Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ Climbing Restrictions May Put Naoe At A Disadvantage

For the first time in the franchise’s history, Assassin’s Creed Shadows has introduced two new characters as the protagonist, giving players a double whammy when it comes to gameplay mechanics and combat abilities. With gameplay split between Japanese history’s first Black Samurai, Yasuke, and the more traditionally known shinobi, Naoe, Ubisoft has gone all in on making sure both of these warriors come packed with different skill sets, from inside the ring to the lofty reaches of rooftops.

While it’s certainly a creative and exciting approach for these two new interesting characters, Naoe won’t be able to parkour to the extent that most Assassin’s Creed players are used to, and maybe prefer.

Naoe Can’t Climb Everything

While the Assassin’s Creed series has consistently put stealth and movement at the top of its ‘important list’ throughout its development, it seems as though Naoe won’t be able to climb everything she puts her hands on Ubisoft’s latest installment this time. As highlighted by JorRaptor in a post on Twitter/X, Naoe won’t be able to scale everything in sight like players would be used to doing in other AC titles.

In the Assassin’s Creed series, its protagonist has always been able to conquer most structures and, at the very least, clamber them in some messy fashion, even if it’s to get through an open window to undertake a sneaky takedown. Although it’s not clear why Ubisoft has decided to go against this fun mechanic yet, some fans believe this takes the fun out of Naoe’s ninja abilities and could also put her at a disadvantage.

One user replied to the post by saying they think this movement idea sets the clock back on the franchise, “Classic Ubisoft. One step forward. 7 steps backwards.” Another fan couldn’t get over the fact that a “shinobi can’t climb? *facepalm*”, while someone else went to the extreme end of the spectrum by believing Shadows shouldn’t even be a part of the franchise. “This should not have been labeled as an “Assassin’s Creed” game. Should have been its own IPO.”

We can only assume that Ubisoft has maybe chosen this route with Naoe to make its gameplay more realistic and to also get its players to use her grabbing hook more efficiently. We also need to remember that Naoe can still climb most structures, but she will have limits, which may mean more tactical thinking is needed, and that’s never a bad thing in a stealth game.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows will launch on November 15, 2024, and be playable on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

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