Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Trending
  • Pokemon Winds and Waves
  • New Games for 2026
  • GamesRadar+ Replay
  • Mario Day deals
Don't miss these
A screenshot of the title card for the upcoming game Assassin's Creed Codename Hexe.
Assassin's Creed Assassin’s Creed Hexe will be a "darker" installment "set during a pivotal moment in history"
Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot
Assassin's Creed Best Assassin's Creed games, ranked from worst to best
A brightened screenshot from Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes.
Metal Gear Modders achieve Kojima's original vision for Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain by fully integrating Ground Zeroes
A close-up of Grace talking with someone through glass in Resident Evil Requiem
Resident Evil Resident Evil Requiem review: "A soaring piece of survival horror theater"
Black Flag Resynced
Assassin's Creed Assassin's Creed: Black Flag remake finally out in the open as Ubisoft acknowledges its worst-kept secret
Leon hold the Requiem revolver in his car and check his bullets in Resident Evil Requiem's opening
Resident Evil Resident Evil Requiem gives you its best gun first, smartly making the urge to horde magnum bullets vital for the whole game
Assassin's Creed Codename Hexe
Assassin's Creed Assassin's Creed Hexe: Everything you need to know about the new flagship AC game
Up close shot of a character from Echoes of Aincrad
Action RPGs New Bandai Namco Sword Art Online action RPG is "not a Soulslike," dev says, but it's still "very easy to die"
Leon Kennedy drives a car at night in Resident Evil Requiem, with the GamesRadar+ On The Radar branding
Resident Evil 14 years later, Resident Evil Requiem achieves what the series' most controversial game couldn't
Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot
Assassin's Creed Assassin's Creed Shadows to enter "final phase of support," and PvP multiplayer game Invictus is "progressing steadily"
Key art for Control Resonant showing Dylan with The Aberrant in its axe form standing on a ruined taxi as he faces shadowy figures across a twisted Manhattan
Action RPGs Control Resonant trades shooting for a shapeshifting sword because "melee is cool", its creative director tells me
A player on a ship looking at a whale tail during Assassin's Creed Black Flag.
Assassin's Creed Assassin's Creed 3 held back on the ship-sailing stuff until Black Flag because Ubisoft worried the tech "wouldn't work"
Assassin's Creed Codename Hexe
Action RPGs Upcoming Assassin's Creed games: Every new Assassin's Creed game in development
In Avowed, an Aumaua Envoy of Aedyr wields a two-handed quarterstaff
RPGs I revisited Avowed on PS5 for the anniversary update, and I'm convinced there's never been a better time to play the RPG
Key art for Resident Evil Requiem showing Grace with a flashlight, with a larger image of Leon in shadow behind her against rainy streets
Survival Horror Games Resident Evil Requiem has "a different kind of replay value" because Leon can mow down zombies Grace leaves behind
  1. Games
  2. Action Games
  3. Assassin's Creed
  4. Assassin's Creed Shadows

Assassin's Creed Shadows' "Canon Mode" gives you the official RPG experience – but it'll cost you almost every romance option

News
By Anna Koselke published 20 March 2025

And all dialogue choices, too

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Assassin's Creed Shadows screenshot showing Yasuke kneeling and praying while wearing a traditional purple robe
(Image credit: Ubisoft)
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
2
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Get the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Want to add more newsletters?

GamesRadar+

Every Friday

GamesRadar+

Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.

GTA 6 O'clock

Every Thursday

GTA 6 O'clock

Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.

Knowledge

Every Friday

Knowledge

From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.

The Setup

Every Thursday

The Setup

Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.

Switch 2 Spotlight

Every Wednesday

Switch 2 Spotlight

Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.

The Watchlist

Every Saturday

The Watchlist

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.

SFX

Once a month

SFX

Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter

The time has finally come – Ubisoft's long-awaited action RPG Assassin's Creed Shadows is finally here, but its inclusion of a "Canon Mode" might leave new players confused about the implications of opting to turn such an option on.

As YouTuber JorRaptor describes it in a recent video discussing the mysterious Assassin's Creed Shadows Canon Mode, it allows players to experience a more cinematic, linear version of the game: "You are basically experiencing the events in the way that Ubisoft intended them." How does it do so, though? By stripping pretty much all of the dialogue options players get in-game so that the story instead follows the mode's aptly dubbed "canon" path.

If you play the Canon Mode, you can't make significant decisions, like choosing whether to spare or kill someone or opting to target a certain person. You won't know that there are any dialogue choices in the non-Canon Mode, however, as cutscenes simply aren't interrupted to allow for any decision-making. You'll still be asked if you're ready to proceed or need time to prepare, and you can also swap between Naoe and Yasuke.

You may like
  • Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot I loved Assassin's Creed Shadows but I wish I knew how overwhelmingly huge it was before starting
  • Assassin's Creed Shadows Assassin's Creed Shadows' Yasuke and Naoe could influence how future protagonists in Ubisoft's open-world games move
  • Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot Best Assassin's Creed games, ranked from worst to best
Watch This Before You Play Assassin's Creed Shadows... (AC Shadows Tips And Tricks) - YouTube Watch This Before You Play Assassin's Creed Shadows... (AC Shadows Tips And Tricks) - YouTube
Watch On

Even though the mode follows a "canon" path of Shadows' story, it doesn't guarantee you'll get a good outcome or the best ending. There are other losses, too, like plenty of missed romance opportunities as you won't be able to flirt. You won't be able to recruit all possible allies, either, as you can't make the choices necessary to have certain characters join you. It's a lot of L-taking, for sure, but it's not entirely bad.

You can still freely 100% the game and unlock every achievement, as JorRaptor notes, so you won't have to replay if you only want the canon, story-led experience. Plus, it's not as though you miss out on any of the action-packed combat or the unique dual protagonist system between cutscenes and storytelling elements – a system that our own Assassin's Creed Shadows review states is "executed phenomenally."

Hungry for more? Here are some of the best Assassin's Creed games you can give a go after Shadows.

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
CATEGORIES
PC Gaming Xbox Series X PS5 Platforms Xbox PlayStation
Anna Koselke
Anna Koselke
Social Links Navigation
Staff Writer

After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Read more
Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot
I loved Assassin's Creed Shadows but I wish I knew how overwhelmingly huge it was before starting
 
 
Assassin's Creed Shadows
Assassin's Creed Shadows' Yasuke and Naoe could influence how future protagonists in Ubisoft's open-world games move
 
 
Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot
Best Assassin's Creed games, ranked from worst to best
 
 
Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot
As Assassin's Creed Shadows nears its first anniversary, Ubisoft brings back a series favorite feature – a manual jump
 
 
Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot
Assassin's Creed Shadows to enter "final phase of support," and PvP multiplayer game Invictus is "progressing steadily"
 
 
Assassin's Creed Shadows
Like Skull and Bones, Assassin's Creed Shadows and Mirage are "AAAA" games, Ubisoft producer claims
 
 
Latest in Assassin's Creed
Black Flag Resynced
Assassin's Creed: Black Flag remake finally out in the open as Ubisoft acknowledges its worst-kept secret
 
 
A screenshot of the title card for the upcoming game Assassin's Creed Codename Hexe.
Assassin’s Creed Hexe will be a "darker" installment "set during a pivotal moment in history"
 
 
Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot
Assassin's Creed Shadows to enter "final phase of support," and PvP multiplayer game Invictus is "progressing steadily"
 
 
A screenshot of a dark woods during the reveal trailer for Assassin's Creed: Codename Hexe
Assassin's Creed Hexe creative director quits Ubisoft as Black Flag lead steps in following departure
 
 
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Ubisoft CEO fights nepotism claims against Assassin's Creed studio by saying "Ubisoft was created as a family company"
 
 
Skull and Bones screenshot
Assassin's Creed 3 lead says "junior" Skull and Bones team was trying to "make Black Flag crossed with World of Tanks"
 
 
Latest in News
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 lead Gustave faces a gommage
Clair Obscur Expedition 33 took inspiration from a surprising anime - Soul Eater creator's Fire Force
 
 
A close-up of Grace talking with someone through glass in Resident Evil Requiem
Resident Evil Requiem leads let actors re-do "technically" perfect scenes if it made them happy, says Grace actor
 
 
Kratos approaches Aphrodite's bedchamber in God of War 3
"The God of War sex mini-games were designed by women," which is why Aphrodite's bed looks "like a labia"
 
 
Spider-Noir aiming his webshooter
Spider-Noir is the "same character, different version": "It's not a continuation of Into The Spider-Verse"
 
 
Helldivers 2
Helldivers 2 support agent says "there's no balance team" at Arrowhead because "it's all a team effort"
 
 
Ghostwire Tokyo
Resident Evil director Shinji Mikami has been working on a new AAA action RPG for at least 1 year, and no one noticed
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Close up of PS1 console on woodgrain TV bench next to OSSC with Sir Dan MediEvil figure on top.
    1
    If Sony thinks surge pricing won't prompt me to shun new-gen consoles and go back to the PS1, it should think again
  2. 2
    Spider-Noir showrunner says the goal is "to make a version of Spider-Man that no one had seen before," clarifying it's the "same character, different universe" from the Spider-Verse variant
  3. 3
    Helldivers 2 support agent says "there's no balance team" at Arrowhead because "it's all a team effort": "No dev gets to just change whatever they want without oversight"
  4. 4
    Resident Evil director Shinji Mikami has been working on a new AAA action RPG for at least 1 year after Microsoft closed his last studio, and no one noticed
  5. 5
    How to complete the Marathon Introducing Sekiguchi contract

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...