Assassin's Creed Shadows was the series' long-anticipated trip to Japan, but it also made some significant changes to the series. Most notable for longtime fans was the absence of "social stealth," a series mainstay that allows your assassin to blend in with a crowd. But Ubisoft says it had good reason for the change, and reassured fans that social stealth could make a comeback.
In a Reddit AMA, a trio of Ubisoft developers addressed a fan who asked about social stealth elements.
"For Shadows, our stealth team chose to put 100% of their energy on the moment-to-moment tactical shinobi experience, which left no space for Social Stealth," they said. "Tthat [sic] does not mean that Social Stealth is gone from the Assassin's Creed franchise, though!"
Traditionally in an Assassin's Creed game, if a guard gives chase you could lose their sight line and then blend in with a group or sit on a bench to throw them off. In Shadows, however, the shinobi character Naoe would need to find cover or use her rope to climb out of sight to evade capture, rather than just duck behind a corner and look like she's minding her own business. That was only half the equation, too, as the game also featured a samurai character, Yasuke, who was functionally a walking tank. His massive size and ornate armor means he wouldn't exactly be inconspicuous in a crowd.
The last game before Shadows, Assassin's Creed Mirage, was an explicit throwback to the series' roots, including the setting and some older gameplay elements. It included the social stealth as usual, so it has been in recent memory for the Assassin's Creed series. The next Assassin's Creed game that we know of is codenamed Assassin's Creed Hexe--which may or may not be the final title--and it's reportedly set in 16th century Europe. As the name implies, it focuses on witchcraft and even lets you possess a cat.
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In a Reddit AMA, a trio of Ubisoft developers addressed a fan who asked about social stealth elements.
"For Shadows, our stealth team chose to put 100% of their energy on the moment-to-moment tactical shinobi experience, which left no space for Social Stealth," they said. "Tthat [sic] does not mean that Social Stealth is gone from the Assassin's Creed franchise, though!"
Traditionally in an Assassin's Creed game, if a guard gives chase you could lose their sight line and then blend in with a group or sit on a bench to throw them off. In Shadows, however, the shinobi character Naoe would need to find cover or use her rope to climb out of sight to evade capture, rather than just duck behind a corner and look like she's minding her own business. That was only half the equation, too, as the game also featured a samurai character, Yasuke, who was functionally a walking tank. His massive size and ornate armor means he wouldn't exactly be inconspicuous in a crowd.
The last game before Shadows, Assassin's Creed Mirage, was an explicit throwback to the series' roots, including the setting and some older gameplay elements. It included the social stealth as usual, so it has been in recent memory for the Assassin's Creed series. The next Assassin's Creed game that we know of is codenamed Assassin's Creed Hexe--which may or may not be the final title--and it's reportedly set in 16th century Europe. As the name implies, it focuses on witchcraft and even lets you possess a cat.
Source