Dive into the world of Assassin’s Creed Shadows as two professional parkour athletes, Toby Segar and Benj Cave from team STORROR, UK, provide their unique insights on the realism of the game's parkour mechanics. This article explores their feedback and how Ubisoft is striving to bring the historical setting of Feudal Japan to life in this highly anticipated title.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Gearing Up For Its Release
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Does A "Hate Crime Against Parkour"
In a detailed review featured in PC Gamer's Reality Check video on March 15, Toby Segar and Benj Cave, both fans of the Assassin’s Creed series, offered their professional critique on the parkour realism in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. The athletes, who are also developing their own video game, STORROR Parkour Pro, based on real-life parkour, provided a deep dive into the game's mechanics.
During the review, Segar highlighted a clip showing protagonist Yasuke executing what he described as a "hate crime against parkour." This refers to Yasuke using an "alpine knee" technique to ascend a ledge, which Segar and Cave consider unrealistic and potentially harmful as it concentrates the climber's weight onto the knee.
Cave also commented on other aspects of the game's parkour, noting the unrealistic portrayal of unlimited endurance and the lack of preparation and checking before performing moves. He explained, "In parkour, no one ever just runs and commits to stuff without looking. In parkour in real life, you check, you measure, you prep, and it’s such a slower process."
While Assassin’s Creed Shadows is a fictional game, Ubisoft has made significant efforts to incorporate realism into its parkour mechanics. In a January interview with IGN, AC Shadows Game Director Charles Benoit mentioned that the game's release delay was to refine these mechanics further.
Bringing Players Closer to Feudal Japan
Beyond the parkour, Ubisoft is also focused on immersing players in the historical context of Feudal Japan through the "Cultural Discovery" section within the game. As detailed on Ubisoft's website on March 18, Editorial Comms Manager Chastity Vicencio elaborated on how the team is integrating historical elements into the gameplay.
The "Cultural Discovery" feature within the in-game Codex will provide players with over 125 encyclopedic entries on the history, art, and culture of the Azuchi-Momoyama period, crafted by historians and enriched with museum and institutional images. This feature promises a deeper understanding of the period, surpassing the scope of the History of Baghdad feature in AC Mirage.
The development team faced challenges in authentically recreating Feudal Japan, as shared in an interview with The Guardian on March 17. Ubisoft Executive Producer Marc-Alexis Coté discussed the long-standing interest in setting an Assassin’s Creed game in Japan, stating, "I've been on [this] franchise for 16 years and I think every time we start a new game, Japan comes up and we ask, is this the time?"
Creative Director Johnathan Dumont added that the team collaborated with historians and visited Kyoto and Osaka to ensure an accurate portrayal of the setting. Despite challenges such as accurately simulating the unique light conditions in Japan's mountains, the team's dedication has led to a faithful representation of the era.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows is poised for release on March 20, 2025, available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Stay tuned for the latest updates and immerse yourself in the world of Feudal Japan with Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
