Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ parkour mechanics have been put to the test by two renowned parkour athletes, offering a unique perspective on the game's realism and its depiction of Feudal Japan.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows Gearing Up For Its Release

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

In a recent Reality Check video by PC Gamer, released on March 15, Toby Segar and Benj Cave from the UK's STORROR team provided insightful feedback on the realism of Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ parkour, drawing from their experiences and their upcoming game, STORROR Parkour Pro.

In the video, Segar critiqued a scene where protagonist Yasuke uses what they termed a "hate crime against parkour"—an "alpine knee" maneuver. This move, where Yasuke leverages his knee to pull himself up, is seen as impractical and potentially harmful in the parkour community due to the excessive weight placed on the knee.

Cave highlighted other unrealistic elements, such as characters effortlessly climbing structures without visible ledges and maintaining perfect balance on tightropes. He also pointed out the unrealistic portrayal of unlimited endurance in the series, stating, "In parkour, no one ever just runs and commits to stuff without looking. In parkour in real life, you check, you measure, you prep, and it’s such a slower process."

While Assassin’s Creed Shadows remains a fictional game, Ubisoft has made significant efforts to enhance the realism of its parkour mechanics. Game Director Charles Benoit, in an interview with IGN in January, mentioned that the game's release was delayed to refine these aspects.

Bringing Players Closer to Feudal Japan

Beyond the parkour mechanics, Ubisoft is also focusing on immersing players in the historical context of Feudal Japan through the "Cultural Discovery" section. Ubisoft Editorial Comms Manager Chastity Vicencio, in a March 18 post on their website, detailed how this feature will provide players with over 125 encyclopedic entries on the Azuchi-Momoyama period, crafted by historians and enriched with museum images.

Creating an authentic representation of Feudal Japan has been challenging, as shared by the developers in a March 17 interview with The Guardian. Ubisoft Executive Producer Marc-Alexis Coté discussed the long-standing interest in setting an Assassin’s Creed game in Japan, finally realized with Assassin’s Creed Shadows. The team, led by Creative Director Johnathan Dumont, collaborated with historians and visited Kyoto and Osaka to ensure accuracy. Despite technical challenges, such as capturing the unique light in Japan's mountains, the team's dedication has paid off in creating a vivid depiction of the era.

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.