New Assassin's Creed Shadows Trailer Shows Off Protagonists Differing Playstyles

Assassin's Creed Shadows launches this November, finally bringing players to feudal Japan after years of fans begging developer Ubisoft to take the franchise there . Shadows is set at the tail-end of the Sengoku period and puts players in the shoes of two different protagonists. The Assassin's Creed franchise has used dual protagonists several times in the past, but one of the goals in Assassin's Creed Shadows is to give each protagonist a distinct playstyle. In a new video, the team deep-dived into what it's doing to make Naoe and Yasuke feel completely different when you swap between them.

The video (which you can watch above) features several Ubisoft employees talking about the various ways they're giving the two characters different playstyles. For Naoe, the team is aiming for "the classic Assassin's Creed experience." That means she is the stealthy protagonist. She's "extremely fast, efficient, [and] acrobatic." The team calls her "the best assassin ever" and says she has 'the coolest, most spectacular parkour" that they could imagine. The video prominently shows Naoe going prone to sneak up on her foes before finishing them with a silent assassination. Ubisoft is also implementing new lighting tech, which it's then using to improve the shinobi fantasy at night time. You'll need to carefully assess where light is coming from to make sure you're hidden from view as you sneak around your enemies.

Meanwhile, Yasuke is much more focused on sword-on-sword combat and taking on his opponents face-to-face. If he wants to fight you, you're probably going to know about it. The historical samurai is a pillar of strength that you can use in combat and exploration. The video shows Yasuke using his considerable bulk to burst through locked doors and carry heavy barrels. However, that also means his parkour won't feel as nimble as Naoe. For example, the trailer shows him doing the classic Assassin's Creed dive into hay. Yasuke's landing is much harder than fans are used to and it takes him a second to regroup after slamming into the ground.

When Assassin's Creed Shadows launches on November 15th for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC players will be able to select either character for missions, giving them complete control over their playstyle. That can be augmented even more by mastering one of the many weapons available to both characters, leaving a ton of room for you to craft your own tale of combat in Assassin's Creed Shadows .