Assassin’s Creed Shadows confirms romance options but fans are skeptical

Romance options will return in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, but the love interests in previous games have fans feeling skeptical.

AC Odyssey introduced romance options to the series in 2018, allowing Kassandra and Alexios to engage in all types of relationships. The feature reappeared in Valhalla two years later and included more serious romance opportunities, specifically with Randvi.

However, both games left much to be desired in this regard since interactions with love interests were limited to a few scripted exchanges, then dissolved into stock ‘check-in’ scenes.

Assassin’s Creed developers haven’t given up, though, apparent in the fact that romances will play a part in AC Shadows. Associate Narrative Director Brooke Davies confirmed as much in an IGN Live 2024 sit-down.

When asked about the possibilities, Davies said, “The amazing thing about the dual protagonists that we had fun with on the writing team was imagining the relationships these two very different [characters] could have with the different people they encounter in the game world.”

Segment begins at 6:07.

While romance possibilities could prove interesting, fans looking forward to Assassin’s Creed Shadows have already expressed skepticism. Several users in a Reddit thread about the topic argue that neither Odyssey nor Valhalla did romance well enough to warrant excitement about the news.

One such comment reads, “Assassin’s Creed’s handling of romance in Odyssey was so fundamentally terrible that I truly don’t trust them to make a good romance again…”

Someone else recalling the meaningless relationships in Odyssey wrote, “I hope the romance choices will be a bit more interesting than the one-night-stand scatter-shot approach of Odyssey… if there’s going to be a romance, then let it be more meaningful.”

Others poked fun at the Randvi romance in Valhalla, with one person noting that after successfully courting her, the relationship devolved into “Kiss, Show me the alliance map, Kiss, Go to bed.”

However, there are fans who hope the Shadows developers have taken notes from other RPGs by adding meaningful side quests that make relationships feel more involved.

Players will find out how well relationships have been integrated in the latest Assassin’s Creed when it hits stores on November 15, 2024.