• Ubisoft held its live streamed event as the last showcase for Summer Game Fest last night.
• The developer/publisher finally revealed actual gameplay for Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
• A total of 23 minutes of in-game footage highlighted the different fighting styles of the two protagonists.

Last month Ubisoft officially unveiled Assassin’s Creed Shadows and while the reveal featured a truly impressive cinematic trailer, there was not a single frame of gameplay, which was concerning at the time as pricey pre-orders went live the same day.

Thankfully our concerns over the lack of gameplay were addressed this week as the final showcase for Summer Game Fest 2024, Ubisoft Forward, debuted 23 minutes of gameplay for Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

In two videos (both embedded below), the developer/publisher showcased an extended gameplay walkthrough and a deep dive into the steal and combat for this latest iteration in the Assassin’s Creed series.

In the videos we get to see just how much the two protagonists – Yasuke and Naoe – with the former being an absolute tank of a samurai and the other a silent shinobi.

In the gameplay walkthrough we get to see how Yasuke and Naoe assassinate a target, as well as take on a group of enemies.

We also get to see some truly impressive visuals, with the environment of a feudal era Japan paving distracting in a good way. This comes with a pinch of salt, however, as the gameplay videos feature a watermark stating “Work in Progress”. Hopefully the when the finished product arrives on 15th November, we get as close to, or even better than what we see below.

As mentioned Yasuke is a unit, and wields a massive club that deals a lot of damage. His katana skills are pretty sharp too, but it’s clear that the developers wanted to make each of their play styles as different as possible. To that end, Naoe is far more agile, capable of traversing large buildings and tight environments with ease, along with being an expert at takedowns and stealthy kills.

During the deep dive video, Ubisoft explains the role of tori gates, and in particular how they signal to players that there is a point of interest to discover on the map. This could be a confrontation, some kind of loot, or simply a beautiful vista.

The seasons are also said to be dynamic, and players will experience what Japan has to offer from that perspective. Here, the developers add that players can use environmental elements during missions too. In the case of Naoe for example, a rain and thunderstorm during her assassination mission can be used to mask her footsteps as she approaches a target. How deeply integrated this feature will be, remains to be seen.

The gameplay we have seen thus far looks promising, and while we’re still a little weary of the price tag for this game (~R1 429 on PS5), it certainly seems like Assassin’s Creed Shadows is every bit a AAA title and not the sorely lacking AAAA ones we’ve seen of late.