Forget Yasuke, Naoe’s Playstyle Is The Way To Go In Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Once, I was the biggest Assassin’s Creed fan. Now, not so much. The series has taken a serious fall, what with Ubisoft going the RPG route and taking the games further away from “Assassin’s Creed.” The last game I was excited about was Mirage, simply because it promised a return to the roots. We all know how that turned out.

Now, we have another Assassin’s Creed incoming, except this one is something fans have been asking for a long time now. The long-awaited visit to Japan is here, and despite my past experience, I’m still keeping an open mind. Let’s see how Assassin’s Creed Shadows turns out.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ Gameplay Reveal 

I went into the recent Ubisoft Forward with pretty minimalistic expectations. Considering how Ubisoft has already filled these games with every predatory tactic in the book, I wasn’t expecting anything good anyway. However, certain things caught me off guard.

The first showcase was Stars Wars: Outlaws, and while there were some fascinating details, the game overall didn’t seem too groundbreaking. The rest of the stuff was either things already here, or we knew were under work. Lastly, the Sands of Time remake coming in 2026 was an overwhelming shock, to say the least.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake is coming in 2026.
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Since I’m here to discuss Assassin’s Creed Shadows today, I’ll try to focus solely on that. The gameplay reveal was all about letting you know just how distinct and versatile the two characters are, and it did a good job of painting an analyzable picture.

First, let’s discuss Yasuke’s gameplay, which I’ll say right away didn’t impress me that much. It was everything I expected. Being a power-heavy brawler with access to bulky weaponry, he uses strong strikes, parries enemy attacks head-on, favors an aggressive approach, and takes out foes with sheer might. Just like you’ve seen in the past, RPG-fied entries like Valhalla.

It looks good, true, but still pretty generic and commonplace. I may be biased, but it doesn’t look like “Assassin’s Creed” to me, just like the past games didn’t.

What had happened to Assassin’s Creed?
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Naoe’s Playstyle Is A Whole Different Story

However, things took a drastic turn when Naoe took the stage. Unlike Yasuke who’s a power-type fighter, Naoe is all about stealth and espionage tactics, the whole reason I liked the series in the first place.

From the showcase, it looks like it isn’t all talk either. Naoe’s gameplay mechanics are genuinely impressive and true to the series’ roots. We see Naoe making exceptional and meaningful use of her grapple hook. From moving about stealthily to hanging to the ceiling, it was a brilliant display of mechanical finesse.

The Naoe gameplay in Shadows is exactly what I’ve wanted in Assassin’s Creed for years. There’s no way I’m playing as anyone other than her in this game. Looks great.

— Nick from Melbourne  (@Shpeshal_Nick) June 10, 2024

That’s not all. Naoe has access to all the right tools as well. From shurikens and throwing knives to traps and underwater breathing tubes, she’s the true Assassin. Infiltrating enemy compounds, slowly subduing (not killing) the non-targets, and making use of complex stealth tactics sounds majestic on paper, but Assassin’s Creed Shadows seems to be executing it perfectly, too.

Stealth isn’t the only thing Naoe has access to, either. After assassinating the target, she was surrounded by all the lackeys, as expected. That’s when she pulled out the Kusarigama to shred through the fodder and the poor bamboo trees, and that’s when I knew, this is the character I’ll be playing as. Who cares about Yasuke?

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The Freedom Of Choice In Assassin’s Creed Shadows Is Brilliant

If you want the pristine Assassin experience like me and plan to stick to Naoe, or even if you like Yasuke more for some bizarre reason, I have some great news for you. The game gives you full control over who to use for a mission. How awesome is that?

And no, I’m not talking about some restricted sense of choice in certain missions, while the rest are all pre-determined. According to Ubisoft, you can play almost the entire game with the protagonist of your choice. Sneak in stealthily like a true assassin, or boldly barge in guns blazing, the choice is entirely yours.

Assassin's Creed Shadows official details:

• Dual protagonists

• Become Naoe a shinobi Assassin, and Yasuke, a legendary samurai, as master their complementary playstyles.

• As Naoe, use stealth to avoid detection and agility to confound your enemies.

• As Yasuke,… pic.twitter.com/QB9u0kVrTc

— KAMI (@Okami13_) May 15, 2024

I believe this freedom of choice was a pretty splendid move by Ubisoft. The last Assassin’s Creed to feature dual protagonists was Syndicate, and the choice was not so player-ended. Many scenarios were character-locked. Giving a full choice to players of using the character that fits their playstyle was the perfect way to appeal to everyone.

Need To Keep Expectations In Check

If listening to this delicious info has made you hyped about the game, I should tell you that it’s still a Ubisoft game, so keeping your expectations in check is important. I’m actually saying this to remind myself since I’m genuinely intrigued by Naoe’s playstyle.

Ubisoft had to be the most backwards-ass, user UNfriendly developer/publisher on the face of the planet.
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Ubisoft has already started messing the game up, what with the absurd pricing, paywalls, and possible internet restrictions. Plus, Mirage looked impressive too at first. Thus, I want to request Ubisoft once again not to mess this one up. We’re finally getting a Japan setting and interesting dual protagonists, let this be a good one.