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Assassin's Creed Shadows is adding a lot of exciting features to its stealth mechanics, so you can really act like a shinobi when you play.
For a series all about a sneaky group of assassins and templars waging a secret war, actual stealth has never felt that fleshed out in Assassin's Creed games. You can blend in with crowds, get the drop on your enemies by literally dropping on them from high up, and do quick takedowns with a hidden blade, but it wasn't until Unity that you could actually enter a stealth mode. That's all about to change with Shadows.
A new Ubisoft blog post details the litany of new mechanics you can use to embark on what sounds like a great assassin power fantasy. "Stealth gameplay in Shadows has been ambitiously overhauled in a few key areas," says Simon Lemay-Comtois, associate game director of Shadows.
Two of the biggest changes are the ability to become invisible in the shadows – the game is earning its name – and go prone, a series first. Both inside and out, if you stick to the shadows at night you'll remain completely unseen by enemies. You can even extinguish lanterns with shuriken to create more hiding spots for yourself.
Both protagonists can go prone, and Naoe will get access to some new movement options, being able to roll to the side, backward, and forward to evade guards or close the distance and assassinate an enemy while lying down. Both will be less visible when prone, too, and this means they can scope out a situation before charging in head first. You can also crouch to keep a low profile but still get around quickly.
One of my favorite features that debuted back in Assassin's Creed 2 and has been in and out of the series ever since is making a comeback, too: double assassinations. You'll have to equip a tanto and unlock a specific skill, but then you'll be able to kill two enemies from the air or on the ground. Nice.
Eagle vision is back, but only Naoe can use it. Both she and samurai Yasuke get access to a new observe mechanic. This will allow you to tag enemies so you can keep track of their movements and it highlights loot stashes, collectibles, and quest objectives. Naoe can combine it with eagle vision, too, allowing her to tag foes hidden behind walls.
The classic smoke bomb makes a triumphant return, and you can also use a shinobi bell to lure enemies away from your path or right into the tip of your blade. The shuriken you can use to take out lanterns can also stun enemies or distract them if you throw them at nearby objects, and kunai throwing knives can kill foes in one hit if you aim them well enough.
Another cool new feature is the ability to grab an unsuspecting target and quietly drag them away to a more secret spot to inflict the final blow. I've lost count of the number of times I've had a kill opportunity, but it would leave a body in a space that is too open, so this means you can thin out a gaggle of enemies even more effectively.
The enemy AI has been updated to account for your new arsenal of stealth tactics. Servants can spot you and alert the guards, and if you're detected and then manage to hide away, enemies will look for you and remain alert. They'll look for you in pairs, with one actively poking around and one keeping an eye on them from a distance, meaning you'll have to eliminate the watcher first. If you try to whistle to lure or distract already alert enemies, they'll only get more suspicious, so you'll have to think more about how to take them down quietly.
Yasuke is a fearsome samurai who plays differently from Naoe, focusing more on brute strength than stealth. There are enemy samurai, too, and they'll be more resistant to your sneaky tactics than typical foot soldiers. They're immune to smoke bombs, can resist assassinations, and will even cut down bushes while searching for you, so be careful of them.
Other enemies can also resist your assassination attempts if you don't invest in the right skills. There are a variety of regions to explore in Shadows, and some will have tougher foes. Your assassination prompt will change color based on the level of your target and your own skills. White means it's game over for them, yellow means you'll do some damage but not kill them, and red means they'll prevent your attempt completely. "A strong enemy may survive a frontal assassination but may die from a sneaky air assassination," says Lemay-Comtois, so try a different approach if you need to.
If you're as excited for this game as I am, check out everything we know about Assassin's Creed Shadows so far.
