10 Awesome Details You Might Have Missed in Assassin's Creed Shadows

GamesRadar

After spending 6 hours in Assassin's Creed Shadows we're already amazed by the attention to detail seen in the game. From Yasuke's clumsy parkour, to being able to cuddle furry friends, this game has it all.

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00:00I've had a need for an Assassin's Creed set in feudal Japan since polishing off the

00:04very first game in the series, and Assassin's Creed Shadows is finally delivering. But has

00:11it been worth the wait? I got to play hands on for several hours, and my verdict so far

00:16isn't just yes, but also one of relief that it has actually taken this long. The massive

00:22leaps in tech mean Ubisoft Quebec is now really able to do the Sengoku era setting justice.

00:29My time with the game so far has been lengthy, and Assassin's Creed Shadows is already becoming

00:34a real contender for one of the best Assassin's Creed games yet. Sure, the proof of the pudding

00:39might be in the eating, but this appetizer has sated me thanks to some really smart design

00:45choices and a litany of incredible details. So here are 10 things we think you should definitely

00:51know about.

00:54Yasuke and Naue co-star in this game and have equal weight. The former, though, isn't

01:00an Assassin, which is vital to both his story and how he plays. It's a natural evolution

01:06for the way Ubisoft have been building on their characters in the last few games too. Ubisoft

01:11Quebec has taken Assassin's Creed Syndicate's Twins idea and pushed the two characters much

01:16further apart. As a result, Yasuke is a combat pro, but won't have any fancy assassin moves.

01:24He's able to do a limited amount of parkour for instance, but is slower as he tries to

01:29keep his balance. It's best exemplified with the aptly named Brutal Assassination, which

01:34has Yasuke yell out to force an enemy to turn around before executing them, as he simply

01:41refuses to kill someone with their back turned.

01:46The large frontier full of trees was one of Assassin's Creed 3's best ideas. It was also

01:52filled with animals that Connor could hunt and skin. Here in Assassin's Creed Shadows,

01:58you can still hunt down some animals, but rather than being about killing everything, Yasuke or

02:03Naue will pop out their sketchbook to capture the nature in front of them. These drawings

02:08can be taken back to the highly customisable hideout and displayed. And even better, the

02:14depicted animals can also be placed where they'll wander around. And yes, you can even pet some

02:20of them.

02:21What a kind fellow.

02:29Ubisoft Quebec have looked to, quote, craft the crap out of Assassin's Creed

02:33Shadow's depiction of feudal Japan, making sure they get all the little details right,

02:38from the rolling fog to the speciality trades of each settlement. Standing tall among them,

02:44though, there are over 30 castles that are like big mazes. Each packs plenty of character

02:50on its own, weaving together interior and exterior sections to create highly detailed spaces that

02:55are interesting to poke around in. Whether you're Yasuke, boldly moving from room to room, or

03:01clambering and crawling around as Naue, often with viewpoints and challenges of their own,

03:07they're rewarding and complex spaces to master.

03:10I've said it before, and I'll say it again, but if there's one thing gamers crave, it's

03:17just being small. Running around normal environments as a tiny pal, thus rendering those areas comparatively

03:24big, is just fun. Assassin's Creed Shadows doesn't quite get there, but it does allow

03:31you to get very close to the ground, which is sort of the same thing. Introducing the ability

03:38to go prone as Naue to crawl through grass for cover or through little tunnels isn't just

03:43handy for sneaking, but adds a whole new dimension to the series' always impressive verticality.

03:50That dimension is down. And if you go down, then the highs become higher. That's just science.

04:01Assassin's Creed Shadows has some seriously impressive weather and seasonal effects. As days turn to

04:07night and back again, so too does the climate change. Naturally, it's speedier than real life,

04:13but even so, unlike some of its predecessors, you can't change it for yourself. That's actually a great

04:21thing, as both Yasuke and Naue will have advantages and disadvantages depending on the conditions. The

04:27latter, for example, being able to more easily hide in nighttime's many shadows. Not being able to skip

04:34those negatives forces you to adapt, and to actually engage with the challenges in front of you.

04:43Visually, Assassin's Creed Shadows is a feast, but it's not just the game that looks good,

04:49it also feels intrinsically tied to play. Which, for me at least, is always an important factor for

04:56a game. Light and shadow enhances things like fires or war during pivotal story moments, but they're

05:03also vital for staying undetected in stealth. Lamps and candles can be extinguished from either up close

05:10or at range by throwing coon-eye for instance. And there's even a new visibility meter that takes

05:16a page out of Thief's heist manual plunked right on the HUD. To top it off, visual flourishes even

05:22punctuate the more intense action. Strong weapon skill strikes, adding a black-white-red filter to

05:28highlight blood spray and to give those big moments impact. Quiet or loud, well-judged visuals enhance

05:36them all.

05:40The hideout, which you're free to customize as you please, is filled with details. From allied

05:46characters hanging out and shooting the breeze with one another, to spending time crafting the perfect

05:51courtyard gardens. One tiny detail that adds plenty of authenticity is how Nae and Yasuke's shoes will

05:59pop off as soon as they enter an interior, nodding to Japanese customs. There's no annoying cutscene

06:05for them popping them on or off either. Don't look at me like that, Shenmue. I didn't mean you.

06:12It's a nice touch that has no downsides, and goes to show that sometimes less can be more when

06:19implementing details like this. Let those eagles and ravens fly. Fly right out of the series, that is.

06:29First added in Assassin's Creed Origins with Senu, the ability to call on a very drone-like bird for

06:34an aerial viewpoint has been core to the current era of open-world RPG-style Assassin's Creed games.

06:41They've also been somewhat divisive, with subsequent entries struggling to juggle their potentially

06:47overpowered nature. Assassin's Creed Shadows does away with this, specifically aiming to keep players

06:53immersed in what's in front of them. Observe instead replaces it, dynamically changing what you can sense

06:59and mark depending on the viewpoint you're looking out from. You can do this from anywhere, the higher

07:05the better, not just the collectible viewpoint fast travel points. This will become a powerful tool

07:11in your arsenal, and one that keeps you locked in at all times.

07:18Yasuke's strength isn't just for show. It's weaved into how he fights on a deeper level than the

07:25still pretty deadly Naue. His arsenal of weapons can weave strong and light attacks together to form

07:31combos, any strike of which can be charged to alter the deployed move. Certain activities will even have

07:38Yasuke practice these out in the world, although they're all, it seems, unlocked from the start if

07:44you experiment. With two melee weapons equipped, Yasuke can even learn an ability that has him switch

07:50them mid-combo to keep the chain going, altering combos even further.

07:59Naue or Yasuke? So far I love the way they both stand strong together. My opening hours with Assassin's

08:06Creed Shadows naturally encouraging me to switch things up frequently. While exploring non-hostile

08:12areas, you can toggle where you stand from the pause menu. On death it provides a great opportunity

08:18to re-plan and tackle the situation as the other one. But even more, I love how the main missions

08:24provide frequent story checkpoints that allow you to switch back and forth depending on who you want

08:28to take on the next chunk of the mission. For instance, have Yasuke break down the front door and

08:34go in samurai swords blazing, or have Naue scale the walls undetected. You can stick with one if you

08:41prefer most of the time, but they're different enough to appreciate their natural strength in play.

08:49But which of these things is most exciting to you? Will you be picking up Assassin's Creed Shadows?

08:54Let us know in the comments and stick with GamesRadar for the latest previews, news and more.

09:04I'll see you later on in the comments.

09:11Bye.

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