Whether you’ve been playingAssassin’s Creedfrom the very beginning or are excited to try it out for the first time,Assassin’s Creed Shadowshas a little something for everyone. With over a dozen games in the franchise’s history, there is a ton of backstory and narrative spanning the AC timeline. However, one thingAssassin’s Creedgames are great at doing is making each one a singular experience that doesn’t necessarily rely on any predecessors. This doesn’t mean the stories or gameplay across the franchise will be irrelevant toAssassin’s Creed Shadows, but they aren’t essential to the experience.
Assassin’s Creed Shadowshas a self-contained narrative that doesn’t necessarily depend on any prior knowledge of the franchise - this is true of nearly everyAssassin’s Creedinstallment. However,everyAssassin’s Creedgameincludes callbacks and connections to previous stories, and a larger narrative about the Brotherhood and Animus is at play. If you’re interested in the meta-narrative and lore ofAssassin’s Creed, you can read about the previous stories without needing to play through every game.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Can Stand On Its Own
Gameplay & Narrative Don’t Depend On Prior Knowledge
Assassin’s Creed Shadowspromises a self-contained narrative with two unique protagonists, and it doesn’t necessarily require any previous understanding ofAssassin’s Creedstories and/or lore. That being said,there are always connections to the larger story that come upthroughout theseACnarratives. These tie-ins are intended to develop and expand the meta-narrative that extends acrossAssassin’s Creedgames, dealing with the Brotherhood, the Animus project, etc. To fully understand the larger plot, you don’t need to go back and play every game.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Is “The One You’ve Been Waiting For”: Composers Explain Scoring Hyper-Stylized Fighting & A Rich Musical World
ScreenRant interviews Assassin’s Creed Shadows composers The Flight about the new game, complete with a first listen to a part of the soundtrack.
It’s assumedAC Shadowswill continue this trend, andany plot elements that connect with previous games will be typically explainedor delivered in the form of Easter eggs, such as theAC3connection inAssassin’s Creed Valhalla.There are bound to be callbacks and tie-ins to variousAssassin’s Creedplots or characters - possibly even main protagonists, but that will not affect your experience with the core plot or characters inAssassin’s Creed Shadows.
In terms of gameplay mechanics, combat, and character progression/skills, playing pastAssassin Creedswould likely be more confusing or frustrating than informative.
In terms of gameplay mechanics, combat, and character progression/skills, playing pastAssassin Creedswould likely be more confusing or frustrating than informative.The reality is thatthe mechanics have undergone a massive evolutionthroughout the franchise’s development. Each iteration has different/varying styles and stealth systems or mechanics, and going back to play them all would probably give you whiplash.
Having Some Assassin’s Creed Experience Might Make Things Easier
For AC Veterans, Your Experience Was Not In Vain
If you’ve been playingAssassin’s Creedfrom the beginning,there will most likely be some shout-outs and Easter eggsfor you inAssassin’s Creed Shadows,and maybe even some answers to longstanding questions or mysteries. No matter your thoughts on anyindividualAssassin’s Creedgame, they have tried to expand the larger story in some meaningful way and have (mostly) managed to avoid ret-conning any established lore in the process.
In terms of gameplay, being familiar with theAssassin’s Creedstyle, assassination, stealth mechanics, and the general open-world map layouts will probably give you a leg up or shorten the learning curve substantially. If it’s anything likeValhallaorMirage,Shadowsis going to feel very familiar yet slightly modified and unique. As with any new mechanic inAssassin’s Creedgames, should there be any inShadows,you’ll learn them during regular gameplay, much likeValhalla’sadvanced assassination quick-time events.
Don’t Miss This Tiny, Terrifying Detail About Assassin’s Creed Shadows' Protagonist Naoe
Composers Joe Henson and Alexis Smith discuss a unique and terrifying feature included in Assassin’s Creed Shadows involving Naoe’s stealth ability.
Overall,you’re not going to need deep background knowledge ofAssassin’s Creedloreor gameplay mechanics to enjoyACShadows. Any experience you’ve had with the franchise will be honored through Easter eggs and/or other story connections, while gameplay will likely feel very familiar and natural. But these are simply bonuses gained from playing previous games. You don’tneedto play any otherAssassin’s Creedgames before you playAssassin’s Creed Shadows,but it might make things easier if you have already.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Set during Japan’s Sengoku period, two distinct protagonists—Naoe, a shinobi, and Yasuke, a historical African samurai—must navigate political intrigue and violent clashes between the Assassins and Templars. Players can switch between stealthy, shadow-based gameplay with Naoe and Yasuke’s direct combat approach, exploring the duality of their missions in a beautifully rendered open world.
