Summary
Assassin’s Creed Shadowsis upping the ante with its base building, giving us far more customisation over our home village.
As revealed in a now-removedIGN Chinadeveloper diary (thanks,Eurogamer), there is aSims-like grid system in which you can place buildings, paths, and decorations like small wells. It’s not as in-depth as The Sims, but it’s a huge step up from the broader changes we’ve been able to make thus far in the series.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealthhad a similar concept withDondoko Island. While more akin toAnimal Crossing, it also saw you place entire buildings and paths onto empty grass plots.
We don’t know much else about the system yet, but developers did say that we would have “an acre of land” to play around with and that it would reflect our journey as we progress through the main story. So, it looks like the village will be an important setpiece throughout Shadows much as inValhalla, but how much of it is decor versus practical, and how exactly we get the materials to build up our town, we’ll just have to wait and see.
Shadows Will Have A Much Smaller Map
While Ubisoft Quebec is embellishing other areas of the series like base building, it’s dialing things back in terms of sheer scale. We found out last week thatthe game’s map will be closer in size to Originsthan the enormousOdysseyand Valhalla.
Granted, that’s still an Assassin’s Creed RPG map,so it’s not nearly as small as the older games, but it’s a huge step in addressing one of the major complaints with the series of late. Shadows will only be adapting the Honshu region, and it will be far more accurate in terms of scale than England was — the trek from Yorkshire to London on horseback made Valhalla feel paradoxically small.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows releases on November 12, so we’ll be able to try out the new Sims-like systems for ourselves soon enough.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows
WHERE TO PLAY
Experience an epic historical action-adventure story set in feudal Japan! Become a lethal shinobi Assassin and a powerful legendary samurai as you explore a beautiful open world in a time of chaos. Switch seamlessly between two unlikely allies as you discover their common destiny. Master complementary playstyles, create your shinobi league, customize your hideout, and usher in a new era for Japan.• Explore the captivating open world of feudal Japan, from spectacular castle towns and bustling ports to peaceful shrines and war-ravaged landscapes. Adventure through unpredictable weather, changing seasons, and reactive environments.• Become Naoe, a shinobi Assassin, and Yasuke, a legendary samurai, as you experience their riveting stories and master their complementary playstyles. As Naoe, use stealth to avoid detection and agility to confound your enemies. As Yasuke, strike your foes with lethal precision and power. Unlock new skills, gear, and progression independently for each character.• Make information your weapon as you explore the world, and build your own network of spies to be your eyes and ears across locations to hunt down your next target. Along the way, recruit new allies with unique abilities to help accomplish your missions.• Create a fully customizable hideout for your growing shinobi league as you train your crew, craft new gear, interact with key characters, and choose your base’s layout, decorations, and accessories.
