Assassin’s Creed Shadows: The Illusion of Choice Debacle

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Summary

  • Choices in Assassin’s Creed Shadows lack meaningful outcomes, leading to inconsequential narrative branches.
  • Player choices in the game often result in identical outcomes, despite the illusion of impact.
  • Canon Mode may provide a more honest gameplay experience by removing the illusion of choice in Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

Creating game decisions that have a significant impact on the player’s experience has been challenging for developers over time. This is because they must weave the story they want to tell into the game’s narrative while also providing players with genuine choices that matter within this narrative. Unfortunately, this delicate act often results in games offering a false sense of choice – players are given options that appear meaningful, but later find out these choices have no real impact on the game. Assassin’s Creed Shadows is one recent example showcasing this pattern, providing numerous chances for players to make decisions that ultimately don’t affect the game outcome.

In the world of “Assassin’s Creed,” the franchise hasn’t been known for offering a lot of player choice and instead prefers to present stories to the players rather than allowing them to create their own narratives. While there have been some choices available, like in the dialogue, it’s not a series that heavily emphasizes player-driven decision making. However, “Assassin’s Creed Shadows” has significantly expanded this aspect by providing multiple dialogue options for players to select throughout the storyline. Unfortunately, these choices don’t seem to have significant impacts beyond minor alterations in the dialogue itself.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ Choices Feel Weightless

Many of Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ Narrative Outcomes Render Choices Inconsequential

In general, the decisions players make within the storyline of Assassin’s Creed Shadows seldom lead to distinct outcomes. A clear illustration of this is when Junjiro asks to reside in Naoe’s Hideout. Regardless of whether players decide to accept or deny his request, Junjiro ultimately moves into the Hideout without any further discussion.

Different dialogue options exist for various choices, which may suffice for some players who don’t mind insignificant decisions. Even the simplest changes in dialog could be enough for hardcore RPG aficionados. However, it can become quite immersion-breaking when a choice doesn’t result in a clear outcome, and this is certainly true in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. This issue is also evident when players are presented with the option to kill or spare certain characters within Assassin’s Creed Shadows, as both choices lead to identical story developments.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ Canon Mode May Be the Best Way to Play

Instead of experimenting with the game’s interactive mode in “Assassin’s Creed Shadows,” players might find more satisfaction with the Canonical Mode. Unlike the usual choice-driven gameplay, the Canonical Mode is a linear storytelling experience where Ubisoft has full control over the narrative. It’s quite ironic that this mode exists when it appears as though the intended storyline will unfold regardless. Furthermore, the inclusion of a Canonical Mode in “Assassin’s Creed Shadows” indicates that the developers prefer to guide players through their intended narrative.

In some video games like “Assassin’s Creed Shadows,” it can feel quite jarring when a decision you make doesn’t result in a clear consequence. This issue is particularly noticeable in this game.

In Assassin’s Creed Shadows, the attempt to hand over the reins of the kingdom to players is praiseworthy, yet there’s a sense that it hesitates to let players take charge fully. The addition of choices that don’t significantly affect the storyline weakens the idea of a multi-path narrative, resulting in an illusion of impact instead of genuine control. Canon Mode might not be everyone’s preference, but it offers a more transparent depiction of the gameplay experience that Assassin’s Creed Shadows is actually delivering.

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2025-03-26 00:04