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Ubisoft needs Assassin’s Creed Shadows to survive. This Far Cry maker company has hit the bottom after multiple of its games failed in a row last year. Therefore, this French video game company requires a solid revival with AC Shadows to stay in this increasing competition. But the most significant question is whether Assassin’s Creed Shadows will make it happen or not.
The comparison of this upcoming game will be with its 2023 predecessor, Assassin’s Creed Mirage. AC Mirage received an average reception, so AC Shadows must surpass it. Last month, gamers got to try a few hours of gameplay of this upcoming installment to compare the game with the previous entry. So, it’s time to check whether it is overtaking the AC Mirage or not.
The story of AC Mirage revolves around the game’s protagonist, Basim, who eventually transformed into Baghdad’s most dangerous assassin from a simple thief. Set in 861, the game follows Basim's journey as he joins the Hidden Ones and trains under master assassin Roshan to become a deadly assassin. The portrayal of Baghdad was vibrant in AC Mirage, where NPCs react to the moves of Basim, and players can explore the in-game world more minutely.
Coming to AC Shadows, Ubisoft has changed the entire setting. AC Shadows began during the last decade of the Sengoku period in feudal Japan. So, the year is around 1579. The biggest change that Assassin’s Creed Shadows has brought to the story, which is also the USP of the game, is the introduction of two protagonists.
While both belong to different clans, a shinobi assassin, Naoe, and a samurai, Yasuke, will cross paths during a war where they will find each other on opposite sides of the war. Though Naoe seems to be a fictional character, the origin of Yasuke is based on a real Black Samurai used to live in Japan during the 16th century.
These two protagonists are different. While Naoe loves to be stealthy and use tricks to take down opponents, Yasuke depends on physical power. He always enters through the main doors and uses his swords to chop enemies off.
Because AC Mirage has only one protagonist, there was no choice for players. Whether it's parkour, stealth moves, or face-to-face battles, Basim has to do everything. Basically, in AC Mirage, Ubisoft has maintained the traditional gameplay style of the Assassin’s Creed franchise, where the protagonist stalks the enemy, kills them stealthily, and hides in shadows before getting detected.
This feature has been revised with the introduction of two different types of protagonists in AC Shadows. While Naoe maintains the conventional stealthy battle style of the assassin, a hardcore slaying combat style is also introduced with Yasuke. He doesn’t fear enemies or hide in shadows. Instead, he stands in front to deal with the toughest enemies. Players can switch between these two protagonists according to the requirements of a mission.
The graphics of AC Shadows are much better than its predecessors. In this colorful and dynamic world, Ubisoft has ensured that nothing would go wrong with the world design. Therefore, they have created the AC Shadows world with attention to detail. From the structures of the castle to the placement of animals, everything seems realistic in the upcoming title.
Aside from that, if one takes the parkour, AC Shadows has portrayed it in a more realistic way than AC Mirage. While Basim used to climb onto literally any surface, even if it didn’t have any place to grab, AC Shadows clearly states that Yasuke and Naoe can climb onto those places that feature parts to grab.
Though both these protagonists have different parkour styles, none of them will be able to use this system unrealistically on any surface. This alone is enough to make AC Shadows a much better game than expected.
Comparing Assassin’s Creed Mirage and Assassin’s Creed Shadows from these aspects, it looks like the upcoming game will be the grand revival of Ubisoft after all these downfalls. To work more on the game and implement player feedback, the release date has been pushed to March 20, 2025. At launch, Assassin’s Creed Shadows will be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC through the Epic Games Store and Ubisoft Store.
