Two professional parkour athletes have given their insights on the parkour mechanics of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, offering a unique perspective on the game's realism and the developers' efforts to authentically portray Feudal Japan.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Gearing Up For Its Release
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Does A "Hate Crime Against Parkour"
In a detailed review by PC Gamer on March 15, Toby Segar and Benj Cave from the UK's STORROR team, who are avid fans of the Assassin’s Creed series, provided their expert analysis on the parkour realism in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Both athletes are also involved in developing their own game, STORROR Parkour Pro, which emphasizes real-life parkour techniques.
In their review, Segar highlighted a particular move from the game where protagonist Yasuke uses an "alpine knee" to ascend a ledge. This move, according to Segar, is impractical and potentially harmful in real parkour, as it places the entire body weight on the knee, risking injury.
Cave also critiqued the game's portrayal of endless endurance and the lack of realistic preparation and assessment before executing parkour moves. He emphasized that in real-life parkour, practitioners take time to evaluate their surroundings, a detail often overlooked in the game.
While Assassin’s Creed Shadows is a work of fiction, Ubisoft has made significant efforts to enhance the realism of its parkour mechanics. In an interview with IGN in January, Game Director Charles Benoit mentioned that the game's release delay was partly to refine these mechanics.
Bringing Players Closer to Feudal Japan
Beyond parkour, Ubisoft aims to immerse players in the historical context of Feudal Japan through the "Cultural Discovery" section. As detailed on Ubisoft's website on March 18, Editorial Comms Manager Chastity Vicencio explained that this feature within the in-game Codex will provide players with over 125 educational entries on the Azuchi-Momoyama period at launch, with more to be added later.
Creating an authentic representation of Feudal Japan has been challenging, as revealed 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, finally realized with Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
Ubisoft Creative Director Johnathan Dumont emphasized the team's dedication to authenticity, involving in-house historians and conducting research trips to Kyoto and Osaka. Despite challenges, such as accurately depicting the unique lighting conditions in Japan's mountains, the team's commitment to detail has been unwavering.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows is scheduled for release on March 20, 2025, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Stay tuned for more updates on Assassin’s Creed Shadows by following our coverage.
