Assassin’s Creed Shadows will not be the biggest entry in the series in terms of explorable land, but it will still move the series’ formula forward with massive improvements to combat and other new mechanics that will make the game’s world more alive than ever.
During an AMA session hosted on the series’ subreddit, developers Brooke Davies, Charles Benoit, Jonathan Dumont, and Thierry Dansereau revealed some new details about the next entry in the open-world series by Ubisoft. Speaking about the game’s size, Jonathan Dumont compared the game’s scale to that of Assassin’s Creed Origins in terms of explorable land. While this may sound disappointing to some, having a slightly smaller map than some of the more recent entries in the series could only be beneficial if the smaller map is well-designed and filled with engaging activities.
Judging from some of the mechanics Assassin’s Creed Shadows will feature, it definitely feels like this smaller world will feel more alive than ever. Besides the season system, which will work based on either the passage of time or story progression, the game will also feature what Charles Benoit described as the Wanted system. If the player is ever discovered in Castles, the situation will escalate quickly for the whole province, making a specific enemy archetype called Guardian appear on the roads and in the Castles. This state of high alert will remain for the entire season, making players either continue playing in this high heat condition, wait for the season to pass, or just explore other regions.
In addition to the Wanted system, Assassin’s Creed Shadows will feature a procedural faction system for each province. This system will dynamically change the balance of power between factions, determining which challenges the players will be able to complete and the rewards they can get. These opposing factions will also fight it out independently of the player, resulting in a livelier game world.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows will also feature a mechanic that will take away freedom of choice from players if they do not want it, in regard to the story. Jonathan Dumont revealed that the game will feature an option called Canon Mode, which will let the player experience the adventure with predetermined choices, a mode that was implemented because the fan-base’s opinion was divided on branching dialogues and that should make old-school fans of the series happy.
During the Reddit AMA, the Assassin’s Creed Shadows developers also discussed many other things, such as non-linear targets, the in-game database, traversal challenges, combat, and more. You can find it in full here.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows launches on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S on February 14th, 2025
