Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed franchise has been going strong for almost twenty years, since 2007. There have been about twenty games so far, including a few mobile and VR releases. I definitely played the first five or six titles before taking a break from the franchise altogether.

I first returned to the series with Assassin’s Creed Odyssey thanks to Amazon Luna’s free beta trial. Amazon and Ubisoft eventually gifted a game code to us beta testers, so I spent some more time with it before dropping off for another Assassin’s Creed hiatus. Earlier this month I returned to the ANIMUS and the world of Assassin’s Creed with Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

After about 20+ hours in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, I now realize that I’ve never reached the end of an Assassin’s Creed game. I always get through some big chunk of these games, only to move onto my next game. Why is that?

Comfort Games

Over the years, Ubisoft has created a sense of familiarity within their big game franchises — Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and pretty much anything Tom Clancy. The characters, setting, and story may change from game-to-game, but gameplay always feels similar with respect to each franchise. No matter how much time you spend away you can always come back knowing what to expect.

It’s sort of like going to a Chili’s, Outback, or any chain restaurant when visiting a new city. You may think, I should be exploring new and local eateries instead of something I can have anytime at home. People choose to go to these chains in a new town because it’s the safe choice. We already know what we like there and there’s no risk of getting the wrong thing to eat.

This is how I feel about Assassin’s Creed as a franchise. I always have a great experience, but there are plenty of games doing something different or something new. Why spend hours replaying the same formula year after year. Am I wasting precious gaming hours by playing through this “chain” game instead of sitting down with some new “gourmet” experience which I never knew existed?

I know there’s a huge percentage of gamers that don’t want to try new things. They want more of what they already enjoy. These are the ones who spend hours and hours playing the same sports games each year — Madden, EA FC (formerly FIFA), NBA 2K, and all those other annualized sports games. I’m also talking about Call of Duty players. 

For a while I was a predominantly sports/FPS gamer. I’d play Madden during football season, NBA 2K (or NBA Live) during basketball season, sometimes whatever baseball game was out, and I’d also play the yearly Call of Duty release. Ever since I began branching out I have left those old gaming habits behind and discovered so many game genres I never would have known about.

Some gamers know that Assassin’s Creed is the perfect franchise for them. They don’t intend to search for something new, or learn new tricks. They may only crave new stories using this same formula, and that’s fine. I’m having a great time with Assassin’s Creed Shadows, and I’m hoping I will finally make it to the end of one.

Going Through Changes

With all that said, I have still noticed some changes to Assassin’s Creed Shadows. First, I love the way this story is unfolding. In previous Assassin’s Creed games choosing your character meant, Do you want to play as the male or female version of our protagonist, which both happen to have lived the same exact life. In Assassin’s Creed Shadows you play as two distinct characters (Naoe and Yasuke), both with their own unique, overlapping tales. They also have separate gameplay styles.

I played with Naoe for many hours before actually coming across Yasuke. At this point I get to choose who to control for different portions of the game. Naoe is light and agile, she’s better for stealth missions. Yasuke is a large tank of an assassin, with great power. 

One reason I see myself possibly rolling credits on Assassin’s Creed Shadows is the way the objectives are laid out. It’s like a conspiracy board with portraits of enemies. It’s easy to follow and you know exactly what you need to do to assassinate each target.

I have mainly focused on the main quest, taking out all of those responsible for my father’s death. As I travel to my next destination I may stop and fight some smaller battles along the way.

One aspect that I have always respected about this franchise is that you get to choose what type of assassin you want to be. You may stealthily take out your enemies like a ghost, without a trace. You may also take on an entire enemy base at once in an open courtyard. It’s your choice. I’ve been doing a little bit of both and having a great time doing so.

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One More Thing…

I’m having a great time with photo mode and trying to capture the perfect assassination moments:

*myVGBC.com was given a review code for Assassin’s Creed Shadows by Ubisoft.