Yasuke and Naoe from Assassin's Creed Shadows standing back to back with lightning behind them.

I want to be hyped for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, but I have too many reservations to let that happen. Not only is it a game developed by Ubisoft, a company famous for making iterative entries in its long-running franchises that feel disappointingly uninspiring, but it’s also part of a series that hasn’t, in my opinion, had a solid entry in several years. There is also the problem of the game’s dual protagonists, two characters that look incredibly interesting, but I fear will be robbed of any import thanks to AC Shadows’ instance of letting you be either at any point.

All of this concerned and bothered me, digging my hype well below six feet under where it felt safe and unthreatening. However, I recently learned about a new game mode in Shadows, one that promises to fix my biggest problem with the game. In fact, this one mode may be Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ best feature, as it takes the series in a new and bold direction and, hopefully, rectifies a lot of its bad narrative decisions. While it won’t be for everyone, this game mode has absolutely saved AC Shadows for me.

Assassin’s Creed Canon Mode Removes Player Agency

It Forces Players To Be Specific Characters

 

Naoe and Yasuke looking at each other in the trailer for Assassin's Creed Shadows. Assassin's Creed Shadows Yasuke and Nobunaga on horseback. Assassin's Creed Shadows Naoe looking out over the horizon.

Assassin’s Creed games have been slowly integrating more RPG-focused mechanics and design philosophies with each new entry. Becoming more prominent when Assassin’s Creed switched to the open-world action RPG formula, the series began featuring dialogue decisions, moral choices, and romance options, all of which culminated in a more player-driven experience. While some enjoyed this RPG-lite experience and found it better fit the Assassin’s Creed model, I longed for a return to the older, more narrative-focused AC games in which players embodied a specific role, rather than being given agency over a more malleable character.

That’s not to say that Bayek, Eivor, or Kassandra were bad protagonists, but rather that I miss the focus that the more rigid narrative design and a lack of dialogue choices brought. This is why I was a little bit concerned by Shadows’ character-swapping mechanic, which allows players to be whichever of the two protagonists they want in major non-character-specific quests (which is a large portion of the game). This is on top of the dialogue and romance choices already present in AC Shadows, which frankly felt like too much player agency to me.

Don’t get me wrong, I love choice-driven RPGs. However, considering how lackluster AC narratives have been during this shift to a greater RPG focus, I feel like integrating too many choices detracts from telling a more direct and compelling narrative. So, color me surprised when I learned that Assassin’s Creed Shadows has a Canon game mode, one that strips it completely of dialogue choices and forces players to be a specific character during every mission, thus giving Ubisoft greater control over the story it wants to tell, rather than placating all options at any given moment.

Speaking to ScreenRant, AC Shadow’s associate narrative director, Brooke Davies, discussed how the Canon mode works, explaining that if players choose to activate the Canon mode, “the game will unfold as if you had made those choices, but you won’t see them.” Essentially, rather than being given a dialogue choice in the moment, the game will have pre-emptively selected the one that is canonical according to Ubisoft. It also means that each mission will have a character already assigned to it, so players will be locked out of choosing whichever character they prefer playing as.

I Love The Assassin’s Creed Canon Mode

It Makes Both Characters Feel Important

Yasuke and Naoe in combat-ready poses in a screenshot from Assassin's Creed Shadows.

Most people reading that, especially those accustomed to sprawling choice-driven RPGs like Cyberpunk 2077 and the Elder Scrolls series, will feel like it’s far too restrictive and, therefore, worse by design. However, I frankly love that this is an option and know it will be my preferred way of playing. It allows Ubisoft to better shape its characters and thus tell a more cohesive and convincing narrative, something that can get lost in the shuffle when players are given a plethora of choices that could conflict or not make sense based on the character’s pre-defined motivations.

Additionally, it removes the conflict of knowing which character to play as. One of Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ biggest problems is the fact that its liberal character-swapping mechanic essentially encourages players to stick with a specific character. It is easier to continue playing as a preferred character, whether it’s because they feel better to play or people like their personality more, which conflicts with Ubisoft’s intentions. Forcing players to switch between these characters gives them more time to get to know them, and likely warm up to them, or, at the very least, become better immersed in their stories.

I know it would be hard for me to get to know Naoe well if I’m constantly playing as Yasuke because I don’t really enjoy stealth, and vice versa if I happened to not enjoy bounding through Japanese villages breaking rock walls with my immense strength. That would be a shame though, as I want to get to know her and her struggles, something that I personally feel will be more effective, impactful, and meaningful if I actually play as her in the game, rather than watch her occasionally from the sidelines.

More Narrative Options In AC Shadows Is Good

It Makes It A More Accessible Experience

Naoe from Assassin's Creed Shadows looking solemn with gameplay of her sneaking around on either side.Custom Image by: Tom Wilson

Of course, I appreciate that this won’t be the same for everyone, and most players will likely rather have the ability to shape their character through their own choices, rather than be shepherded down a specific pre-determined path. This is why it is great that the Canon mode is completely optional, and only there for those who would rather have their story shaped for them. As much as I find it all too easy to criticize Ubisoft, it absolutely does deserve credit when it comes to making its experiences as customizable as possible.

Previous games have allowed for less guided experiences, such as Avatar’s phenomenal exploration mode, or even the complete opposite for those who don’t want to miss a single secret. This optional Canon mode wasn’t necessary but does allow those who miss the previous Assassin’s Creed design philosophy to replicate it, even just a little. So, as pointless as it may seem to some, I am personally very grateful that Ubisoft put in the effort to implement it, especially as it gives me hope that it is confident enough in its storytelling this time around.

It also serves as a novel way of replaying the game, as it’ll show players how Ubisoft intended the story to go, and how different the canonical choices ended up being from those players made the first time around. Regardless, I sincerely hope that Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ story ends up being strong enough that it doesn’t need dialogue choices. Honestly, I have been so burnt by recent AC games that Assassin’s Creed Shadows really feels like Ubisoft’s last chance in my eyes, and hopefully, the Canon mode will help.