Yasuke in Shadows: A Fresh Take on Assassin's Creed

Thanks to a renewed focus on the core concepts that the series was originally built upon, *Assassin’s Creed Shadows* emerges as the most satisfying entry in the franchise in years. With the best parkour system since *Unity*, you can seamlessly transition from the ground to castle rooftops, and the addition of a grappling hook makes reaching strategic vantage points even quicker. Perched high above on a tightrope, you're just a drop away from executing the perfect assassination—assuming you're playing as Naoe. However, switch to Yasuke, the game's second protagonist, and you're in for a completely different experience.

Yasuke is deliberately slow and clumsy, unable to kill silently and struggling with even the most basic climbing tasks. He feels like the antithesis of what an *Assassin’s Creed* protagonist should be, making him one of Ubisoft’s most baffling yet fascinating design choices. When playing as Yasuke, it often feels like you're not playing an *Assassin’s Creed* game at all.

Initially, the stark contrast between Yasuke’s limited abilities and the fundamental philosophy of the series was frustrating. What's the purpose of an *Assassin’s Creed* protagonist who can barely climb and can't perform a silent takedown? However, the more I played as him, the more I appreciated the unique perspective Yasuke brings to the game. His design addresses several issues that *Assassin’s Creed* has grappled with in recent years.

You don't get to play as Yasuke until several hours into the campaign, after spending significant time controlling Naoe, a swift shinobi who embodies the "assassin" aspect of *Assassin’s Creed* better than any protagonist in the last decade. The transition to Yasuke is jarring; this towering samurai is too large and too noisy to sneak effectively through enemy camps, and his climbing abilities are severely limited. He struggles to find handholds on the jutting roofs of Japan’s streets and moves painstakingly slowly when he does manage to climb. This introduces a level of friction, making scaling environments feel like a chore, often requiring scaffolding or ladders to make any significant progress.

While Yasuke isn't strictly forced to stay at ground level, his limitations certainly encourage it. This lack of access to high vantage points hampers his ability to survey areas and plan his moves effectively. Unlike Naoe, who can rely on Eagle Vision to highlight enemies, Yasuke has no such advantage. Choosing to wield his blade means sacrificing nearly all benefits except his raw strength.

*Assassin’s Creed* has traditionally been about stealthy kills and vertical exploration, elements that Yasuke directly opposes. Playing as him feels more like *Ghost of Tsushima* than *Assassin’s Creed*, especially given his lack of stealth training and focus on samurai combat skills. Yasuke’s gameplay forces players to rethink their approach to *Assassin’s Creed*. Historically, the series has allowed players to climb almost anywhere with ease, turning protagonists into Spider-Men with knives. Yasuke disrupts this by requiring careful observation to uncover hidden pathways tailored to his abilities, such as leaning tree trunks or open windows that lead to sync points.

These pathways, however, only take Yasuke where he needs to go, limiting his general exploration and making it hard to gain the high ground needed to observe enemy patrol patterns. His only stealth ability, the "Brutal Assassination" skill, is anything but subtle, involving a loud, violent kill that initiates combat rather than avoiding it. But when combat does start, *Shadows* delivers the best swordplay the series has seen in over a decade, with purposeful strikes and a variety of techniques from brutal rushes to satisfying ripostes.

The separation of combat and stealth into two distinct protagonists helps prevent the series from becoming too action-focused, a problem seen in *Origins*, *Odyssey*, and *Valhalla*. Naoe’s fragility means she can't engage in prolonged combat, forcing players to reset the stealth loop. Meanwhile, Yasuke’s strength allows players to handle intense battles, making his combat prowess a compelling draw, especially as his skill tree unlocks more abilities.

Yasuke’s design is intentional but poses a challenge in fitting into the *Assassin’s Creed* framework, which is built on stealth and vertical exploration—concepts he opposes. While characters like Bayek and Eivor leaned heavily into action, they still retained core *Assassin’s Creed* abilities like climbing and using hidden blades. Yasuke, as a samurai, is thematically appropriate in his lack of stealth and climbing skills, but it means you can't play *Assassin’s Creed* traditionally when controlling him.

The real challenge Yasuke faces is Naoe, who is mechanically the superior protagonist. Naoe's stealth toolkit, combined with the verticality of Sengoku Period Japan, fulfills the promise of *Assassin’s Creed* by turning players into highly mobile silent killers. Even with design changes that also affect Yasuke, Naoe can climb almost anywhere, though the series' "stick to every surface" approach has been refined for realism. Her combat flow is just as impactful as Yasuke's, though less enduring. This raises the question: why play as Yasuke when Naoe offers a more traditional *Assassin’s Creed* experience?

Ubisoft's intent to offer two distinct playstyles with Yasuke and Naoe creates a double-edged sword. Yasuke plays by different rules, offering a contrasting and compelling experience that's unique within the series. However, he directly opposes the foundational ideas of *Assassin’s Creed*. While I'll always return to Yasuke for the thrill of his combat, it's through Naoe that I'll truly explore *Shadows'* world. Because when I play as Naoe, I feel like I'm playing *Assassin’s Creed*.