Can Assassin's Creed Shadows revitalize Ubisoft's stale and stagnant open-world design?

Assassin's Creed Shadows is the newest addition to the classic open-world stealth adventure video game series by Ubisoft, scheduled for release on November 12, 2024. Since its announcement, AC Shadows has been embroiled in controversy, especially due to the ethnicity of its protagonist. However, amidst the controversy, there is also much hope and expectation for this title.

One of the main things fans are expecting from this title is for it to break the stale mold Ubisoft has been using to design the open-world maps of its modern games. The Feudal Japan setting has never been used in any previous AC games, so the general belief is that this title will finally be a breath of fresh air for the Assassin's Creed franchise.

DISCLAIMER: This article is subjective and solely reflects the writer's opinion.

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How can Assassin's Creed Shadows breathe new life into Ubisoft's stale open-world design?

Other than visuals, the open world needs substance (Image via Ubisoft)

In recent times, Ubisoft has been overusing its highly formulaic method of open-world design in almost all of its new AC titles. Unlike the classic AC 2 or AC: Brotherhood, maps in new Ubisoft games simply feel bloated. The forced expansion of the environment results in prolonged, tedious gameplay segments that, when combined with dull side quests, create an excruciatingly monotonous cycle that severely waters down the overall experience.

This problem was very apparent in Assassin's Creed Odyssey. A significant portion of these quests are uninspiring, often involving little more than clearing out enemy strongholds or killing specific targets, with minimal effort to differentiate themselves from one another. If Shadows really wants to make a mark, it needs to have interesting side quests!

Ubisoft has always struggled with pacing the main missions of their storylines. While the trailers and other teasers have shown that AC Shadows has attempted to break the same old gameplay loop by introducing multiple protagonists with distinct gameplay and storylines, they still need to incorporate enough incentives for players to explore the open-world map.

The classic gameplay needs a new fresh twist (Image via Ubisoft)

The open world of modern AC games lacks genuine captivating activities to engage with along the way. Taking inspiration from one of the most recent and highly successful games set in Feudal Japan, Ghost of Tsushima, Assassin's Creed Shadows should design open-world activities that incorporate Japanese culture.

In Ghost of Tsushima, players could take a break from all the murder by sitting in front of a beautiful landscape and writing a Haiku. Writing Haikus in different locations on the map rewards new poems and helps the player appreciate the time and effort it took to reach there. AC Shadows can use similar activities to add substance to their open-world map.

Whether the upcoming Assassin's Creed outing will be able to break Ubisoft's mold remains to be seen, but the community has high hopes and sincerely wishes the title meets their expectations.

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Read more AC Shadows-related articles here:

• Assassin's Creed Shadows development team addresses controversy regarding historical accuracy
• What is the controversy surrounding the Assassin's Creed Shadows protagonist?
• All historical figures who might appear in Assassin's Creed Shadows