I am very excited for Assassin's Creed Shadows, perhaps more than I have been for any previous AC game. There are two main reasons for that, the first of which is its setting. Like many others, the prospect of Assassin's Creed in Japan has always intrigued me, not least because of its potential when it comes to enigmatic and thrilling historical figures, political intrigue, and all manner of backstabbing. As someone who liked, but never loved, Ghost of Tsushima, I still feel like there is untapped potential when it comes to doing Assassin's Creed in Japan well.

The second reason I'm so excited is because of Shadows' greater focus on story. Ubisoft has always struggled to pull off interesting stories, restricted by its often poor narrative structure decisions and lackluster writing. So, when I learned that Shadows has not only got a better story - at least from what previewers have experienced - but that it is better told through more dynamic cutscenes, my excitement reached a boiling point. However, my ion for Shadows may all come crashing down thanks to the game's far too generous character-swapping mechanic.

Assassin's Creed Shadows Character Swapping Worries Me

It Feels Too Free

In an controversial Yasuke hate train.

Yasuke is a unique point-of-view for this period and setting, as he's an outsider with his own personal beliefs and approaches to life that will clash with the often advanced yet restrictive Japanese culture of the time. Conversely, Naoe offers a more traditional outlook, at least on customs and ways of life, but is also a woman forced to lurk in the shadows. Frankly, I'm excited to play both characters, but Dumont implies it's not necessary. He explained how while there are dedicated quests per character, "the core of the game can be pick your character and the game adapts."

The problem is that it is far too free-form. Players will inevitably get attached to one character over another, either thanks to their playstyle or personality, and predominantly choose them. Even if people consciously attempt to balance both, it's unlikely, without the game intervening on their behalf, that they'll stick to that. It'll become a frustrating feature that players like myself will have to remind themselves exists, popping back to play the other character for a while just to keep things fair. AC Shadows prioritizes freedom above all else, which I am a fan of, but not in this regard.

I Wish Shadows Forced You To Play As Both Characters

It Would Make Each Character Feel Important

Ubisoft was clearly aware during development that, in Dumont's own words, players would "like one of the other [protagonists] better," and so designed Shadows in a way that ensured those who stick to just one character wouldn't miss out. Dumont explains that while there may be some moments in which players must make a particular choice that would have had a different outcome with the other character, he doesn't think players are missing out too much by not experiencing that. He explained in the interview with ScreenRant:

You can switch for gameplay reasons, you can switch for, if you think that you like one of the other [protagonists] better, but I don't think you're missing out. That's more, all right, have fun with the game, just play it as you want. And there's going to be a couple of choices here and there that I wonder what happened, what would happen with this character, but I don't think you're missing out.

This robs each character of any real importance, as, if players aren't missing out when they don't experience one of the two possible outcomes, it means the outcomes were mostly pre-defined anyway, or not that integral to the overall story. I am not a fan of games that offer faux choices, the illusion of choice that ultimately takes the player to the same conclusion. This heavily implies that this is the case here, especially as developers have previously stated that players can complete 90% of Shadows with just one character.

Even beyond these choices, I have always found that I grow more attached to characters I physically play as and interact with the world with than those that I barely see on screen outside a few cutscenes. It's easy to forgive annoying character traits and form emotional attachments to poorly written characters when I'm literally embodying them. Assassin's Creed Shadows takes that away by allowing players to switch between characters on the fly at any moment in the open world and right before non-character-based missions.

Instead, it should have adopted Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's character approach, where, during set story moments, certain characters will disappear, forcing the player to control another. That way, I could play as both Yasuke and Naoe without feeling like I arbitrarily have to switch between them per mission just so I get to experience the game as both. The current model, while certainly not the end of the world, requires more effort on my behalf, rather than offering a tailored experience that heightens the story.

Assassin's Creed Shadows' Character Swapping Could Hurt The Story

It Puts Less Emphasis On Either Story

I think my biggest gripe with Assassin's Creed Shadows' more relaxed approach to character swapping lies in its effects on the main narrative. As aforementioned, I'm rather excited to see the unique perspectives of Shadow's distinct protagonists on the main plot. However, while that will certainly factor in depending on which character one picks, Ubisoft had to write the story as if the player could pick any character. This means that few - or potentially even none - of the main missions will be designed around one character's viewpoint or ideology.

Every mission's plot point has to mean something equally to Naoe as it does to Yasuke, which robs it of any significance to both. They're then both in the same boat all the time, which reduces the potential for conflict or growth moments. Of course, I'm willing to believe that Ubisoft has written dozens if not hundreds of different paths that the central story could go down, factoring in that the player could alternate between characters per mission and that each of those choices must influence the end goal. However, I'm somewhat doubtful that is the case.

Rather, I imagine that most of Naoe and Yasuke's development will be done through their personal quests. Dumont mentioned that both characters "get individual introductions, and then they get their own questline also," and that when players can't switch to Yasuke during Naoe's personal quests and vice versa. Beyond those missions, Yasuke and Naoe will likely have agency in the main plot, thanks to their relationships with the central villain and major conflict, but won't directly affect it through the choices the player makes.

I hope that I'm wrong, and that both Yasuke and Naoe have more to offer in Assassin's Creed Shadows, but I have a feeling that the lax character swapping mechanic will be to the game's detriment.

It reminds me of how Rise of the Ronin offered the illusion of choice through the player's actions, even allowing them to return to past missions and change their minds, but ultimately railroaded them into a singular conclusion. Similarly, the disappointing Watch Dog's Legion tried to have the story adapt to whoever the player was controlling and ended up having practically no story at all as a result. I hope that I'm wrong and Yasuke and Naoe have more to offer in Assassin's Creed Shadows, but I suspect that the lax character-swapping mechanic will be to the game's detriment.