"Parkour Athletes Review Assassin's Creed Shadows Movements"

Discover how Assassin’s Creed Shadows brings a realistic touch to its parkour mechanics, as reviewed by two professional parkour athletes. Dive into the game's efforts to authentically represent Feudal Japan, making it a must-play for history and gaming enthusiasts alike.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows Gearing Up For Its Release

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

In a detailed review featured in PC Gamer’s Reality Check video on March 15, Toby Segar and Benj Cave from the UK's STORROR team, both avid fans of the Assassin’s Creed series, provided their expert insights on the realism of Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ parkour mechanics. These athletes are also working on their own video game, STORROR Parkour Pro, which focuses on real-life parkour.

In the video, Segar highlighted a clip from AC Shadows where protagonist Yasuke performs what he termed a "hate crime against parkour." He was critiquing Yasuke’s use of an "alpine knee" to climb a ledge, a move that Segar finds impractical and potentially injurious due to the full weight being supported by the knee.

Cave also commented on the game's parkour, noting the unrealistic aspects such as climbing structures without ledges and balancing on tightropes. He emphasized the fictional nature of the protagonist’s endless 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 Assassin’s Creed Shadows is a fictional game with mechanics that deviate from real-life parkour, Ubisoft has strived to enhance the realism of its parkour mechanics. In a January interview with IGN, AC Shadows Game Director Charles Benoit mentioned that the game's release delay was to refine these parkour elements further.

Bringing Players Closer to Feudal Japan

Beyond its parkour, Assassin’s Creed Shadows aims to immerse players in the historical setting of Feudal Japan. Ubisoft Editorial Comms Manager Chastity Vicencio explained in a March 18 post on their website how the game will integrate the history of the Azuchi-Momoyama period through the "Cultural Discovery" feature within the in-game Codex. This feature, crafted with input from historians and featuring images from various museums, will offer over 125 entries at launch, providing a deep dive into Japan's rich cultural heritage.

Creating an authentic representation of Feudal Japan has been challenging, as noted by AC Shadows developers in a March 17 interview with The Guardian. Ubisoft Executive Producer Marc-Alexis Coté shared the team's long-standing interest in setting a game in Japan, finally realizing this vision with Assassin’s Creed Shadows. The team, led by Creative Director Johnathan Dumont, made extensive efforts, including trips to Kyoto and Osaka and collaborating with historians, to capture the essence of Japan. Despite challenges like the unique lighting in Japanese mountains, the team's dedication has paid off.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is set to launch on March 20, 2025, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Stay tuned for more updates and insights on this highly anticipated title.