Big Preview: Assassin's Creed Shadows – Exclusive access and hands-on impressions with the huge open world Japan's impressive stealth and combat

Assassin's Creed Shadows hands-on: Stealthier and bloodier than ever: That's right, after spending almost seven hours with the game you know I'm going to talk about it a lot. Almost to spare my colleagues further monologuing, I've detailed my play session here, covering what I'm able to share about the prologue, and how it felt to play through one of the main mission chains. At times, it feels like the stealthiest Assassin's Creed ever. At others, it feels the least stealthy. But rather than pure binary, both sides mix together to create something shockingly complimentary.

Assassin's Creed Shadows new gameplay: Don't just take my words for it. Have a peek at the gameplay too. I was allowed to capture the majority of my play session, excluding the prologue (though b-roll was provided), meaning you can see me jump, tumble, and slice my way through feudal Japan. Hopefully you won't see me die lots, unless the video team has betrayed me. Visually gorgeous, Assassin's Creed Shadows' step up in fidelity benefits the gameplay too, especially as the devs have said they don't want to "hold the player's hand" too much.

Assassin's Creed Shadows evolves on Syndicate's twin dynamic: "It would have been better if we pushed the two characters much further apart": Talking to creative director Jonathan Dumont and associate game director Simon Lemay-Comtois, I talk through my experiences playing as both the sneaky Naoe and the combat-heavy Yasuke in relation to the double-act dynamic of Ubisoft Quebec's debut AC title, Assassin's Creed Syndicate. A lot has changed!

After six hours with Assassin's Creed Shadows, here's my favorite ten details so far: Ubisoft Quebec's take on feudal Japan is full of impressive details, from the new way stealth works and takes into account things like light and sound, right the way through to the world design itself. Join us as we take a look at ten standouts!

Assassin's Creed Shadows channels The Sims with its customizable base: "It's good to have a home and a place where you feel at ease": Creative director Jonathon Dumont and associate game director Dany St-Laurent takes us through The Hideout, which evolves the series' home bases with detailed customization, hangout moments, and, importantly, dog pats.

Assassin's Creed Shadows devs want you to know that Yasuke isn't an assassin, and that means he's not getting any of those classic assassin abilities: There's a reason Yasuke can't do some of the things Naoe can. He's not connected to the Assassins at all, at least, until the two meet. This come across in how he plays, and importantly, while it makes him feel unique, it's not simply a detriment. He simply has his own specialities.

Assassin's Creed Shadows forced Ubisoft to "craft the crap" out of its new-style open world, ensuring you won't have Points of Interest every 50 meters: In conversation with Jonathan Dumont, and talking with the game's art and historical team, we get into how this open world feels different from its predecessors. That's a lot to do with the sense of scale, and approach to historical accuracy, as well as nudging how "point of interest" spots are deployed to feel more natural rather than just a deluge of content to tick off a list.

Assassin's Creed Shadows' Japanese setting has been "very, very tricky" because Ubisoft wants to be "respectful" and "avoid telling a culture about their own culture": Talking the setting with assosciate game director Simon-Lemay Comtois, we discuss the balance of delivering on the fan-requested setting, while also making sure to get the details right.

Assassin's Creed Infinity is now The Animus Hub, a launcher for modern Assassin's Creed games that Ubisoft definitely doesn't want you to call a launcher: Jumping into Assassin's Creed Shadows also means jumping into The Animus Hub, the new gateway into the series' meta-narrative, as well as a way to earn rewards. We were given a presentation by series producer Andrée-Anne Boisvert about the goals behind the project, and what they've managed to achieve so far.

Ubisoft namedrops Assassin's Creed Hexe, the next Assassin's Creed game after Shadows, for the first time in more than 2 years as it reveals new launcher: Sometimes a small gesture can mean a lot, which is how we felt when we got a nod to Hexe and Invictus during our introduction to the aforementioned Animus Hub. No doubt it'll take a while until we learn more about the mysterious next entry, however.

Yasuke not being an assassin in Assassin's Creed Shadows is nothing new, it's just the first time Ubisoft isn't in denial: From vikings and misthios, to pre-dating the founding of the Assassins altogether, the series hasn't always strictly starred the hooded-robe wearers themselves. But few have embraced it as part of its identity quite as much as Assassin's Creed Shadows. Here, we ponder how the heroes have evolved across the years, throughout the series, to present.

After replaying the best Assassin's Creed RPG, I hope Shadows uses the series' strengths to separate itself from Ghost of Tsushima: Bouncing between lead developers, this lengthy series is still one of constant iteration. The core of its gameplay is always evolving, but, importantly, staying true to itself. That's also the case with Assassin's Creed Shadows, which so far is set to avoid feeling like a Ghost of Tsushima knockoff, and continuing to uphold the creed.

Assassin's Creed Revelations was good actually, and it's the unhinged sauce the Animus Hub needs to twist my mind into the perfect lore-absorbing shape: Assassin's Creed Shadows launches the Animus Hub, a fresh approach to the series' lore. It provides the perfect chance to better integrate some of the series' joyous and bonkers lore in a new way, and with its hacked "Dark Animus" theming, it's already reminding me of Assassin's Creed Revelations – no bad thing.

Assassin's Creed Shadows guide: Beyond our lovely trip to go hands-on with the game, there's still plenty more to learn as the release date draws ever closer. From the details on the planned launch rollout, to pre-orders, romance, the setting, and its development history, we've got plenty in our all-encompassing everything you need to know guide on Assassin's Creed Shadows.

Assassin's Creed Animus Hub guide: But that's not all. Assassin's Creed Shadows isn't just Assassin's Creed Shadows. Previously know as Assassin's Creed Infinity, the Animus Hub is a relaunch of sorts for the series' meta-narrative set in the near-future that combines lore with rewards, while also being a home for the modern generation of Assassin's Creed titles. And it's all part of Shadows. Confusing? Maybe ever so slightly, which is why it's handy we've collected together a codex of our own to get into the details.