Alongside the debut of the game’s first official trailer, Ubisoft has released a wealth of new information about the two protagonists of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, the new game in the franchise formerly known as Assassin’s Creed Red.
The upcoming open-world role-playing game (RPG) will take place in 16th century Japan and star two separate characters: the female shinobi Naoe and the real-life historical figure Yasuke. Although the Assassin’s Creed franchise is certainly no stranger to depicting a wide range of historical figures, this will be the first time that the series will actually allow you to play as one.
In a new video posted to the Ubisoft YouTube channel, game director Charles Benoit explains that “with our dual protagonists, we have two fantasies. The samurai and the shinobi, we want the player to experience both.”
A samurai of African origin, the game’s characterization of Yasuke is based on a small number of historical documents concerning his life. Associate Narrative Director Brooke Davies says that we know “he arrived in Japan in 1579,” which is when the game begins, and “that he had relationships with some of the most interesting people” at the time.
“He’s a foreigner discovering Japan and we thought [it would be] the perfect fit,” continues Benoit. “He’s discovering Japan and you are discovering Japan also.”
Naoe is described as hailing from the remote province of Iga and is the daughter of the famous historical ninja leader Fujibayashi Nagato. While Naoe is driven by a fierce passion, Sasuke will be calmer and much more level-headed which certainly seems like an interesting dynamic for the pair. They will also both offer distinct playstyles to master.
As a samurai, Sasuke will focus primarily on combat and will be able to use combat-focused abilities. Naoe, on the other hand, will be armed with the series’ trademark hidden blade and focus much more heavily on stealth.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows is available for pre-order now and will launch on November 15 this year. Those who are members of the Ubisoft+ subscription service or pre-order the Ultimate Edition of the game will be able to play the game three days early on November 12. It is set to launch exclusively for current generation systems including PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Amazon Luna, and PC.
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