Brown, brown, and more brown. Opening up one's base game armor menu in Assassin's Creed Valhalla is a thoroughly bland experience, revealing a closet stuffed with furs and leathers in various shades of mud. I'd have given anything for Baldur's Gate 3's comprehensive array of armor dyes when I finally finished the game two years ago, but alas, Eivor's path was not to be a glamorous one.
I get it. Viking fashion is not known for its daring silhouettes – who cares if you look boxy when you're dodging flying hatchets, after all? – but I would have happily seen Ubisoft allow a little creative indiscretion if it meant that Eivor had a sense of style and basic grasp of the color wheel. It's long bugged me, and now, it speaks to perhaps my biggest wish for Assassin's Creed Shadows. Please, Ubisoft Quebec: follow in the footsteps of the best Assassin's Creed games and show the chic side of feudal Japan.
A Fashion's Creed
Eivor's crimes against my retinas aside, sartorially-challenged Assassin's Creed protagonists are something of a novelty. It's what gives me the most hope for Yasuke and Naoe's wardrobes in the upcoming AC game, even if some time periods just so happen to feel more fashionable than others as far as the series' protagonists are concerned.
Arno stunned in Assassin's Creed Unity, though it's hardly impressive given the abundance of French lace, satins, and other luxe fabrics on offer to the fledgling stealth killer in the soon-to-be home of Paris Fashion Week. Similarly, the series' most slept-on protagonists Evie and Jacob were allergic to not serving in Assassin's Creed Syndicate, each suffering from a chronic case of fashion victimhood. The only cure? Ensembles as killer as their hidden blades. Evie's Dracula-inspired Bloofer Lady outfit is perhaps my favorite costume in AC history, as are most of the pieces in the Victorian Legends pack – £8.99 well spent. And let's not forget Ezio's striking white getup, a timeless epitome of assassin style.
Even Kassandra managed to turn Ancient Greece into her own personal catwalk. I ran a particularly lethal poison build during my latest Assassin's Creed Odyssey playthrough, but thanks to transmog, only the choking plumes emanating from Arachne's Stingers and the acid green-strung Fanged Bow gave it away. Repping for Sparta, Kassandra was a deadly vision in gold and red. You'd have to pry her Amazonian body armor and tassets paired with the red colorway Ancient King's gauntlets, boots, and the Bloodstained Hood from my cold obsessive hands. I can only wish for the same magnitude of earth-quaking aesthetic victory for Naoe and Yasuke – and I'm not the only one.
Styling profiling
... realistic historical gameplay risks showing the ugliest parts of the past, and I'm not talking about the gratuitous violence.
Playing dress up with our video game heroes is nothing new, whether you're a fashion souls advocate or just enjoy super detailed designs. We all like to look as powerful as our characters feel, and in an RPG, there's something special about taking your protagonist from grungy newcomer to suped-up slayer – both visually and technically – after levelling them up with skills and perks galore. Eivor's wardrobe killed that fantasy for me.
With the exception of unlocking new hairstyles (actually, please bring this feature back in Shadows) it was hard to translate Eivor's growing physical prowess into a visual display of grandeur. None of her clothes ever felt special enough, and while part of me is wondering if that's because they have to look presentable on both male and female Eivors, it robbed me of my favorite RPG pastime: putting together fierce fits. It's a shame that AC's drive toward more realistic historical gameplay risks showing the ugliest parts of the past, and I'm not talking about the gratuitous violence. The bleak environs of Ye Olde England put Valhalla low on my list of the best Assassin's Creed maps, and unfortunately, Eivor's bulky fur-lined leathers match that. At least with transmog, I could keep her looking at least a little badass in the Berserker set. Who doesn't love a crop top?
That said, I also recognize that as a Viking, Eivor's clothes had to be functional and appropriate. But fashion can be functional and nice to look at. Again, just look at literally any of the other protagonists in AC history. No, I'm not asking for Naoe and Yasuke to be clad in the season's latest cuts and fabrics, but a little personality goes a long way – whether through more colorways or styles. Evie and Jacob's extensive cosmetic options prove my point, all of which still reflect their time period and occupation. It goes to show that you can stay true to representing a historical era while providing a range of styles to suit how a player might see their character. Sure, maybe I personally wanted Kassandra to look like a murderous muscle mommy, but she also pulls off heavy plate armor and a menacing helmet beautifully.
At the end of the day, all I want is an opportunity to be stylish in Shadows. It's not that I want my Naoe and Yasuke to look like time travelling Barbie dolls. I just want a little freedom to express their attitude – though for a shinobi, black is always in.
Assassin's Creed Shadows is just one of the upcoming Ubisoft games on the horizon.
