Assassin’s Creed Shadows carves a bloody path through Feudal Japan this November

Ubisoft has finally released the first trailers for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, showing off two unique protagonists who embody very different fighting styles and ideals. The game is set to launch later this year, so there’s not long to wait until players can dive in.

After what feels like years of waiting for an Assassin’s Creed game set in Feudal Japan, we’re finally getting one in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. The game will be released on November 15, 2024, with an early access period for those who purchase premium editions. This game is one I’ve been waiting for as a fan, ever since I first set foot into this universe as Altair, and I’m sure many others have high hopes for the gameplay, story, and world we’ll dive into ahead of Christmas.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows stars two protagonists, a Samurai and a Shinobi, fighting for the light

The world premiere trailer for Assassin’s Creed Shadows is a cinematic showcase of the two protagonists and what they represent. We see Naoe, a Shinobi, fighting for what’s right and the defense of her homeland when it’s invaded, and Yasuke, a brutal Samurai and mysterious character with connections all throughout Japan.

According to a press release from Ubisoft, players will see these characters work together to usher in a new era in Japan. The open world exploration will feature dynamic weather and seasons, as well as a system that requires players to build up their own network of spies. They’ll come into play as helpful allies with abilities that can help turn the tide of battle.

Players will also be able to create and customize their own hideout, a place to call home in a vast world that’s always changing with the tide of war. We don’t have many details on this aspect of the game, but you’ll definitely be able to add decorations and accessories to your hideout and make it a more comfortable place to call home.

Alongside this initial trailer, Ubisoft published a second one, which delves into each character and explains why there are two in this entry. Similar to Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, players will get to jump into both the role of a stealth-focused Shinobi in Naoe, and a loud, heavy-hitting Samurai in Yasuke. In this game, the playstyles of each character vary quite a lot.

These characters would have come from different classes historically, which is one reason Ubisoft cites for there being two. This gives players the desired experience of being incredibly stealthy, striking from the shadows, and going loud in their enemy’s face with the biggest weapons possible.

They’ll both have individual progression paths that players will advance as the story progresses. Naoe’s skills lie in infiltration and hiding in darkness, whereas Yasuke’s lean on weapon mastery and dominating enemies in battle.

Each character is grounded in history. Naoe is from the province of Iga, known as the birthplace of Shinobi, and her father is Fujibayashi Nagato, widely considered to be one of the three greatest Iga jōnin. In the trailers, we see Yasuke, a powerful samurai and historical legend, arriving to attack and destroy the province of Iga. He’s a samurai who appears to be following the orders of someone in power, but obviously, something happens to bring these two together following that moment.

Yasuke is doing most of the talking in the cinematic trailer, but it’s Naoe who wields the Hidden Blade. In Assassin’s Creed Shadows, the weapon has been altered so that the user can grasp it once fully extended at a right angle, to allow for even more stabbing and attacking movements, including a downward overhead arc.

Pre-orders are going live, but it seems like an interesting new direction for the series. Assassin’s Creed Shadows arrives on November 15, 2024 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox.