobi protagonist. However, switch to Yasuke, the second protagonist, and you're in for a completely different gameplay experience.
Yasuke is slow, clumsy, and unable to kill silently. His climbing abilities are so limited that they feel more like a grandpa's struggle than an assassin's agility. This design choice by Ubisoft is both baffling and fascinating, as playing as Yasuke feels like stepping away from the traditional Assassin’s Creed experience.
Initially, the stark contrast between Yasuke’s capabilities and the series' core philosophy was frustrating. What's the point of an Assassin’s Creed protagonist who can barely climb and can't perform silent takedowns? Yet, the more I played as him, the more I appreciated the unique perspective he brings to the game. Yasuke's design, while undeniably flawed, addresses some of the issues the series has faced in recent years.
You don't get to play as Yasuke until several hours into the campaign, after spending your initial time controlling Naoe. This swift shinobi embodies the "assassin" aspect of Assassin’s Creed better than any protagonist in a decade. Transitioning to Yasuke after mastering Naoe's fluid movements is jarring. This towering samurai is too large and noisy to sneak through enemy camps effectively and struggles to climb anything higher than his own head. His inability to find handholds on Japan's jutting roofs and his slow, precarious movement on rooftops introduce significant friction, making scaling environments feel like a chore.
While this doesn't force Yasuke to stay at ground level, it certainly encourages it, limiting his ability to gain a strategic overview of the area. Unlike Naoe, who can use Eagle Vision to highlight enemies, Yasuke has no such advantage. Choosing to play as him means sacrificing almost everything except raw strength.
Assassin's Creed has always been about stealthy kills and vertical exploration, elements that Yasuke directly opposes. The series has traditionally focused on parkour-led exploration, even in settings with limited verticality. Playing as Yasuke feels more akin to Ghost of Tsushima than Assassin’s Creed, emphasizing fierce combat over stealth, a shift that highlights the series' historical criticism of action-heavy gameplay.
Playing as Yasuke challenges players to rethink their approach to Assassin’s Creed. Historically, the series allowed players to climb anywhere effortlessly, offering no real challenge. Yasuke changes this dynamic. While he can't reach many places, careful environmental observation reveals hidden pathways designed specifically for him. For example, a leaning tree trunk can lead to a sync point, or a castle's open window can be accessed via a staircase-like exterior wall. These paths are more engaging to discover than the mindless climbing of past games.
However, these pathways only take Yasuke where he needs to go, limiting his general exploration and ability to gain high ground for observing enemy patrols. His only stealth ability, the "Brutal Assassination," is anything but subtle, involving impaling an enemy on his sword and lifting them off the ground with a yell. It's more of an opening move for combat than a stealth takedown. Yet, when combat ensues, Shadows offers the best swordplay the series has seen in over a decade, with purposeful strikes and a variety of techniques, from brutal rush attacks to satisfying ripostes. The combat mechanics are a highlight, creating a stark contrast to Naoe's stealthy approach.
The separation of combat and stealth into two distinct characters prevents the blending of styles seen in Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla, where direct conflict often overshadowed stealth. In Shadows, Naoe's fragility means she can't engage in prolonged combat, forcing players to flee, reposition, and reset the stealth loop. Meanwhile, Yasuke's strength allows him to endure the game's toughest challenges, making his combat prowess a compelling draw, especially as his skill tree unlocks over time.
Yasuke's design is intentional, yet it's challenging to reconcile with the core tenets of Assassin’s Creed—stealthy kills and vertical exploration. While characters like Bayek and Eivor ventured too far into action territory, they still retained fundamental assassin abilities. Yasuke, as a samurai, is thematically appropriate in his lack of stealth and climbing skills, but this means you can't play Assassin’s Creed in the traditional sense when controlling him.
The real challenge for Yasuke is his counterpart, Naoe. Mechanically, she is the best Assassin’s Creed protagonist in years. Her stealth toolkit, combined with the verticality of Sengoku Period Japan, fulfills the promise of becoming a highly mobile silent killer. Naoe also benefits from the design changes that shape Yasuke, requiring players to assess climbing routes and find anchor points for her grappling hook, yet allowing for faster and further leaps. Her combat, while as impactful as Yasuke's, is limited by her endurance, raising the question: why play as Yasuke when Naoe offers a more complete Assassin’s Creed experience?
Ubisoft's intent to offer two distinct playstyles with Yasuke and Naoe creates a double-edged sword. Yasuke's unique approach provides a compelling contrast to the traditional Assassin’s Creed experience, but it also opposes the series' foundational ideas. While I'll always return to Yasuke for the thrill of his combat, it's through Naoe's eyes that I'll truly explore Shadows' world. Because when I play as Naoe, I feel like I'm playing Assassin’s Creed.
