Thanks to a renewed focus on the ideas that the series was originally built on, Assassin's Creed Shadows delivers the most satisfying experience the franchise has seen in years. The game's parkour system, the best since Unity, allows you to seamlessly transition from ground to castle rooftop. A grappling hook further enhances your ability to reach prime vantage points quickly. Perched on a tightrope high above the enemy, you're only a drop away from executing the perfect kill—as long as you're playing as Naoe, the game's swift shinobi protagonist. Switch to Yasuke, the second protagonist, and you're in for a completely different experience.

Yasuke is slow, clumsy, and unable to kill silently. His climbing abilities are limited, making him feel like the antithesis of a traditional Assassin's Creed protagonist. This design choice by Ubisoft is both baffling and fascinating because when you play as Yasuke, it no longer feels like you're playing Assassin's Creed.

Initially, the significant difference between Yasuke's capabilities and the core philosophy of the series was frustrating. What's the purpose of an Assassin's Creed protagonist who struggles with climbing and can't perform silent takedowns? However, the more I played as him, the more I appreciated the intent behind Yasuke's design. He addresses some critical issues that the series has been grappling with in recent years.

You don't get to play as Yasuke until several hours into the campaign, following a brief starring role in the prologue. This means your initial experience is spent mastering Naoe, who embodies the "assassin" aspect of the series better than any protagonist in the last decade. Switching to Yasuke after spending time with Naoe can be jarring.

As a towering samurai, Yasuke is too large and noisy to sneak through enemy camps effectively. His climbing abilities are severely limited; he struggles to find handholds on the jutting roofs that line Japan's streets and moves painfully slowly when he does manage to climb. On rooftops, he precariously balances on the apex, standing upright and inching forward cautiously. These limitations introduce friction, making scaling environments feel like a chore and often requiring structures like scaffolding and ladders to make any progress.

While this doesn't force Yasuke to stay at ground level, it certainly encourages it. This, in turn, limits his visibility, making it difficult to map out an area's threats and plan accordingly. Unlike Naoe, who has Eagle Vision to highlight enemies, Yasuke has no such advantage. Choosing to play as him means sacrificing nearly everything except raw strength.

Assassin's Creed has always been about stealthy kills and vertical exploration—concepts that Yasuke directly opposes. Playing as him feels more akin to Ghost of Tsushima than Assassin's Creed, particularly given his lack of stealth training and reliance on samurai sword skills. Yasuke's gameplay is about fierce combat, an area where Assassin's Creed has often been critiqued.

Playing as Yasuke requires you to rethink how to approach Assassin's Creed. Historically, the series allowed players to climb anywhere effortlessly. Yasuke changes this dynamic; while many areas are out of his reach, careful observation reveals hidden pathways designed specifically for him. For instance, a leaning tree trunk can lead to a sync point that would otherwise be inaccessible without a grappling hook, or an open window on a castle's second floor can be reached via the courtyard's exterior wall. These paths are more engaging to discover than the mindless climbs of past games.

However, these pathways only take Yasuke where he needs to go, limiting his freedom in general exploration and making it challenging to gain the high ground for observing enemy patrols. Yasuke doesn't adhere to the traditional Assassin's Creed approach of assessing guard movements and planning ahead. His only stealth ability, the "Brutal Assassination" skill, is far from inconspicuous, serving more as an opening move for combat than a takedown. Once combat starts, it gets intense—Shadows features the best swordplay the series has seen in over a decade, with purposeful strikes and a variety of techniques, from brutal rush attacks to satisfying ripostes. The finishing moves are particularly striking, creating a clear contrast between Yasuke's combat prowess and Naoe's stealthy approach.

The separation of combat and stealth into two distinct characters helps prevent the blending of styles that plagued previous entries like Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla. Naoe's relative fragility means she can't engage in prolonged combat, forcing players to flee, reposition, and reset the stealth loop. Meanwhile, Yasuke's strength allows him to withstand the toughest challenges Shadows can throw at you, making him an exciting choice for combat enthusiasts, especially as his skill tree unlocks over time.

Yasuke's design is intentional, but it remains challenging to reconcile with the core tenets of Assassin's Creed—stealthy kills and vertical exploration. While protagonists like Bayek and Eivor ventured into action territory, they still retained fundamental 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 this means you can't play Assassin's Creed traditionally when controlling him.

The real challenge Yasuke faces is his counterpart, Naoe. Mechanically, she is the best Assassin's Creed protagonist in years. Her stealth toolkit, combined with the verticality of Sengoku Period Japan's architecture, fulfills the promise of Assassin's Creed by allowing players to become highly mobile silent killers. Even the changes made to accommodate Yasuke's limitations enhance Naoe's experience; while she can't stick to every surface, the need to assess climbing routes and use the grappling hook effectively turns the open world into an Assassin's Creed sandbox. Her combat is just as impactful as Yasuke's, though she can't endure as long in battle. This raises the question: why play as Yasuke when Naoe offers a more complete Assassin's Creed experience?

Ubisoft's intent to offer two distinct playstyles with Yasuke and Naoe has created a double-edged sword. Yasuke plays by different rules than a traditional Assassin's Creed protagonist, offering a contrasting and compelling experience that's unique to the series. However, he directly opposes the foundational ideas that make Assassin's Creed unique in the open-world genre. While I'll always find time to enjoy the visceral thrill of Yasuke's 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.