"Parkour Athletes Review Assassin's Creed Shadows Movements"

Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ parkour mechanics have been put to the test by two renowned parkour athletes. Dive into this article to discover how realistic the game's parkour is and the efforts made by the developers to authentically recreate Feudal Japan.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows Gearing Up For Its Release

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

In a detailed review by PC Gamer on March 15, Toby Segar and Benj Cave from the UK-based parkour team STORROR shared their expert insights on the realism of Assassin’s Creed Shadows' parkour. Both enthusiasts of the Assassin’s Creed franchise, they are also developing their own parkour-based video game, STORROR Parkour Pro.

During their analysis, Segar criticized a specific move performed by the protagonist Yasuke in AC Shadows, labeling it a "hate crime against parkour." He highlighted a scene where Yasuke uses an "alpine knee" to ascend a ledge, a technique that parkour athletes avoid due to the risk of injury from bearing full body weight on the knee.

Cave also pointed out other unrealistic elements, such as the protagonist's ability to climb structures without ledges and maintain perfect balance on tightropes. He noted the unrealistic portrayal of unlimited endurance, 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 AC Shadows is a fictional game, Ubisoft has made significant efforts to enhance the realism of its parkour mechanics. In an interview with IGN in January, Game Director Charles Benoit mentioned that the delay in the game's release was to refine these mechanics further.

Bringing Players Closer to Feudal Japan

Despite its fictional narrative involving Templars and Assassins, Ubisoft aims to immerse players in the history of Feudal Japan through the "Cultural Discovery" feature. On March 18, Ubisoft Editorial Comms Manager Chastity Vicencio detailed how this feature will enrich the gaming experience by providing an in-game Codex filled with historical, artistic, and cultural insights from the Azuchi-Momoyama period. This comprehensive encyclopedia, crafted with the help of historians and featuring images from museums and institutions, will launch with over 125 entries, promising more content in the future.

The journey to authentically recreate Feudal Japan was challenging, as shared by the AC Shadows developers in an interview with The Guardian on March 17. Ubisoft Executive Producer Marc-Alexis Coté explained the long-standing interest in setting a game in Japan, stating, "I've been on this franchise for 16 years and I think every time we start a new game, Japan comes up and we ask, is this the time?" This time, the team fully committed to the project.

Ubisoft Creative Director Johnathan Dumont emphasized the extensive efforts, including collaborations with historians and research trips to Kyoto and Osaka. Despite facing challenges like accurately depicting how light falls in Japan's mountains, the team's dedication ensured a faithful representation of the era. Coté acknowledged the high expectations, saying, "The expectations have been this high throughout. It’s been a challenge."

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is slated for release on March 20, 2025, across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Stay tuned for more updates by checking out our related articles below!