This year's Assassin's Creed: Shadows is an important step in the ongoing evolution of the blockbuster Ubisoft series. Now almost 20 years old, Assassin's Creed thrives on consistently delivering smooth, sleek gameplay for those wish to step into the Animus, and its protagonists, Naoe and Yasuke, define the next era of movement for the Brotherhood. Shadows takes place in the Kansai region of Japan during the 1500s, offering a rich, dynamic blend of castles, townships, strongholds and other architectural locales to explore and sneak around. The sheer amount of detail is staggering, as has become a hallmark of the franchise, and there are aspects of the heroes that widened the possibilities for skulking around here. "We are hard to beat": 9 months since Assassin's Creed Shadows, its associate director looks back on what makes this RPG the best in series history Assassin's Creed Shadows backlash won't stop Ubisoft from going down the dual-protagonist route in the future "if we have a good reason to do it" New Assassin's Creed Shadows update includes a big Odyssey Easter egg and the devs have an entire Kassandra-focused story under wraps: "We might reveal it at some point" In particular, you have Naoe's grappling hook, making upward and downward climbs easier and faster than before. It's a kind of agility we haven't seen in Assassin’s Creed prior, taken further by Yasuke's spry nature. As Lemay-Comtois suggests, there's a lot to consider in how the devs can take this further. Different body shapes can open up certain ways of maneuvering and unlocking the world, requiring a tandem effort to get everywhere and develop a satisfying rapport with the game. Of course, we don't yet know what Assassin's Creed will follow Shadows, but wherever it is, we can now expect even more dynamics from our heroes. Another weapon in the battle against the Templars. Assassin's Creed Shadows' Attack on Titan crossover is downright "whacky," says stun-locked Origins actor: "I thought the FF and Origins mashup was borderline mad"