Summary
It’s no secret thatAssassin’s Creed Shadowshas become one of Ubisoft’s most controversial games, as the community continues to debate the impact of new and traditional mechanics, including the return of dialogue options. This freedom-of-speech element inAssassin’s Creed Shadowsnot only dictates Yasuke and Naoe’s responses to NPC figures, but also lets the player choose which protagonist is assigned to certain quests.
Releasing on November 15, the upcoming open-world adventure will follow the paths of the samurai and shinobi in feudal Japan. Serving as the 14th major installment in the overall historical franchise, the plot will follow the Assassin Brotherhood during the Sengoku period and usher in fresh mechanics to keep gameplay engaging, includingAssassin’s Creed Shadows’ new parkour animations.
Posted by Capn_C on Reddit, a collection of images featuringAC Shadows’ dialogue options were shared within theAssassin’s Creedsubreddit to spark a discussion on the returning mechanic. Accompanied by the question, “Thoughts on AC Shadows' quest dialogue choices? Do you wish they were kept out of the game?”, the post received a wave of negative responses questioning the relevancy of the franchise’s dialogue system. Yasuke and Naoe will have similar replies to different situations, altered only by personal flair, and the system will also be in place for players to attack enemies as Naoe or spare them as Yasuke, for example.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Fans Question Franchise’s Dialogue System
The fandom was glad to see the return of theAssassin’s Creed 3takedown animation inAssassin’s Creed Shadows. Still, it felt like the upcoming entry was sacrificing a good narrative with engaging gameplay for meaningless freedom-of-choice options. Several fans also agreed that these choices put little consequence on the overall narrative and felt somewhat irrelevant, especially since players are reliving a story that has already happened in the series' narrative. Furthermore, a handful of Redditors accused Ubisoft’s dialogue system of being shallow, with many craving more depth to the choices.
In defense of the franchise’s dialogue system, one fan explained the presence of this mechanic ensures players remain engaged in gameplay and don’t zone out during cinematic scenes. The point of bringing costs down in the game’s production was also noted, as the mechanic reduces the need for animating scenes with dialogue choices present. RegardingAssassin’s Creed Shadows’ interchangeable protagonists, another fan said they’d prefer no dialogue choices in the game to let the protagonists breathe and hone their characteristics, instead of being influenced by the players’ morals.
In addition to the dialogue system, Ubisoft has returned the upcoming entry to the series’ stealth roots similar toAC Mirage, despiteremoving the social stealth mechanic fromAssassin’s Creed Shadows. Combat looks on par withAC Valhallaand fans will be able to, once again, dive into an open-world map similar in size toAC OriginsandACOdyssey.
