Summary
- Assassin's Creed Shadows may not be groundbreaking, but it delivers what fans want - old formula with a feudal Japan setting.
- Weather mechanics and clue-based assassinations in the game are not as innovative or impactful as initially suggested.
- The lack of response to racism surrounding the reveal of Yasuke and the portrayal of his character is concerning and problematic.
The very first thing we saw of 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Assassin’s Creed Shadows at the 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Ubisoft Forward was Yasuke petting a dog. It got a huge cheer from the crowd at the show, followed by a round of applause - clearly this was not the most critically minded audience. As I watched this raucous reception continue while the trailer continued to show us all the things 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Assassin’s Creed (and a dozen other games)༺ has done a million times before, I was hit with a realisation - maybe I was the one who ไwas wrong.
I’m not going to give up my career as a video game critic to become a professional screamer, but maybe I’m in the wrong for expecting Assassin’s Creed to change. Showing us a dog being petted as if we’re going to care about that is a very dated approach to game design, but people did care. Sure, a lot of people were probably just excited to be there, but there were no cheers for the new 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Skull and Bones season, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Avatar’s upcoming DLC, or really anything in the show beyond Nix being a goofball in 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Star Wars Outlaws.
I would love for Assassin’s Creed to be creative and a🗹mbitious and modern, but it’s just… not. Maybe on a certain level it’s just foolish to expect anything else from the series. It’s not that Assassin’s Creed just deserves a pass from critics, but t💜he overwhelming sensation I had watching the showcase was that it’s just not for me any more.
As well as the Forward, I saw a longer clip of the same section, highlighting the different ways the game could be approached. In the preamble to these clips, two things stood out and suggested Assassin’s Creed was finally evolving: the impact of weather or seasons, and🀅 the clue-based assassinations. But wไhat did I just say about it being foolish to expect anything different from the series?
One example given for the weather was that lakes could freeze over, limi♚ting our ability to swim through secretly. So when they showed us a lake-based assassination, I expected the path to be blocked off the next time we saw it. Instead, none of the clips we saw had any meaningful changes from the weather at all. In one, a storm raged in the background, but had no impact on how the scene unfolded.
It’s the sort of mechanic that requires a commitment to realism for it to work. But a sequence with Naoe sneaking through a hut had her turn off a light just by pushing Triangle near it. She was lying down at the time, not within arms’ reach, and did not physically move to turn it off. That’s fine for a game where you say ‘screw it, more fun and easier this way’, but you can’t really take that attitude to immersive weather patterns and it’s odd that Ubisoft didn’t feel ready to show us what weather or seasons actual🅺ly mean for the game.
As for the clue-based assassinations, you&rs🌠quo;re no longer given a specific target all the time, but instead some hints to their identity or behaviour. Maybe they work in a certain district. Maybe they wan🌠der the garden at night. Maybe they’re unpopular with a certain trade who can point you to them. It’s a cool way to immerse yourself in being an actual assassin, but the two examples we saw streamlined this to the point of feeling superfluous.
Assassin's Creed Shadows' Map Will Be Nearly The Same Size As Egypt In Origins
As long as it's not as overwhelmingly big aওs Odyssey or Valhalla, we're good.
As shown in the Fo𒉰rward, when Yasuke arrives in the market the camera instantly zooms to the end of the street right to our target. Meanwhile, all of our clues in the castle go unused as the target is just sta♈nding out there in the open. I hope it grows in complexity, but the fanbase probably prefers this more direct (if generic) approach.
Meanwhile, was disappointing to see absolutely no response to the torrent of racism surrounding 🔜the reveal of ♐Yasuke. There was no defence of the approach or condemnation of the hatred that has bubbled u🦄p in response, neither in a serious and official statement or even a wry, cutting remark from any of the presenters who frequently⭕ amped up the crowd with hoots and hollers whenever anything happened on screen.
I’m also a little wary of the way Yasuke was shown off. The speakers did emphasise his skill and intelligence, but what we saw was a big, hulking Black guy who was gawped around by ev🐠eryone he met, and was so strong he could literally crash through walls while being too clumsy to be quiet. For a character where rac🍰e is going to be under the microscope, it was a rough first impression.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows is more Ass🌞assin’s Creed. It’s what the people want. It looked like a cool version of the old formula, with the much requested feudal Japan setting, but it’s the old formula nonetheless. And for a lot of people, that’s enough.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows
- Top Critic Avg: 81/100 Critics Rec: 81%
- Released
- November 15, 2024
- ESRB
- m
- Developer(s)
- 💦 Ubisoft Quebec
- Publisher(s)
- Ubisoft
- Engine
- AnvilNext
- Franchise
- 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Assassin's Creed
