Thanks to a renewed focus on the core ideas that the series was originally built upon, *Assassin’s Creed Shadows* delivers the most satisfying experience the franchise has offered in years. With the best parkour system since *Unity*, you can seamlessly transition from the ground to castle rooftops, and the addition of a grappling hook makes reaching strategic vantage points quicker than ever. Perched on a tightrope high above the enemy, you’re only a drop away from executing the perfect kill—as long as you’re playing as Naoe, that is. Switch to Yasuke, Shadows’ second protagonist, and you'll find yourself playing a completely different game.
Yasuke is slow, clumsy, and incapable of silent kills. His climbing ability is more akin to that of a cautious grandparent than a nimble assassin. He stands as the antithesis of what we typically expect from an Assassin’s Creed protagonist, marking one of Ubisoft’s most puzzling yet intriguing design decisions. Playing as Yasuke doesn’t feel like playing Assassin’s Creed at all.
Initially, the vast difference between Yasuke’s capabilities and the series' traditional philosophy felt incredibly frustrating. What’s the purpose of an Assassin’s Creed protagonist who struggles to climb and can’t perform stealthy takedowns? However, the more time I spent playing as him, the more I appreciated the thoughtful design behind Yasuke. He's undeniably flawed, yet he addresses several critical issues the series has faced in recent years.
You don’t get to play as Yasuke until several hours into the campaign, after spending your initial time with Naoe, a swift shinobi who embodies the essence of an assassin better than any protagonist in a decade. Transitioning to Yasuke after mastering Naoe is jarring. This towering samurai is too large and loud to sneak through enemy camps effectively and can barely scale anything beyond his own height. He can't grip the jutting roofs along Japan’s streets, and when he does find something to climb, it's a painfully slow process. On rooftops, he precariously balances on the apex, standing upright and inching forward, visible to all. These limitations introduce a sense of friction, making scaling environments feel like a chore and necessitating the use of scaffolding and ladders for significant progress.
While Yasuke isn’t strictly confined to the ground, his limitations encourage it. This restricts his ability to gain a strategic overview, making it challenging to map threats and plan effectively. Unlike Naoe, who has Eagle Vision to highlight enemies, Yasuke has no such advantage. Choosing to play as him means trading stealth and mobility for sheer strength.
Assassin's Creed has always been built on the principles of stealthy kills and vertical exploration—concepts that Yasuke directly opposes. Playing as him feels less like Assassin’s Creed and more akin to *Ghost of Tsushima*, especially given his lack of stealth skills and reliance on samurai combat. Yasuke forces players to rethink their approach to the game. Historically, Assassin’s Creed has allowed players to climb anywhere with ease, offering no real challenge. Yasuke changes this dynamic. Though many areas are beyond his reach, careful observation can reveal hidden pathways designed specifically for him to reach his objectives. For example, a leaning tree trunk might lead to a sync point otherwise inaccessible, or a castle’s open window on the second floor might be reached via a staircase-like arrangement on the courtyard’s exterior wall. These paths are more engaging to decipher than the effortless climbs of past games.
However, these pathways only take Yasuke where he needs to go, limiting his freedom for general exploration and making it hard to gain a strategic vantage point to observe enemy patrols. Yasuke doesn’t conform to the traditional Assassin’s Creed approach of planning based on guard movements. His only stealth ability, the "Brutal Assassination," involves a loud and conspicuous impaling of an enemy on his sword, more an opening move for combat than a stealthy takedown. When combat ensues, it's exhilarating. *Shadows* boasts the best swordplay the series has seen in over a decade, with purposeful strikes and a variety of techniques, from brutal rush attacks to satisfying ripostes. Finishing moves are brutal and visually striking, contrasting sharply with Naoe’s stealthy approach.
The separation of combat and stealth into two distinct characters prevents the blending of styles seen in *Origins*, *Odyssey*, and *Valhalla*, where direct conflict often became the default interaction. In *Shadows*, Naoe’s relative fragility ensures she can’t simply slaughter her way through missions, forcing players to retreat, reposition, and re-engage stealthily. When you want a break from that tension, Yasuke’s strength allows you to survive the game’s toughest challenges, making his combat prowess an enticing option, especially as his skill tree unlocks over time.
Yasuke’s design is intentional, but it’s challenging to see how he fits within the Assassin’s Creed framework—a series rooted in stealthy kills and vertical exploration. While protagonists like Bayek and Eivor ventured too far into action territory, they still embodied the core mechanics of an Assassin’s Creed lead. Yasuke, as a samurai, is thematically appropriate in his lack of stealth and climbing skills, but this means you can’t play Assassin’s Creed in its traditional form while controlling him.
The real challenge for Yasuke is his counterpart, Naoe, who is mechanically the best Assassin’s Creed protagonist in years. Her stealth capabilities are perfectly complemented by the vertical architecture of Sengoku Period Japan, delivering an experience that truly embodies the promise of Assassin’s Creed: becoming a highly mobile silent killer.
AnswerSee ResultsNaoe also benefits from the design changes introduced for Yasuke. While she can still climb practically anywhere, the "stick to every surface" approach has been replaced with something more realistic, requiring players to assess routes and find anchor points for her grappling hook. This allows for greater leaps and faster climbing, turning the open world into an Assassin’s Creed sandbox. Even in ground combat, Naoe’s moves feel as ruthlessly effective as Yasuke’s, though she can’t endure battle as long as her samurai companion. This raises a crucial question: why play as Yasuke when you can play as Naoe?
Ubisoft's intent to offer two distinct playstyles with Yasuke and Naoe creates a double-edged sword. Yasuke plays by different rules than a traditional Assassin’s Creed protagonist, offering a contrasting and compelling experience that's a first for the series. Yet, he fundamentally opposes the core principles upon which these games were built—principles that remain unique in the open-world genre. While I'll always return to Yasuke to enjoy the thrill of his combat, it's through Naoe that I'll truly explore the world of *Shadows*. When I play as Naoe, I feel like I’m playing Assassin’s Creed.
