Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ Map Will Be Less Cluttered

Despite another delay to the release date of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Ubisoft continues to release blog posts about the specific features and changes coming to the legendary series’ upcoming entry. The most recent post concerns exploration, and describes how Ubisoft wants to hold the player’s hand less than it has done in previous entries, and instead encourage self-driven exploration.

“We didn’t want to hold the player’s hand too much with icons and markers,” says game director Charles Dumont. “We wanted to craft an open world where information was key and would become a form of reward. This made sense in the context of playing a shinobi and fighting for information. In Shadows, information is something you need to look for and earn, whether through your spies, NPC encounters, or through your own eyes. In short, we want players to discover all our secrets on their own terms through investigation, their spy network, or by observing the world.”

At the beginning of the game, your world map will only contain region names. As you travel around, a radius of the map around the player will gradually be revealed. Viewpoints have been re-introduced, but they’ll reveal less than in past entries of the series. These will be listed as undiscovered locations if the player hasn’t visited the area prior.

Less Hand Holding

An Assassin’s Creed Shadows promo screenshot featuring a close-up of Naoe wearing a hood.

Perhaps most importantly, the dramatic synchronisation camera is returning. You can observe one of these cinematic moments in action on the blog post. Naoe is shown scaling to the top of a castle before the camera zooms out to show the surrounding region. Each of these viewpoint locations will also be a fast travel point, but several are deep within enemy territory which means carelessly fast travelling around can land you in conflict.

Interestingly, Naoe and Yasuke may have to use alternate routes to access the same viewpoint. Naoe can scale buildings with her grappling hook, while Yasuke may be forced to take the stairs and battle through guards to reach a viewpoint. This is another example of the differing play styles of Yasuke and Naoe, which Ubisoft has stressed with every blog post.

Through exploration, Naoe will be able to discover new Kuji-kiri meditation activities that reveal more about her life before she became a shinobi. Yasuke will be able to learn new weapon-specific kata, and both characters will be able to paint wild animals in the Japanese countryside.

There’s more information in the full blog post, including specifics on the scouting and observation mechanics. Assassin’s Creed Shadows releases on March 20 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows

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.

• Explore the captivating open world of feudal Japan, from spectacular castle towns and bustling ports to peaceful shrines and war-ravaged landscapes. Adventure through unpredictable weather, changing seasons, and reactive environments.
• Become Naoe, a shinobi Assassin, and Yasuke, a legendary samurai, as you experience their riveting stories and master their complementary playstyles. As Naoe, use stealth to avoid detection and agility to confound your enemies. As Yasuke, strike your foes with lethal precision and power. Unlock new skills, gear, and progression independently for each character.
• Make information your weapon as you explore the world, and build your own network of spies to be your eyes and ears across locations to hunt down your next target. Along the way, recruit new allies with unique abilities to help accomplish your missions.
• Create a fully customizable hideout for your growing shinobi league as you train your crew, craft new gear, interact with key characters, and choose your base’s layout, decorations, and accessories.