With AC Mirage’s stealth mechanics as a foundation, Assassin’s Creed Shadows aims to refine the experience. Will it succeed?

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is set to launch on March 20, promising to bring new layers of stealth to the beloved franchise with its much anticipated Japan setting. While excitement is high, so are players’ doubts. One question running in players’ minds: Can Ubisoft truly nail the stealth experience this time?

The game is set to release on March 20th. | Image Credit: Ubisoft

But here’s the twist, it is not truly reinventing the wheel. Lead producer Karl Onnée revealed that Shadows is borrowing several stealth mechanics from AC Mirage, and ‘improving’ on it. Since Mirage is known for its strong stealth elements, let’s just hope it all comes together like a perfectly executed silent takedown.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows needs to deliver on its Stealth mechanics

Players are concerned regarding the stealth mechanics. | Image Credit: Ubisoft

Even if a player isn’t a fan of the Assassin’s Creed series, they know stealth is a fundamental part of it. Naturally, players have strong opinions on the matter. When AC Shadows was first revealed, let’s just say, players were skeptical about various aspects of the game and stealth was one of them.

Some were worried that the game would prioritize action over traditional assassin gameplay. However, as more gameplay featuring Naoe (the game’s shinobi assassin protagonist) has been revealed, especially with the recently improved version following delays, opinions are slowly shifting.

Anticipation for the game’s stealth mechanics is now at an all-time high. And if we take lead producer Karl Onnée’s words at face value, players should expect a great stealth system. In an interview with GamesIndustry, he shared that the development team closely studied Mirage’s approach to stealth.

We knew we were going into the direction of stealth […] We said let’s use what they’ve done and build on top of it, rather than going our own way.

Since the team had already decided Shadows would emphasize stealth, the team not only learned from Mirage (one of the best showcases of Stealth in the series) but also incorporated its best mechanics and built upon them to create something even better.

With a feudal Japan setting, home to many legendary ninjas and shinobi, this game has the perfect backdrop for stealth-focused gameplay. Now, it’s up to Ubisoft to deliver on that promise.

Collaborative approach to game development

Players can’t wait for the release. | Image Credit: Ubisoft

This development philosophy of collaboration between teams to enhance efficiency and prevent unnecessary work seems promising. This is only made possible by the Anvil engine, which has been at the heart of the series since its inception.

The engine plays a crucial role in this process and makes sure that new gameplay mechanics, technology, and improvements are shared across multiple projects. As Onnée explains:

We are all part of the brand, so it is important that we all discuss with each other. You want to avoid redoing work […] you want to avoid doing the same things but differently. You want to build on top of work and improve on it. 

This interconnected approach is the key that allows Ubisoft to continuously evolve the Assassin’s Creed franchise while maintaining a consistent gameplay experience, hopefully polished as well (especially considering the delay).

By leveraging the success of past titles and refining mechanics rather than truly inventing them, Shadows has the potential to deliver an authentic and deeply satisfying stealth experience.

If Ubisoft successfully blends Mirage’s refined stealth mechanics with Shadows’ samurai and shinobi-themed gameplay, it could be one of the most exciting entries in the franchise yet.

In the end, all that’s left is to wait and see if Assassin’s Creed Shadows can silently eliminate our doubts or if it stumbles like Yasuke trying to climb walls stealthily.