Yasuke in Shadows: A Fresh Take on Assassin's Creed

Thanks to a renewed focus on the ideas the series was originally built on, Assassin’s Creed Shadows delivers the most satisfying experience the franchise has seen in years. The game features the best parkour system since Unity, allowing you to fluidly transition from ground to castle rooftops. The addition of a grappling hook makes reaching a prime vantage point even quicker. Perched on a tightrope high above your enemies, you're just a drop away from executing the perfect kill—but only if you're playing as Naoe. Switch to Yasuke, the game's second protagonist, and you're in for a completely different experience.

Yasuke is slow, clumsy, and unable to kill silently. His climbing skills are laughably poor, more reminiscent of a cautious grandparent than a nimble assassin. He represents a puzzling yet intriguing design choice by Ubisoft, one that fundamentally shifts the gameplay away from traditional Assassin’s Creed mechanics. Playing as Yasuke, the game feels less like Assassin’s Creed and more like a different experience altogether.

Initially, the stark contrast between Yasuke’s capabilities and the core philosophy of Assassin’s Creed was frustrating. What purpose does a protagonist serve in a game about stealth and climbing if he struggles with both? However, as I delved deeper into Yasuke’s gameplay, I began to appreciate his unique design. He may be flawed, but he addresses critical issues the series has grappled with 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 epitomizes the assassin archetype better than any protagonist in a decade. Transitioning to Yasuke after mastering Naoe's fluid movement is jarring. This towering samurai is too large and noisy to sneak through enemy camps effectively and struggles to climb anything higher than his head. He can't grasp the jutting roofs that line Japan’s streets, and when he does find something to climb, it's a painstakingly slow process. Balancing precariously on rooftops, he's visible to all as he inches forward. These limitations introduce friction, making climbing a chore and encouraging ground-level movement.

While not forcing Yasuke to stay grounded, these constraints certainly steer him in that direction. This limits his visibility, making it challenging to map out threats and plan effectively. Unlike Naoe, who can rely on Eagle Vision, Yasuke has no such advantage. Choosing to play as him means embracing raw strength over stealth and agility.

Assassin's Creed has always been about stealthy kills and vertical exploration—elements that Yasuke directly opposes. This departure from the series' traditional parkour-led exploration feels more akin to Ghost of Tsushima than Assassin’s Creed, especially given Yasuke’s reliance on samurai sword skills over stealth. Playing as Yasuke challenges players to rethink how they approach Assassin’s Creed. Historically, the series has allowed players to climb anywhere with ease, but Yasuke's design introduces a new challenge. Hidden pathways and environmental clues guide him to necessary objectives, making navigation more engaging than the mindless climbs of past games.

However, these pathways only take Yasuke where he needs to go, limiting his freedom in general exploration and making it tough to gain a high vantage point for observing enemy patrols. Yasuke's approach to stealth is less about planning and more about brute force, with his "Brutal Assassination" skill being more of a combat opener than a silent takedown. But when combat ensues, Shadows offers the best swordplay Assassin’s Creed has seen in over a decade, with purposeful strikes and a variety of techniques, from brutal rushes to satisfying ripostes. The contrast between Yasuke's combat prowess and Naoe's stealthy finesse is striking.

This separation of combat and stealth into two distinct characters helps prevent the series' past problem of blending the two styles too much. In previous titles like Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla, direct conflict often overshadowed stealth. In Shadows, Naoe's fragility means she can't engage in prolonged combat, forcing players to flee and reset the stealth loop. Meanwhile, Yasuke's strength makes him a formidable combatant, especially once his skill tree unlocks over time.

While Yasuke's design is intentional, it remains challenging to reconcile with the core tenets of Assassin’s Creed—stealth and vertical exploration. Previous protagonists like Bayek and Eivor may have leaned too much into action, but they still retained fundamental assassin skills. Yasuke, as a samurai, thematically fits his lack of stealth and climbing prowess, but this means players can't experience Assassin’s Creed in its traditional form when playing as him.

The true challenge for Yasuke is his counterpart, Naoe. Mechanically, Naoe is arguably the best Assassin’s Creed protagonist in years. Her stealth toolkit, combined with the vertical architecture of Sengoku Period Japan, allows for the thrilling experience the series promises: becoming a highly mobile silent killer. Naoe also benefits from the design changes that affect Yasuke, requiring players to assess climbing routes and find anchor points for her grappling hook, enhancing the open-world experience.

Naoe’s combat is just as impactful as Yasuke's, though she can't endure as long in battle. This raises the question: why play as Yasuke when Naoe offers such a complete Assassin’s Creed experience?

Ubisoft's attempt to offer two distinct playstyles with Yasuke and Naoe creates a double-edged sword. Yasuke's unique gameplay offers a compelling contrast to traditional Assassin’s Creed, yet it challenges the core ideas that make the series unique in the open-world genre. While I'll return to Yasuke for the thrill of combat, it's through Naoe's eyes that I'll truly explore Shadows' world. With Naoe, I feel like I'm truly playing Assassin’s Creed.