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

Thanks to a renewed focus on the core concepts that the series was originally built upon, Assassin’s Creed Shadows delivers the most satisfying experience the franchise has seen in years. The game's parkour system, reminiscent of the fluidity seen in Unity, allows you to seamlessly transition from the ground to castle rooftops. The addition of a grappling hook further enhances your ability to reach strategic vantage points swiftly. Perched on a tightrope high above your enemies, you're just a drop away from executing the perfect kill—as long as you're playing as Naoe, the game's agile shinobi protagonist. However, switch to Yasuke, the second protagonist, and you're in for a completely different gameplay experience.

Yasuke is slow, clumsy, and incapable of silent kills. His climbing abilities are so limited that they resemble those of a cautious grandparent. He stands in stark contrast to the typical Assassin’s Creed protagonist, making him one of Ubisoft’s most intriguing yet perplexing design choices. Playing as Yasuke feels like stepping away from the traditional Assassin’s Creed experience.

Initially, the vast difference between Yasuke’s capabilities and the series' core philosophy was frustrating. What's the purpose of an Assassin’s Creed protagonist who struggles to climb and can't perform stealthy takedowns? Yet, the more I played as him, the more I appreciated the unique perspective he brings to the game. Yasuke's design, though flawed, addresses critical issues that 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 mastering Naoe's swift and stealthy moves. Transitioning to Yasuke after becoming accustomed to Naoe's agility is jarring. This towering samurai is too large and noisy to sneak through enemy camps effectively and can barely climb anything higher than his own head. He struggles to find handholds on the jutting roofs that line Japan’s streets, and when he does manage to climb, it's painfully slow. On rooftops, he precariously balances on the apex, standing upright and inching forward cautiously. These limitations introduce friction, making scaling environments feel like a chore and often requiring the use of scaffolding and ladders to make any significant progress.

While these constraints don't force Yasuke to stay at ground level, they certainly encourage it. This limits his ability to gain a strategic overview of the area, making it difficult to map out threats and plan accordingly. Unlike Naoe, who can rely on Eagle Vision to highlight enemies, Yasuke has no such advantage. Choosing to play as him means sacrificing almost everything except raw strength.

Assassin's Creed has always been about stealthy kills and vertical exploration, concepts that Yasuke directly opposes. Playing as him feels more akin to Ghost of Tsushima than Assassin’s Creed, especially given his lack of stealth training and reliance on samurai sword skills. Yasuke's gameplay is centered around fierce combat, a feature that Tsushima is celebrated for and Assassin’s Creed often criticized for.

Playing as Yasuke challenges you to rethink how to approach Assassin’s Creed. Historically, the series has allowed players to climb anywhere effortlessly, akin to Spider-Men with knives. Yasuke changes this dynamic. Although many areas are beyond his reach, careful observation of the environment reveals hidden pathways designed specifically for him. For example, a leaning tree trunk can lead to a sync point otherwise inaccessible without a grappling hook, or a castle's open window on the second floor can be reached by following the staircase-like arrangement of the courtyard’s exterior wall. These paths are more engaging to discover than the mindless scrambles of past games.

However, these pathways only take Yasuke where he needs to go, limiting his freedom for general exploration and making it challenging to gain the high ground to observe enemy patrol patterns. Yasuke doesn't adhere to the traditional Assassin’s Creed approach of assessing guard movements and planning ahead. His only stealth ability, the "Brutal Assassination" skill, is anything but subtle, involving impaling an enemy on his sword, lifting them off the ground, and yelling. It's more of an opening move for combat than a stealth takedown. Yet, when combat ensues, it's exhilarating. Shadows features 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 graphically intense, creating a stark contrast to Naoe’s stealthy approach.

The separation of combat and stealth into two distinct characters prevents the blending of styles seen in previous games like Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla, where direct conflict often dominated. In Shadows, Naoe's fragility means she can't engage in prolonged combat, forcing players to flee, reposition, and reset the stealth loop. When you need a break from that tension, Yasuke's strength allows you to withstand the game's toughest challenges. His skill tree, full of powerful abilities, makes him a thrilling combatant.

Yasuke's design is intentional, yet it's challenging to reconcile with the core tenets of Assassin’s Creed—stealthy kills and vertical exploration. While characters like Bayek and Eivor ventured too far into action territory, they still retained the fundamental abilities of an Assassin’s Creed protagonist, such as climbing and using hidden blades. 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 the traditional sense when controlling him.

The real challenge for Yasuke is his counterpart, Naoe. Mechanically, she is the best Assassin’s Creed protagonist in years. Her stealth toolkit, combined with the verticality of Sengoku Period Japan's architecture, fulfills the promise of becoming a highly mobile silent killer. Naoe also benefits from the design changes that shape Yasuke; while she can climb almost anywhere, the series' "stick to every surface" approach has been replaced with something more realistic. This requires players to assess climbing routes and find anchor points for the grappling hook, yet allows for greater leaps and faster climbing—key elements that transform the open world into an Assassin’s Creed sandbox. On the ground, 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 a more complete Assassin’s Creed experience?

Ubisoft's intent to offer two distinct playstyles with Yasuke and Naoe is admirable, yet it creates a double-edged sword. Yasuke's gameplay, while contrasting and compelling, directly opposes the foundational ideas of Assassin’s Creed. While I'll always return to Yasuke for the thrill of his combat, it's through Naoe that I'll truly explore Shadows' world. Because when I play as Naoe, I feel like I'm playing Assassin’s Creed.