Playing As Yasuke in Shadows Doesn’t Feel Like Assassin’s Creed, He’s Something New

Thanks to a renewed focus on the core concepts that defined the series, Assassin's Creed Shadows delivers the most satisfying experience the franchise has seen in years. The game reintroduces a fluid parkour system reminiscent of Unity, allowing players to seamlessly transition from ground level to castle rooftops. A grappling hook further enhances this experience, making the ascent to strategic vantage points even quicker. When 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, one of the game's protagonists. However, switch to Yasuke, the second protagonist, and you're in for a completely different experience.

Yasuke is slow, clumsy, and unable to kill silently. His climbing abilities are more akin to those of a cautious elderly person than an agile assassin. This design choice by Ubisoft is both baffling and fascinating. Playing as Yasuke feels like stepping outside the traditional Assassin's Creed experience.

Initially, the stark contrast between Yasuke’s abilities and the series' core philosophy was frustrating. Why include an Assassin's Creed protagonist who struggles to climb and can't perform silent takedowns? However, the more time spent with Yasuke, the clearer his purpose becomes. He addresses key 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 hours controlling Naoe, a swift shinobi who embodies the assassin archetype better than any protagonist in a decade. The transition to Yasuke is jarring. This towering samurai is too conspicuous to sneak through enemy camps and struggles to climb even the simplest structures. His slow and precarious movement on rooftops introduces a deliberate friction, making scaling environments feel like a chore.

While Yasuke isn’t forced to stay at ground level, the game's design nudges him in that direction, limiting his access to high vantage points and thus his ability to plan and strategize. Unlike Naoe, who can use Eagle Vision to highlight enemies, Yasuke has no such advantage, relying solely on his raw strength.

Assassin's Creed has traditionally 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, emphasizing fierce combat over stealth. Yasuke’s gameplay forces players to rethink their approach, challenging the series' historical freedom of movement. Past protagonists could scale any structure effortlessly, but Yasuke requires players to find specific pathways designed for him, making exploration more thoughtful and engaging.

These pathways lead Yasuke to his objectives but restrict his overall freedom, making it harder to gain strategic high ground. His only stealth ability, the “Brutal Assassination” skill, is far from inconspicuous, serving as a combat opener rather than a silent takedown. Yet, when combat ensues, Shadows delivers some of the best swordplay the series has seen in over a decade. Each strike is purposeful, with a variety of techniques from brutal rushes to satisfying ripostes, culminating in dramatic finishing moves.

Yasuke’s design not only contrasts with Naoe’s stealth approach but also separates combat and stealth into distinct experiences. In previous games like Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla, direct conflict often overshadowed stealth. Shadows corrects this by using the dual protagonist system; Naoe’s fragility ensures she can’t engage in prolonged combat, forcing players to rely on stealth and repositioning. Yasuke, on the other hand, offers a break from this tension with his combat prowess, enhanced by a rich skill tree that unlocks over time.

Despite the intentionality behind Yasuke’s design, his fit within the Assassin's Creed framework remains questionable. The series has always been about stealth and vertical exploration, elements Yasuke inherently opposes. While characters like Bayek and Eivor ventured into action-heavy territory, they still retained core assassin abilities. Yasuke, as a samurai, struggles with the fundamental gameplay mechanics of Assassin's Creed.

The real challenge for Yasuke is the presence of Naoe, who offers a superior experience. Mechanically, Naoe is one of the best protagonists the series has seen in years. Her stealth toolkit, combined with the vertical architecture of Sengoku Period Japan, fulfills the promise of Assassin's Creed—becoming a highly mobile silent killer. Naoe also benefits from the design changes that shape Yasuke, requiring more strategic climbing while still allowing for swift movement. Her combat is just as impactful as Yasuke’s, though less enduring.

Naoe's design raises the question: why choose Yasuke when you can play as Naoe? Ubisoft's attempt to offer two distinct playstyles with Yasuke and Naoe is admirable, yet it creates a double-edged sword. Yasuke's unique approach to gameplay is compelling and a first for the series, but it opposes the foundational elements of Assassin's Creed. While I’ll return to Yasuke for the thrill of combat, it’s through Naoe that I’ll truly explore Shadows' world. Playing as Naoe feels like playing Assassin's Creed.