Assassin's Creed Shadows: Parkour Innovations Unveiled

Assassin's Creed Shadows: Revamped Parkour and Dual Protagonists

Assassin's Creed Shadows, Ubisoft's highly anticipated feudal Japan adventure, is set to launch February 14th, bringing significant changes to the series' iconic parkour system and introducing a unique dual protagonist structure.

The game features Naoe, a stealthy shinobi adept at scaling walls and navigating shadows, and Yasuke, a powerful samurai excelling in open combat but with limited climbing abilities. This design caters to both stealth enthusiasts and fans of the more recent RPG-focused combat styles seen in titles like Odyssey and Valhalla.

Ubisoft has detailed a revamped parkour system in a recent blog post. A key change is the restriction of climbing to designated "parkour highways," a departure from the free-climbing mechanics of previous installments. While this may seem limiting, Ubisoft assures players that most climbable surfaces remain accessible, albeit requiring a more strategic approach. These carefully designed pathways are intended to optimize flow and create engaging challenges.

New Parkour Mechanics:

The blog post also highlights seamless ledge dismounts, allowing players to stylishly flip down from ledges without the need for intermediate grabbing. A new prone position also enables sprinting dives and slides, adding further fluidity to movement. As Associate Game Director Simon Lemay-Comtois explains, "...we had to be more thoughtful about creating interesting parkour highways and afforded us more control about where Naoe can go, and where Yasuke can't...Rest assured that most of what you'll see in Assassin's Creed Shadows is still very much climbable - especially with the grappling hook - but players will have to look for valid entry points from time to time."

Assassin's Creed Shadows releases on Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC on February 14th. Its launch coincides with other highly anticipated titles, making its success in a crowded release window a compelling question.