Assassin’s Creed Shadows has the best stealth of any game in the franchise

Stealth is a huge part of Assassin’s Creed, and after trying out Assassin’s Creed: Shadows for eight hours, we can comfortably say that this is going to be the best stealth of any game in the franchise.

Back when Shadows was first announced, it was revealed that parkour, exploration, and even movement would be receiving a dramatic upgrade. While that inspired a variety of praise, we were cautiously optimistic. After all, there’s a reason Assassin’s Creed is such a grand franchise, and it’s not because of its storylines.

How you explore the game’s vast worlds is among the key selling points for Assassin’s Creed, and Shadows perfects it. Whether you’re riding through Japan on horseback with Yasuke or sneaking through a base like Naoe, this game has undoubtedly refined its stealth and exploration mechanics, which makes playing both characters a dream.

To see how the game handled, we sent two writers to the preview event (Eleni and Jess) and let them get to grips with Naoe and Yasuke and see how they both played, and you know what? We were very impressed by both characters but for very different reasons.

Naoe

Stealth has always been my favorite way to play through an Assassin’s Creed game. Naturally, then, I knew I’d gravitate towards Naoe, the more nimble of Shadows’ two protagonists.

Ubisoft

When Syndicate offered up the choice between the brash Jacob Frye or his sneaky sister Evie, I almost always chose the latter. While I was at first apprehensive about how Naoe would bring about genuinely engaging stealth that differs from previous entries, especially given the franchise already attempted this with Evie Frye, I was pleasantly surprised by her slyness and unique skillset.

At no point in playing through this preview did I want to stop and pivot away from Naoe, but rather, I found myself eager to test her limits. She showcases some of the best stealth in the series thanks to the new prone mechanics and upgraded parkour, heightening her movement.

As a Shinobi, Naoe can take down a castle full of enemies without ever being seen. Her grappling hook is a great new addition and makes for a character-defining tool. You’re able to climb up buildings quickly and with ease, scaling even the largest castles in seconds, unlike anything I’ve experienced before in an Assassin’s Creed game.

My favorite part was when I used the grappling hook to swing across a building, fly through the air, and then drop directly on top of an enemy and assassinate them. The animation that played was so satisfying, that I went out of my way to do it as many times as I could.

Ubisoft

During my preview, the final mission required me to navigate through a massive castle filled with enemies. Thanks to Naoe’s grappling hook and her speed when scaling structures, this felt like the perfect situation to test out her stealth abilities. 

While I would have struggled to fight my way through when playing as Yasuke, Naoe’s moveset made a challenging section of the game so much easier.

What’s more, Shadows cleverly utilizes some of the more classic stealth abilities from the franchise, such as Eagle Vision, to further heighten her skills when hiding in plain sight.

That was what stood out to me the most when playing through four hours of Shadows as Naoe. The devs haven’t simply tweaked her powers to make her a solid option for a stealth-focused section, but instead, created a protagonist that truly feels like a trained Assassin.

Naoe’s quiet and calm demeanor spoke volumes in defining what kind of Assassin’s Creed protagonist she is. However, just because she’s not wielding a giant sword like Yasuke, doesn’t mean she isn’t deadly. Whether it be the hidden blade adorning her wrist or the throwing knives she expertly strikes with, Naoe is always prepared for a fight.

Ubisoft

There’s no denying that Yasuke is much more durable when it comes to hand-to-hand combat. Comparatively, Naoe struggles when trying to engage multiple enemies at a time. I did try to play more aggressively as her, but I quickly died and had to restart the preview multiple times. 

While her speed makes it easy to counter and dodge incoming attacks, she’s much less likely to take down foes with the same tenacity and ease as Yasuke, especially when facing off against one of the larger enemies in the game.

Her origins reminded me of another fan-favorite hero: Ezio. The love she has for her family, particularly her father, is a welcome dynamic, and I expect it to be the emotional heartbeat of her journey. Instantly, I was hooked, wanting to know more about who she was and how she fit into her world.

Words by Eleni Thomas

Yasuke

Now, when you think of Assassin’s Creed, you think of stealth, hidden blades, and well… assassins. So, taking away all of those aspects should mean the character is doomed to fail, right? Wrong. 

Dexerto / Ubisoft

Meet Yasuke, Assassin’s Creed Shadows other protagonist. This former slave isn’t a ninja, he’s a powerful samurai trained by a Lord. As such, he wields the classic katanas along with different weapons than Naoe. They’re heavier, more imposing, often a little slower, but undeniably more powerful.

Naturally, given his training and composition, Yasuke has a lot more durability than Naoe, allowing him to withstand an onslaught of five shinobi without dying, though it certainly helps that he regains a small portion of his health every time he kills someone.

Of course, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen heavy hitters in the franchise, with Jacob Frye and the protagonists of Odyssey being just a few, but Yasuke’s fighting style feels different this time around. He’s stronger, faster, and more skilled. His style of combat feels fully fleshed out rather than being a way to placate newer players who don’t enjoy the stealth aspect as much.

Dexerto / Ubisoft

Yasuke still retains the franchise’s familiar gameplay — climbing, using different fighting styles like dodging and parrying, and often sneaking into heavily guarded locations, but Assassin’s Creed Shadows manages to reinvent and reinvigorate things by combining all the melee combat of Odyssey with the ranged weapons of Syndicate. I never thought I’d say it, but Shadows has made me excited to play Assassin’s Creed as a character that’s not an Assassin.

Words by Jessica Filby