• Last night Ubisoft dropped a cinematic gameplay trailer for its latest Assassin’s Creed title – Shadows.
• As rumours suggested, the game is set in feudal era Japan, with Yasuke being one of the playable protagonists.
• Steeply priced pre-orders for the game have also gone live, with it set for release on 15th November.

Ubisoft has finally revealed its latest offering in the Assassin’s Creed franchise in the form of Shadows. Rumoured to be taking place in feudal era Japan prior to its official unveiling, Assassins Creed Shadows is indeed set in a period of time that many fans of the gaming series have long been asking for.

To mark the reveal, Ubisoft dropped a lengthly cinematic trailer that looks superb, perhaps a little too good, showcasing the two playable protagonists for the title – Yasuke and Naoe. The two protagonists will open up a lot of different play options for those who pick up Assassin’s Creed Shadows, with Yasuke being a samurai and Naoe being a shinobi.

“Players will experience the intertwined stories of Naoe, an adept shinobi Assassin from the Iga Province, and Yasuke, the powerful samurai of historical legend. Discover their personal stories, meet pivotal historical figures, and shape the duo’s common destiny as they usher in a new era for Japan,” reads a description of the game.

“Whether they embrace Naoe’s stealth skills or Yasuke’s combat prowess, players will have plenty of ways to approach objectives. With Naoe, they will experience refined infiltration mechanics using light, noise, shadows, and changing surroundings to avoid detection from enemies. With Yasuke, they will be able to take on larger groups of enemies with brutal precision,” it adds.

“The game will let players explore a vast open world with a variety of landscapes evolving through weather and seasons. From spectacular castle towns and bustling ports to peaceful shrines and pastoral landscapes, feudal Japan comes to life with unprecedented dynamism built from the ground up with the latest version of Anvil engine and the power of new-gen consoles,” Ubisoft continues.

While the cinematic trailer above is indeed impressive, there is nothing in the form of actual gameplay for those interested in the title to dissect at the time of writing. This therefore puts the launch of pre-orders for the game in three digital editions ahead of its 15th November release into a different context.

Speaking of pre-orders, pricing for the game is very steep. Looking at the standard edition on console at R1 429 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, the pricing is higher than what you normally see on Sony’s PlayStation exclusives.

In usual Ubisoft fashion, it has also incentivised its more expensive digital editions with early access – three days early on 12th November in this case. The Ultimate Edition serves up additional in-game cosmetics and skill points, but at R2 299, will prove tough to sell to players with no gameplay surfacing as yet.

Pre-order pricing for the three digital editions of Assassin’s Creed Shadows is as follows:

While we are indeed intrigued by Shadows, its setting, its protagonists, and its potential, the pricing will prove difficult to stomach for many.