Assassin’s Creed Shadows: Play Most of the Game with Just One Character, Says Director

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Summary

  • Assassin’s Creed Shadows‘ creative director says “quite a bit” of the game can be played with just one character.
  • Shadows will allow players to switch between two main protagonists throughout the game: Yasuke and Naoe.
  • Both characters feature distinct playstyles and skills, but the game’s creative director says players aren’t “missing out” by primarily playing as one character.

In “Assassin’s Creed: Shadows,” players will have the ability to switch between two characters during gameplay. However, the creative director hinted that a significant portion of the game can be completed with only one character. Notably, “Assassin’s Creed: Shadows” marks the series’ first foray into feudal Japan, but it’s not the first installment to feature dual protagonists; that distinction goes to “Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate,” where players could switch between the Frye twins, Evie and Jacob.

The Assassin’s Creed series has had an unusual pattern with dual protagonists lately. The game Syndicate was the first in the franchise to let players switch between two characters freely, but Ubisoft later reversed this feature in Odyssey and Valhalla. These games, which moved away from the traditional action-adventure aspects of the series towards RPG elements, required players to pick between a male or female character. Although the character’s gender didn’t significantly affect the storyline, Ubisoft stated that one gender was historically accurate in the game’s lore. For instance, in Valhalla, the female version of Eivor is recognized as the canonical character in the game’s narrative.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows Players Won’t Miss Out by Not Switching Characters

In the upcoming game, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, we see a return of the dual protagonist concept with characters Naoe and Yasuke. Each character offers unique playstyles and abilities, as well as distinct romantic interests that are exclusive to them. Although these two characters seem crucial to the game’s narrative, the creative director of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Jonathan Dumont, assures players that they won’t feel shortchanged by focusing on one character predominantly. In a recent conversation with Screen Rant, Dumont added that a significant portion of the game can be experienced either as Yasuke or Naoe, implying that frequent switching between them is not necessary if you prefer to focus on just one.

When questioned about whether players would miss out on content if they favor one character over another in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Dumont responded, “I believe you won’t be missing out significantly. It really comes down to your personal preference, such as saying, ‘I’ll see how the game adjusts slightly based on the character I choose.'” The creative director further elaborated that Yasuke and Naoe each have unique introductions and separate questlines. “So, for example, if you choose Naoe, his personal questline cannot be played by Yasuke, but these are two separate things. However, the main story can be played with any character, and the game will adapt accordingly,” Dumont concluded.

It seems you have the option to change characters for gameplay purposes. Feel free to do so if you find yourself preferring one of the alternate protagonists more, but rest assured, you won’t be missing out on much with your initial choice.

The creative director at Shadow’s has mentioned that Ubisoft intends to allow players to focus primarily on either of the two protagonists – Yasuke or Naoe – without the need to constantly switch between them. While the exact percentage of the game playable with one character hasn’t been specified, it was noted that there is a significant difference in the gameplay styles for each character. For instance, Naoe, who specializes in stealth, offers a very different experience compared to Yasuke, who is more of a forceful samurai, making it enjoyable to switch between them every few hours.

Following several postponements, the much-awaited “Assassin’s Creed Shadows” has now been scheduled for a release on March 20. Originally slated for a November 2024 debut, the next installment in the “Assassin’s Creed” series was subsequently moved to February 14 due to unspecified reasons. A second delay occurred only a month before its anticipated launch, causing another one-month setback to ensure the team could continue refining and polishing the game.

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2025-02-11 17:28