Multi Assassin’s Creed Shadows

[Andy]

Lot of discussion on Twitter about this one and Yasuke being the protagonist. Personally, realism has been bent plenty of times in AC (in far larger ways) so the fact he wasn’t officially a samurai doesn’t bother me. Think I’d rather he was a side character just because I think there would be some very cool missions based around him and I prefer meeting the historical characters rather than playing as them but I’ve really enjoyed the recent AC games I’ve played (origins and odyssey) so will probably play this too.

 

[dimmerwit]

I've actually just started Mirage. Not sure if I'll get Shadows straight away or wait. Whilst I still enjoy the games I did get a bit tired of Odyssey and in particular Valhalla, so I'll wait and see what this one is like.

Like you I'm not too bothered about the whole Yasuke thing, or maybe it's just that I'm tired of the whole culture wars at this point. Either way, I'm probably not going to play as him as much because I'm more into the stealth side. I'm hoping that the two protagonists of different styles will appease both people who want a more action game and people who want more stealth because trying to cater to both has sometimes led to an unsatisfactory middle ground.

 

[Andy]

I’m awful at stealth as a play style. Every game I play I end up choosing the tank option

 

[Jon]

I'm curious if this will be closer to Origins or Mirage.

I did not like Mirage. I liked the return to the beginning, but they flubbed the mechanics. And Basim is not a good character. That should have been a DLC like originally planned.

I am not bothered by Yasuke except for one thing: part of the allure of AC games to me is playing as someone who affects history, but isn't a PART of it. This is the first time you play a full game as an actual person in history. Or at least split it since I know there's the female lead too. I'm not a fan of playing as the historical figure.

But, I am excited for the game nonetheless. The AC/MTG crossover kicks off next week and I fully anticipate blowing a load on that.

 

[MC74]

I'm curious if this will be closer to Origins or Mirage.

I did not like Mirage. I liked the return to the beginning, but they flubbed the mechanics. And Basim is not a good character. That should have been a DLC like originally planned.

I am not bothered by Yasuke except for one thing: part of the allure of AC games to me is playing as someone who affects history, but isn't a PART of it. This is the first time you play a full game as an actual person in history. Or at least split it since I know there's the female lead too. I'm not a fan of playing as the historical figure.

But, I am excited for the game nonetheless. The AC/MTG crossover kicks off next week and I fully anticipate blowing a load on that.

I bought Mirage and was largely underwhelmed by the story, character, and how they botched the return to stealth-based gameplay. As curious I am about Shadows, the last few AC games have left me not as hyped about the series as I normally would be.

Plus, there's the fact I've already played Ghost of Tsushima last year. That one is going to be a hard one to top imo.

 

[Jon]

I bought Mirage and was largely underwhelmed by the story, character, and how they botched the return to stealth-based gameplay. As curious I am about Shadows, the last few AC games have left me not as hyped about the series as I normally would be.

Plus, there's the fact I've already played Ghost of Tsushima last year. That one is going to be a hard one to top imo.

Completely agree on everything here.

I was disappointed in Mirage, as I previously mentioned. It should have just been a DLC, but they wanted to see how a return to original system worked. But the character, the story, the gameplay... it all fell flat to me. I know they are trying to set up more of the present day storyline than anything, but since when has that really mattered in any game since 3?

Ghost of Tsushima was an underrated gem. I played five minutes of Rise of the Ronin and gave up wishing it was Ghosts. So I moved over to Stellar Blade instead.

The last AC game I truly adored was Origins. It was the one they gave 2-3 years of development to and finally broke the yearly release crap. Odyssey was ok, but that should never have been an option to play as Alexios. Especially since Kassandra is cannon. Valhalla was just... too long and I missed the stealth game play. It didn't feel like an AC game, which is made worse that Mirage stemmed from it.

So I'll hold out hope that this one will be ok, but we're months away from knowing.

 

[Jon]

I’m sure everyone knows by now but this game was delayed till February. Feels weird that Ubisoft listened to devs and made the decision to polish.

 

[dimmerwit]

So as I mentioned in the screenshots thread I decided to pick this up after seeing the previews and reviews. I've now played about 7 hours of the game, although a lot of that has been wandering around doing odd quests here and there. I had to visit places like Himeji, Kyoto and Naoe's home once I entered the main portion of the game. First impressions are good. Whilst this doesn't completely rock the boat I feel like there are some real improvements.

Firstly, the game looks really good. The RTGI option is a major step forward and the four seasons in general all bring their own beauty to the world. There's also a fair bit of destruction, although perhaps too much as the game was already patched after criticism over destroying temple stuff in Japan (their PM was even asked about it).

The combat seems fun as well. I've only played as Naoe since you don't have access to Yasuke off the bat (outside of a brief prologue) but it's definitely more thoughtful and challenging. I know people have commented that Naoe seems like more of a jack of all trades and Yasuke is more limited so I'll be watching out for that.

The quests I can barely comment on since I haven't actually done many of them, but sneaking through and taking out the leadership of a castle or two is quite a bit of fun. There are also non main quest assassination targets like before which again are fun. I ran into one casually sitting in the rear garden of an inn and had to slaughter him and his friends.

I'm also using the immersive audio which uses Japanese and Portuguese. I did try the English dub which is perfectly fine too, but it's a nice option to have.

 

[dimmerwit]

I played quite a bit this weekend as it was a quiet one.

I'm upgrading my view on the graphics. They are better than really good and the new weather system in particular creates some amazing moments.

I unlocked Yasuke - it took me 10 and a half hours, although that would have been a lot less if I'd had focused on the main quest. He's a fucking brute. Naoe has a tough time with fighting multiple opponents but with skill and timing you're usually ok-ish. Yasuke meanwhile turns up and just murders them with ease. If anyone wanted a tank option then this is the tankiest option the series has ever given. I haven't come close to dying with him.

Overall whilst the game doesn't massively rock the boat with the AC RPG-era formula it is a very good iteration of it. I've enjoyed every second of my time with it whereas Valhalla at times just felt like a slog that I might have given up altogether on if it wasn't lockdown.

 

[Ben]

I didn't realize there was an actual thread for this and posted my question in the Screenshots thread, but how would this compare to something like Tenchu: Stealth Assassins? The almost MGS style stealthing around in that old title was something I loved, and it kind of feels this could scratch that itch.

I ask this having done fuck all research myself into the game, and having not played an Assassin's Creed since the original.

 

[Smacktard]

I played quite a bit this weekend as it was a quiet one.

I'm upgrading my view on the graphics. They are better than really good and the new weather system in particular creates some amazing moments.

I unlocked Yasuke - it took me 10 and a half hours, although that would have been a lot less if I'd had focused on the main quest. He's a fucking brute. Naoe has a tough time with fighting multiple opponents but with skill and timing you're usually ok-ish. Yasuke meanwhile turns up and just murders them with ease. If anyone wanted a tank option then this is the tankiest option the series has ever given. I haven't come close to dying with him.

Overall whilst the game doesn't massively rock the boat with the AC RPG-era formula it is a very good iteration of it. I've enjoyed every second of my time with it whereas Valhalla at times just felt like a slog that I might have given up altogether on if it wasn't lockdown.

How did you like Black Flag? How would you compare it to this game in terms of gameplay?

 

[Jon]

I have now played about 10 hours myself and I think I may play at a slower pace than dimmer, because I don't think I'm close to unlocking Yusuke. I probably won't like that style though as I prefer the stealthy approach. But that said, dimmer is right. Naoe is SQUISHY. Like... 2 shot squishy. If you blow your stealth, which is disappointingly easy to do, you're pretty much dead with her. That said, I have tried using the kunai and chain weapon (sorry the Japanese name is missing in my brain). She's average with a katana, the tanto is the best weapon, so I should use the kunai and chain because that's supposed to be her crowd control weapon.

I didn't realize there was an actual thread for this and posted my question in the Screenshots thread, but how would this compare to something like Tenchu: Stealth Assassins? The almost MGS style stealthing around in that old title was something I loved, and it kind of feels this could scratch that itch.

I ask this having done fuck all research myself into the game, and having not played an Assassin's Creed since the original.

It feels pretty similar to MGS when using Naoe. Never played Tenchu so I can't speak to that. Can't speak for Yusuke yet. There aren't as many tricks or hiding spots like MGS, but crawling is fun and using the dark is helpful. It reminds me a little more like Splinter Cell than MGS.

How did you like Black Flag? How would you compare it to this game in terms of gameplay?

So far I prefer Black Flag as a game as a whole, but game play wise they are hard to compare. Edward was not a stealthy character. He is likely closer to Yusuke in terms of play style. Run in and kill everything. Black Flag also focused on sailing, this game has none (at least that I've come across and seen nothing in the previews about it). That said, SO FAR, the Blag Flag story is far superior to Shadows.

The voice acting in Shadows is flat and emotionless, and it is hurting the overall story I find.

 

[dimmerwit]

I didn't realize there was an actual thread for this and posted my question in the Screenshots thread, but how would this compare to something like Tenchu: Stealth Assassins? The almost MGS style stealthing around in that old title was something I loved, and it kind of feels this could scratch that itch.

I ask this having done fuck all research myself into the game, and having not played an Assassin's Creed since the original.

It's tough to compare to such an old game. There's definitely a similarity if you're playing a stealthier approach with Naoe. I've definitely cleared out a few castles with a stealth approach, and the stealth in general is better in this game. But with AC, the scope is much bigger. It's an action RPG in many ways and there's a lot more to the game, so you'd have to enjoy that stuff too.

How did you like Black Flag? How would you compare it to this game in terms of gameplay?

I'm different to most AC fans in that I didn't love Black Flag. In truth I don't think the games have that much in common. The series has changed a fair bit since what I call the RPG-era of the series (Origins and later) began. I remember hating the stealth aspect of "old" AC games like Black Flag, and that side at least is much better now.

I have now played about 10 hours myself and I think I may play at a slower pace than dimmer, because I don't think I'm close to unlocking Yusuke. I probably won't like that style though as I prefer the stealthy approach. But that said, dimmer is right. Naoe is SQUISHY. Like... 2 shot squishy. If you blow your stealth, which is disappointingly easy to do, you're pretty much dead with her. That said, I have tried using the kunai and chain weapon (sorry the Japanese name is missing in my brain). She's average with a katana, the tanto is the best weapon, so I should use the kunai and chain because that's supposed to be her crowd control weapon.

Unlocking Yasuke is tied to the main story. It obviously depends on how much side stuff you do.

 

[Jon]

Unlocking Yasuke is tied to the main story. It obviously depends on how much side stuff you do.

Yeah, I know. I'm a wanderer. I like clearing a lot of stuff on a map before moving to the next section. I won't do ALL of the map, but I at least try to do things like unlocking all the sync points for fast travel purposes. Which inevitably unlocks other side thing i feel I need to finish. I don't ever really rush stories in RPGs. It's a problem lol.

 

[dimmerwit]

Yeah, I know. I'm a wanderer. I like clearing a lot of stuff on a map before moving to the next section. I won't do ALL of the map, but I at least try to do things like unlocking all the sync points for fast travel purposes. Which inevitably unlocks other side thing i feel I need to finish. I don't ever really rush stories in RPGs. It's a problem lol.

I thought I was the same! I just read online somewhere "6-10 hours" and I was at the top end of that, but compared to Jon the Wanderer I'm clearly rushing it.

I'm still playing this in shorter chunks every day. My surprise is that I'm playing a lot more as Yasuke than I thought. I've always preferred a stealth approach and shied away from open combat but the fact that Yasuke is so unashamedly action-oriented is quite liberating in that respect. Also, he beheads a lot of people. I think from a gameplay perspective the whole two characters thing has generally been done really well. Naoe can fight and Yasuke can do stealth and parkour to a degree, but they're very distinct play styles and I think both the stealth and combat aspects of the game are really good.

Also I kicked someone off the side of Himeji castle and got an achievement for it.

 

[Jon]

I thought I was the same! I just read online somewhere "6-10 hours" and I was at the top end of that, but compared to Jon the Wanderer I'm clearly rushing it.

I am now 14 hours in and I still haven't unlocked Yasuke. Though, I think I'm coming close because I've finally wandered out of Settsu and into Yamashiro (the second area level wise).

Also I kicked someone off the side of Himeji castle and got an achievement for it.

The achievement whore in me thanks you for this information.