Discover how Assassin’s Creed Shadows' parkour mechanics measure up to reality, as reviewed by two professional parkour athletes. Dive into the details to understand the game's parkour realism and the efforts behind bringing Feudal Japan to life in this upcoming title.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows Gearing Up For Its Release

Assassin’s Creed Shadows Does A "Hate Crime Against Parkour"

In a recent PC Gamer Reality Check video from March 15, Toby Segar and Benj Cave from the UK's STORROR team, who are both avid fans of the Assassin’s Creed series, critiqued the realism of Assassin’s Creed Shadows' parkour. The athletes, also working on their own game, STORROR Parkour Pro, based on real-life parkour, shared their insights.

In the video, Segar pointed out a scene from AC Shadows where protagonist Yasuke uses an "alpine knee" to climb, a move considered impractical in the parkour community due to the risk of knee injury from bearing full body weight.

Cave highlighted another unrealistic aspect: the protagonist's endless endurance, performing continuous parkour without pausing. He explained, "In parkour, no one ever just runs and commits to stuff without looking. In real life, you check, you measure, you prep, and it’s a much slower process."

While AC Shadows is a fictional game and doesn't adhere strictly to real-life mechanics, Ubisoft has endeavored to enhance parkour realism. In an IGN interview from January, AC Shadows Game Director Charles Benoit mentioned that the game's release was delayed to refine its parkour mechanics.

Bringing Players Closer to Feudal Japan

Beyond its fictional narrative of Templars versus Assassins, Ubisoft aims to deepen players' engagement with history through the "Cultural Discovery" section. Ubisoft Editorial Comms Manager Chastity Vicencio elaborated on this feature in a March 18 post on their website.

This section, part of the in-game Codex, offers over 125 encyclopedic entries at launch, covering the history, art, and culture of the Azuchi-Momoyama period. Created in collaboration with historians and featuring images from museums, this feature surpasses AC Mirage’s History of Baghdad in scope.

Bringing Feudal Japan to life was no small feat, as revealed in a March 17 interview with The Guardian. Ubisoft Executive Producer Marc-Alexis Coté shared the long-standing desire to set an Assassin’s Creed game in Japan, saying, "I've been on this franchise for 16 years and I think every time we start a new game, Japan comes up and we ask, is this the time?"

Ubisoft Creative Director Johnathan Dumont emphasized the team's dedication, including trips to Kyoto and Osaka, and consultations with in-house historians to accurately depict Feudal Japan. Despite challenges like the unique lighting in Japan's mountains, the team's commitment ensured an authentic representation. Coté remarked, "The expectations have been this high throughout. It’s been a challenge."

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is slated for release on March 20, 2025, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Stay tuned for more updates on this highly anticipated game!