Assassin’s Creed fans are worried about a gameplay downgrade with Assassin’s Creed Shadows, the next major Ubisoft release coming in February. Assassin’s Creed Shadows is set to follow in the footsteps of Assassin’s Creed Origins, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla before it, which is to say be more open-world RPG than linear stealth game. For more modern Assassin’s Creed fans, this is exactly what the doctor ordered. Older fans who prefer the older games may be left wanting with Shadows though.
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While modern Assassin’s Creed games have by and large adopted and utilized this newer formula, the most recent game was actually closer to the original games. That game being 2023’s Assassin’s Creed Mirage. Judging by the sales and reception of Mirage, it failed to generate the same success as other recent Assassin’s Creed games, let alone resurrect the series’ glory days.
That said, it did have some great parkour sections thanks to a dense Baghdad setting. And while Ubisoft has stressed that Assassin’s Creed Shadows has more stealth elements and parts than Valhalla, Odyssey, and Origins, there hasn’t been much mention of whether it will have more parkour than these games, let alone compared to Mirage. And fans think this is because parkour is set to be sidelined. Not only is the silence telling, but the concern is also based on the lack of building congestion in settlements, and the lack of tall structures as well.
“The cities in Shadows don’t seem to facilitate classic parkour,” writes an Assassin’s Creed fan on Reddit. “Unlike Mirage, the cities in Shadows so far don’t seem to have the conjested buildings and variation that you need for that classic Parkour experience. The highest buildings are Pagodas and Castles and they aren’t close to each other. Of course, the grappling hook can help close the gaps, but I suspect traversal in this game will be similar to the three RPG games with a few extra backflips.”
The post continues: “How do you guys feel about this? Even though the parkour in Mirage was clunky and limited compared to the early games, the playground that was Bagdad was a much needed gift after not having it for so long, but it seems Shadows, just like with the social stealth is going back to the Origins/Odyssey style of game design.”
Of course, in isolation this post isn’t that noteworthy, but it’s one of the most popular posts on the Assassin’s Creed Reddit page this week, so it doesn’t seem to be an isolated take let alone a hot take.
“And this is why I keep saying the Bakumatsu (very tail end of Edo) period would’ve worked better,” reads one of the comments. “You still get the classic samurai and shinobi gameplay, but with the architecture that can actually support parkour.”
Of course, it is possible this concern will ultimately prove unfounded, but everything that Ubisoft has shown of Assassin’s Creed Shadows so far suggests a more rural setting, largely missing architectural density and tall buildings. This makes sense for the time period and setting, but doesn’t exactly lend itself to Assassin’s Creed-style parkour. And this is no doubt why there is a grappling hook, but while this could prove to be a nice addition, it’s also not classic Assassin’s Creed either.
All of that said, and as always, feel free to leave a comment letting us know what you think. Meanwhile, for more Assassin’s Creed Shadows coverage — including all of the latest Assassin’s Creed Shadows news, all of the latest Assassin’s Creed Shadows rumors and leaks, and all of the latest Assassin’s Creed Shadows speculation — click here.
