Assassin’s Creed Shadows: Why Flashbacks Are Both a Blessing and a Curse

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This article contains SPOILERS for Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

In the game titled “Assassin’s Creed Shadows,” a captivating narrative unfolds. The story follows Naoe as she witnesses her father’s tragic demise at the hands of a band of masked combatants, who are later identified as members of a covert group known as the Shinbakufu. Accompanied by Yasuke, a samurai turned ronin, Naoe embarks on a quest to track down and eliminate each member of the Shinbakufu. With every assassination, she seeks retribution and searches for a valuable artifact that her father had entrusted to her safekeeping.

Clearly, the plot of “Assassin’s Creed Shadows” is far richer than what you’ve seen so far. During its course, the game features two main characters who encounter a diverse array of friends and foes. Some of these individuals hail from the conflicting clans of Japan, while others originate from distant lands. The majority of the story unfolds in the early 1580s, but it’s interspersed with numerous flashbacks that sometimes yield mixed reactions from the audience.

The Upsides to Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ Use of Flashbacks

The flashback scenes in ‘Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ are particularly beneficial as they effectively develop the game’s environment, character connections, and individual histories. These flashbacks frequently include heartwarming interactions between Naoe and her loved ones, as well as crucial lore details that enthusiasts won’t want to overlook.

The Downsides to Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ Use of Flashbacks

Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ Flashbacks Can Be a Jarring Break in Pace

Although the content within the flashbacks of “Assassin’s Creed Shadows” is mostly engaging, the timing of these flashbacks during the game narrative could use improvement. Some of the most incongruous flashbacks in “Shadows” refer to story events that players have just experienced a short while ago. These moments, regardless of their duration, seem repetitive and may give the impression that the game is unnecessarily revisiting past events, which can be irritating given the extended playtime of “Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

In the game “Assassin’s Creed Shadows”, the flashbacks don’t always follow a clear sequence in the timeline. At the beginning of the game, players will find themselves abruptly moving through time, witnessing events that happened months and even years prior to the main storyline. These frequent and sudden changes can be quite jarring and may seem like unwelcome interruptions to the game’s flow.

Many of Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ Flashbacks Feel Like They’re in the Wrong Place

In “Assassin’s Creed Shadows,” not only does the story encounter obstacles, but also some flashback sequences seem to be more impactful for the overall plot if they were shown in a chronological order. The background stories of the two main characters serve as excellent instances of this.

From a dedicated fan’s perspective, delving into Naoe’s past is quite captivating, filled with tales of her rigorous shinobi training under her father, Nagato, and the venerable ninjutsu master, Momochi Sandayu. However, it’s crucial to note that these enlightening flashbacks are linked to optional open-world activities. If players fail to participate in all these activities prior to certain pivotal main story missions, some vital moments might not resonate as deeply due to a lack of emotional impact.

In other words, if the players haven’t finished all of Naoe’s Kuji-kiri tasks by the time she encounters Yasuke, the impact on them when they learn that he was the one who killed her mentor Momochi won’t be as significant, since they’ve only seen the character briefly before this point.

Yasuke’s flashback scenes seem to create some issues. Ubisoft chose to keep Yasuke’s past a secret until the late stages of the game, which seems strange because there isn’t a significant revelation attached to it. If players had been introduced to Yasuke’s background at the beginning of the game, his interest in the Assassins would be easier to comprehend, and his desire for revenge would feel more justified.

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2025-03-28 21:06