đŸ”„ Experts Slam an ‘Utterly Unacceptable’ Unrealistic Flaw in Assassin’s Creed Shadow—and It’s Got Nothing to Do with the Yasuke Samurai Debate! đŸ˜±

You won’t be surprised to learn that the leap of faith is a little too Hollywood, though.

Parkour Meets Assassin’s Creed: What Do the Experts Think?

Imagine standing atop a medieval tower, wind whipping through your hooded cloak, staring down at a dizzying drop to a distant rooftop. You take a deep breath, then hurl yourself into the void, plummeting toward a haystack below in the iconic Assassin’s Creed “Leap of Faith.” In the game, it’s a breathtaking, stylish moment. But could it actually work in real life? To find out, PC Gamer enlisted two professional parkour athletes from the UK’s Storror team—Benj Cave and Toby Segar—to dissect the acrobatics of the Assassin’s Creed series, including the latest installment, Assassin’s Creed Shadows. The result? A fascinating, often hilarious breakdown that reveals a surprising twist: a move dubbed a “crime against parkour” might just be one of the most grounded things they’ve seen in the franchise.

Parkour’s Journey Through Assassin’s Creed

For years, Assassin’s Creed has made parkour—the art of moving freely over obstacles—a cornerstone of its identity. From Altaïr bounding across Jerusalem’s rooftops in the original 2007 title to Ezio flipping through Florence’s streets, and now Naoe and Yasuke tearing it up in Shadows, parkour has been as vital to the series as stealth kills and Templar conspiracies. For many fans, myself included, it’s how we first glimpsed parkour—those fluid leaps and climbs sparking dreams of trying it ourselves.

But for Benj and Toby, who’ve spent years honing their bodies and skills in the real world, these moves are more than just eye candy—they’re a chance to scrutinize. As self-proclaimed fans of the series, they brought a mix of expertise and humor to PC Gamer’s 10-minute video, analyzing clips from across the franchise. From the legendary “Leap of Faith” to fresh stunts in Shadows, they weighed in on whether these virtual assassins could pull off their feats without breaking every bone in their bodies. Spoiler: not everything holds up as well as Ubisoft might hope.

Yasuke’s “Crime Against Parkour”

One standout moment came when the duo watched a clip from Assassin’s Creed Shadows featuring Yasuke, the hulking African samurai. In the scene, Yasuke leaps between wooden beams to reach a cliffside, then clumsily hauls himself up by swinging a leg onto the ledge and using his knee as leverage to scramble over. To casual players, it’s just another move—maybe even a bit sluggish compared to the nimble assassins of old. But for Benj and Toby, it was a jaw-dropper.

“This is a crime against parkour!” Toby exclaimed, with Benj nodding in agreement. He explained that in real parkour, resting your full body weight on your knee—especially on a hard surface like rock—is a cardinal sin. “You never use your knees or elbows like that,” Benj said. “They’re the most vulnerable parts of your body, and doing it is like begging for wrecked joints.” They dubbed it the “alpine knee”—a technique so frowned upon in the parkour community that it’s practically taboo due to its inefficiency and risk.

Yet, here’s the twist: this “crime” might actually make Yasuke more believable. Unlike Naoe, the fleet-footed shinobi who flips and glides with ninja grace, Yasuke is a tank of a man, clad in 40-pound lamellar armor and lugging weapons like a kanabo club and naginata. He’s not built for parkour finesse. His awkward knee-scramble feels true to his character—a powerhouse warrior who’d rather smash through foes than dance over rooftops. “Maybe Ubisoft did this on purpose to show Yasuke’s not a parkour guy,” I mused. If so, it’s a clever nod to his identity that deserves some props.

Leap of Faith: Myth or Madness?

No discussion of Assassin’s Creed parkour is complete without the “Leap of Faith”—that signature plunge from staggering heights into a haystack or pile of leaves, always landing with perfect poise. It’s been a staple since the first game and remains a fan favorite. But is it remotely realistic?

Benj and Toby gave it a cautious nod—at least in theory. “If you jumped from, say, five to seven stories into a massive, perfectly placed haystack, you might survive,” Benj conceded. But from the towering heights in the games—often 30 stories or more? “No chance,” Toby laughed. “You’d leave an assassin-shaped dent in the ground under that hay.” The precision and control needed to hit such a tiny target from that distance, they argued, is beyond human limits.

This sparked a broader point: the unrealistic endurance of these virtual heroes. In reality, even top parkour athletes would tire after a few minutes of nonstop rooftop running, let alone sustain it for hours as in the game. “They never get exhausted, never slip,” Benj noted. “Out here, we’re planning every move—there’s no room for improv like that.”

Other Moves: From Plausible to Preposterous

Beyond the “Leap of Faith” and Yasuke’s climb, the duo tackled other stunts. Take Bayek’s pyramid slide in Assassin’s Creed Origins—they weren’t impressed. “He’s sliding too fast with zero control,” Toby said. “In real life, you’d get friction burns or tumble off instantly.” By contrast, some of Naoe’s moves in Shadows—like swinging over walls with a grappling hook—earned higher marks, though they still require superhuman accuracy.

Rope-walking, a recurring trick in the series, got a mention too. “Walking a tightrope is real, but not at that speed,” Benj said. “You need time to balance—you can’t just sprint and leap like it’s nothing.”

Game Parkour vs. Real Life

Through their critique, Benj and Toby reached a clear verdict: Assassin’s Creed delivers “dream moves” any parkour enthusiast would kill to attempt, but most demand strength, stamina, and precision far beyond human capability. Still, they admitted this exaggeration is part of the charm. “If it were too realistic, it might not be as fun,” Toby mused.

Yasuke’s “crime against parkour” stood out as an unexpected highlight. It fits his brute-force persona and hints that Ubisoft tailored each character’s movement style in Shadows with care—Naoe embodying ninja agility, Yasuke showcasing samurai grit. It’s a step up from the one-size-fits-all parkour of past titles.

Verdict: A Fantasy Worth Embracing

As Assassin’s Creed Shadows gears up for its March 20, 2025 release, this chat with Benj and Toby offered both laughs and insight into the blend of reality and fantasy in gaming. The series’ parkour may not always pass a real-world test, but that freedom keeps it a beloved pillar of the franchise. Curious about legit parkour? Check out Benj, Toby, and Storror on Instagram, or try their upcoming game Storror Parkour Pro, hitting Steam in late March. As for Shadows, I’m still pumped to play—even if I’ll never test a “Leap of Faith” in real life!

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