The story of how Assassin's Creed Shadows was made is nearly as epic as the game's own quest.
Taking place in feudal Japan and swapping between the perspectives of two characters (a shinboi assassin and an African samurai), the exciting adventure unfolds over hours of gameplay but was actually years of work for the game's director, Charles Benoit.
For those who prefer to watch/listen, check out the full interview on YouTube.
Shortly after the title launched, Charles sat down with Geeking Out to share stories about making the latest Assassin's Creed game, the challenges and payoffs of the dual narrative, and the research that went into making the game look and play so darn good.
Meet Charles Benoit
A veteran of 18 years in the gaming industry who worked on titles like Watch Dogs, Immortals Fenix Rising, and Assassin's Creed Black Flag, Charles worked for four years on the latest Assassin's Creed release. He held nothing back when plotting the franchises' next adventure, and even though the process was long and meticulous, Charles enjoyed every moment.
"It's the best experience you can imagine!" says Charles. "You put everything you can into this game. Your time. Your soul. And you hope that the players will appreciate it."
Authenticity Through Research
As soon as you fire up the game, you are instantly transported from your couch or favourite gaming chair, to marching through an ancient Japanese village.
As the story progresses, the immersion only grows.
Authenticity pops through every pixel.
From the landscapes and lore, to the weapons and wardrobes, playing this game transports you to a different time and place. The architecture is so authentic. The sounds and sights are so real. It's truly astounding.
Achieving this level of detail isn't easy and involves a lot of collaboration between the game's director and a lead historian, plus a smaller team of historians and researchers to ensure each choice supports the history of the land, but also supports the narrative of the game.
"We have an historian with us who brings a lot of documentation, books, and movies that we can watch, just to immerse ourselves, and then we read a lot," says Charles.
"We have a thousand-page [research document] that explains the the culture, the weapons, the way people live, and [our historian] was in contact with a lot of experts, especially in Japan."
Capturing the Grandeur of Japan
For details about the unique Japanese castles, the game's historian and their team poured through archives, digging out information about how the structures were initially created.
Charles and the game's historian travelled to Japan to see these fortresses firsthand to ensure they authentically captured the scale, textures, and beauty of the original buildings.
It was journeys like this that ultimately had a profound impact on the game's design, particularly of how the environment is portrayed in the end experience.
The overall impact of visiting Japan: make things feel big and grandiose in the game.
"One one of the things that we changed after we went to to Japan is the aspect ratio of the world," says Charles. "If you see pictures or video, the world seems big. But when you see those big mountains and forests for real, we needed to make them bigger [in the game] and more impassible, because otherwise it won't feel like Japan."
The Dual Protagonist Dynamic
Assassin's Creed Shadows breaks new ground by dropping past game elements (like your scouting bird) and adding new, or less-often used elements, like the dual narrative of experiencing the game between two different characters.
In past titles, like Assassin's Creed Syndicate, there were two different playable characters. However, unlike Syndicate, where the two leads mostly served the storytelling part of the game, Shadows integrates this duality deeply into the gameplay.
The pair of protagonists support the story, but also the gameplay style. Some missions can only be played by a certain character, while others are better tackled by mixing certain parts of the mission between the two. For example, during a mission the charcters will split up to conquer a fortress. You'll start with the blunt force of Yasuke and smash through a door, fighting your way through the battleground. Then, you'll cut back to the divergence in the mission but this time tag in Naoe to traverse the rooftops to take out snipers, allowing you to effectively clear the area.
"In Japan, we have those two big, strong, fantasies with the shinobi and the samurai." says Charles. "So, it's best to isolate them and play them for what they are."
For stealth, Naoe is perfect for sneaking across rooftops, laying prone in tall grass, waiting for the opportunity to strike, or for any missions prioritizing agility and silence.
Yasuke is a hulking samurai who excels in combat. Aside from allowing players to jump back and forth between perspectives to round out the story early on in the game, it also pushes gamers to try different styles to progress through the adventure.
"We wanted to introduce two characters," says Charles. "But also on the gameplay side, not just on the story."
"We really wanted to enhance our two main pillar [game play mechanics], the stealth and the combat on the two characters, and challenge them in specific ways."
Stealth vs. Combat
Embracing the ability to switch between game styles is key to success in Shadows, and a feature that the game's director loves about this title.
"I like the fact that you can play, like, hours of stealth and take your time, using the tools and everything you've learned," says Charles. "And, sometimes, you just want, like, a pure 15 minutes of big action and you and Yasuke go through a castle and destroy everything!"
If you've played the game, you may not realize how tricky it can be to choose how to break up the two stories and weave them together throughout the game. However, this is something Charles and his team agonized over to get just right, and, in my opinion, really succeeded at.
Scope and Scale in Shadows
For those familiar with the franchise, you'll notice a big difference in the maps and the way missions are revealed. In other Assassin's Creed titles, the maps are massive, with hundreds of markers to check off your list. Sometimes, this really did just feel like working your way through a To Do list before you could return to the main missions.
In Shadows, the map is smaller (but in a good way), and your tasks and missions are revealed through your interactions with the characters you meet. You gather clues to track down your next targets and rely on your scouts to help locate them on the map.
Overall, this is a more rewarding experience. Pairing that with the fun element of building and customizing your hideout with various decorations and the ability to customize the look of your gear adds new elements to the game that introduce a different, almost cozy, gameplay experience.
Final Thoughts
With its rich world, compelling characters, and innovative gameplay, Assassin's Creed Shadows offers a captivating journey into the heart of feudal Japan.
Since it's done so well in the game, it's easy not to consider just how difficult it is to thread a non-linear storyline through an Assassin's Creed game. This is a bold change compared to previous entries in the series, but Charles welcomes fans to lean into this aspect.
"Embrace those two characters. Try different things with them. It's a different way to play, to think about stealth. Even with Yasuke, you can do some stealth, and it's changing your experience. There's a lot to discover."
Assassin's Creed Shadows is available now for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Geforce Now, Windows, Mac, and Amazon Luna.
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