Summary
Assassin’s Creed Shadowswas finally revealed today, but despite its usual franchise stylings, it appears that viewpoints, one of the series' key mechanics, are going to work a bit differently. InAssassin’s CreedShadows,they will seemingly no longer trigger a panoramic camera shot of the area and reveal nearby locations, but rather serve as simple fast travel checkpoints.
PreviousAssassin’s Creedtitles have tasked players with scaling to the top of a high building or structure and “synchronizing” with a viewpoint to reveal more of the map and some key points of interest that may be nearby. This would encourage players to find every single one to reveal the entire map and its many points of interest all at once before choosing which ones to tackle first.
How Viewpoints Work in Assassin’s Creed Shadows
According to IGN,Shadowsis taking a different approach; viewpoints are still present and important, but they no longer reveal the map in the same way and the usual panoramic shots that accompany the act will no longer occur. Instead, they will simply unlock the area for fast travel and provide a vantage point for players to locate points of interest of their own volition before exploring them to find out what they are.
While the original method of revealing the map was fairly simple, it was also repetitive and drew some ire from subsets of fans who saw the task as menial and a little tedious whencompared to the main gameplay loop. Later games did make its long, drawn-out panoramic shots that would occur with each one into skippable scenes, but they still tended to discourage individual exploration for some.
This is not the only major departure the franchise is taking from recent entries, either, asShadowsalso reportedly lacks the bird companion that would follow players in the previous RPG entries that would allow them to spot enemies and points of interest from afar. Instead, the game isgoing back to its rootsand seemingly asking players to rely solely on their “eagle vision” that lets them see guard placements and other opportunities through walls and obstacles.
The gamealso features dual protagonistsfor the first time since 2015’sAssassin’s Creed Syndicate,letting players control the original assassin Naoe and the famous African samurai Yasuke.
Developed by Ubisoft Quebec, the team behindAssassin’s Creed Odyssey,Shadowsseems to be taking a similar RPG-esque approach to the series as well, though with a few notable returns of some franchise staples. The focus on eagle vision instead of an actual eagle is reminiscent of the older titles beforeOriginsreinvented the formula, and seems to put the emphasis back on stealth over RPG action combat.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows
WHERE TO PLAY
Experience an epic historical action-adventure story set in feudal Japan! Become a lethal shinobi Assassin and a powerful legendary samurai as you explore a beautiful open world in a time of chaos. Switch seamlessly between two unlikely allies as you discover their common destiny. Master complementary playstyles, create your shinobi league, customize your hideout, and usher in a new era for Japan.
