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 reintroduces a fluid parkour system reminiscent of Unity, allowing players to seamlessly transition from the ground to castle rooftops. The addition of a grappling hook further enhances the speed and excitement of reaching strategic vantage points. Perched on a tightrope high above the enemy, 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 experience.

Yasuke is slow, clumsy, and unable to kill silently. His climbing abilities are so limited that they feel more like a grandpa's struggle than an assassin's finesse. He represents a stark departure from the traditional Assassin’s Creed protagonist, making him one of Ubisoft’s most intriguing yet puzzling design choices. Playing as Yasuke feels less like Assassin’s Creed and more like a different game altogether.

Initially, the vast difference between Yasuke’s capabilities and the series' core philosophy was frustrating. What's the point of an Assassin’s Creed protagonist who can barely climb and can't perform silent takedowns? However, the more I played as him, the more I appreciated the unique perspective he brings to the game. Yasuke's design, while undeniably flawed, addresses some 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 struggles to climb anything higher than his own head. He can't 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 requiring structures like scaffolding and ladders for 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 vision and map out threats, unlike Naoe, who can rely on Eagle Vision. Playing as Yasuke 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 players to rethink how to approach Assassin’s Creed. Historically, the series has allowed players to climb anywhere effortlessly, akin to Spider-Men with sticky hands. Yasuke changes this dynamic. While he can't reach many places, careful observation 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 via a staircase-like arrangement on 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 difficult to gain the high ground to observe enemy patrol patterns. Yasuke doesn't follow the traditional Assassin’s Creed approach of planning and stealth. 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 does break out, 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 Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla, where direct conflict often overshadowed stealth. In Shadows, Naoe's fragility means she can't engage in prolonged combat, forcing players to flee, reposition, and reset the stealth loop. Meanwhile, Yasuke's strength allows him to survive intense battles, making his combat prowess a thrilling aspect of the game, especially as his skill tree unlocks over time.

Yasuke's design is intentional, but 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. 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 Assassin’s Creed: 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, turning 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 creates a double-edged sword. Yasuke's unique approach provides a compelling contrast to the traditional Assassin’s Creed experience, yet it directly opposes the series' foundational ideas. 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.