Assassin’s Creed Shadows – What it Can Learn From Ghost of Tsushima, and What it Shouldn’t From Rise of the Ronin

Over the years, fans have longed for a Japanese setting in Assassin’s Creed, and while Shadows is almost here, other big-budget titles like Ghost of Tsushima and Rise of the Ronin tried to step into the shoes of Assassin’s Creed, offering an action-adventure experience with a historical backdrop similar to what Ubisoft seemed reluctant to create (at least initially). However, these two games had vastly different outcomes.

In the case of Ghost of Tsushima, it was met with widespread acclaim. On the other hand, Rise of the Ronin received mixed reviews critically speaking. This means that Assassin’s Creed Shadows could learn valuable lessons from both games, and we will be exploring these very lessons in our discussion today. Specifically, we will discuss what Assassin’s Creed Shadows should emulate from Ghost of Tsushima, as well as what it should avoid based on Rise of the Ronin.

WHAT TO LEARN FROM GHOST OF TSUSHIMA

OPEN WORLD

The primary strength of Ghost of Tsushima lies in the captivating design of its expansive open-world environment, and this is a crucial aspect that other games aiming for similar achievements should emulate. Sucker Punch excelled in crafting the Tsushima map and promoting exploration, as players were consistently rewarded with intriguing optional content hidden within the massive landscape. Assassin’s Creed Shadows needs to elevate its design and player engagement if it wants to fully exploit its anticipated setting. We can only hope that it drew inspiration from Sucker Punch’s 2020 success in this regard.

VISUAL DESIGN

In essence, the visual appeal of “Ghost of Tsushima’s” open world played a significant role in its success, and we anticipate the same for “Assassin’s Creed Shadows.” Fortunately, the Assassin’s Creed series has typically done well in this aspect, even with less popular installments. From what we’ve seen so far, it seems that “Shadows” will maintain this trend by featuring a visually stunning open world environment similar to its predecessors.

COMBAT

In Assassin’s Creed’s history, combat has been either impressive or disappointing. For example, Valhalla in 2020 had its strengths in combat, but compared to the smooth and engaging combat system of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, it felt less satisfying for many players. Shadows faces the challenge of making substantial improvements, but so far, it appears well-prepared to do so. Among its two main characters, Yasuke is expected to be more focused on combat, and his fighting style seems to have borrowed some elements from Ghost of Tsushima’s playbook. As an action RPG, Shadows will differ from Ghost in various aspects such as a wider range of weapons, progression mechanics, abilities, loot, and more. However, it is shaping up to emphasize more precise and fluid strikes instead of the brutal style of Valhalla, suggesting that it’s on the right track so far.

STORYTELLING

In simpler terms, the Assassin’s Creed series has had its ups and downs when it comes to storytelling, but when it gets it right (such as in the Ezio trilogy), it truly shines. Whether Shadows will reach those heights remains to be seen, but it needs to deliver a captivating and well-crafted narrative. Games like Ghost of Tsushima excel at this, especially within its historically accurate Japanese open world setting, so Shadows should definitely draw inspiration from it. Fortunately, the development team at Ubisoft Quebec has demonstrated with games like Assassin’s Creed Syndicate and Odyssey that they can craft compelling Assassin’s Creed stories with relatable characters, so let’s hope Shadows continues this trend.

WHAT NOT TO LEARN FROM RISE OF THE RONIN

SIDE CONTENT

In terms of combat and traversal, Rise of the Ronin was solid, but its open world left many players feeling underwhelmed. The main issue lay with the side content, which lacked creativity and felt repetitive, making the entire experience feel monotonous. Exploration, which should have been engaging, often fell flat due to this. The Assassin’s Creed series hasn’t always excelled in its optional content, so it’s our hope that Shadows will strive to steer clear of the issues that plagued Rise of the Ronin.

DEAD CITIES

In the game “Rise of the Ronin,” the vast open countryside and even some major cities like Kyoto, Yokohama, and Edo, which seemed promising on paper, often felt static and devoid of life when explored. The streets and alleys were disappointing to traverse due to the unimpressive crowds and overall feel of the cities. Regrettably, there were too many issues with the urban environments in “Rise of the Ronin” for them to be anything more than visually appealing on a surface level. While the game did have impressive visual design and fun traversal mechanics, these elements alone are not sufficient to create an immersive open world experience that convincingly showcases historical tourism (as is often achieved in “Assassin’s Creed”).

CLUMSY WRITING

In our previous discussion, we highlighted the storytelling prowess of Ghost of Tsushima, but we’d like to delve deeper into its writing specifically, as Rise of the Ronin seemed to falter in this regard. On paper, Rise of the Ronin had the potential for a powerful narrative, given its focus on Japanese history. However, the story was undermined by awkward dialogue, one-dimensional characters, and clumsy writing that detracted from the overall experience. Assassin’s Creed Shadows should strive to avoid repeating this mistake. Writing isn’t always a strength in this series, particularly in recent years. Rise of the Ronin serves as a stark reminder of how shoddy writing can squander a compelling setting and narrative. Here’s hoping that Shadows has taken note during development and will produce a more polished and engaging story.

TECHNICAL ISSUES

When Rise of the Ronin was first released as Team Ninja’s foray into open-world gaming, there were bound to be some hiccups given their inexperience in this area. Despite not having major technical problems initially, the game did have minor issues such as glitchy animations, texture pop-ins, lighting bugs, and so on, which collectively resulted in a rather choppy gameplay experience. This lack of technical finesse may have also diminished an already subpar open-world adventure. For Assassin’s Creed Shadows to live up to the high expectations of fans and fully utilize its captivating setting, it must strive for maximum technical polish from the outset.

2025-03-15 06:12

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