Assassin’s Creed Shadows: Yasuke and Naoe – Two Characters, Two Worlds
Yasuke: The Powerful Samurai
Naoe: The Stealthy Ninja
The two main characters in Assassin’s Creed Shadows make for vastly different playstyles.
At a closed presentation during Summer Games Fest, Ubisoft demoed the pair’s unique skills used to complete the same mission.
Yasuke – The Brute Force Tank
Yasuke was first, and he plays nothing like an assassin as he can barely jump and climb. The tanky samurai is the first Assassin’s Creed character based on an actual historical figure. What he lacks in climbing skills, he makes up for in brute force, taking down entire groups of guards with his massive spiked club. Yasuke looked so strong he was almost like a level 100 character destroying weak enemies in the tutorial area. Precision is still important, though, as perfect parries land you counterattack opportunities. Some enemy attacks will be blockable, while others you will have to evade.
Naoe – The Lightning Fast Ninja
Naoe’s playstyle is completely different, as she feels like the fastest character ever in the series. Her parkour is lightning fast and looks fresh with some brand-new animations as she climbs rooftops and jumps across gaps. As a ninja warrior, she stabs enemies through paper walls, throws shurikens to distract, and hangs from ceilings, waiting in silence for an opportunity to strike. She can shut off the lights to disorient her enemies and take them down from the shadows.
Yasuke Vs. Naoe
Her main weapon is a huge chain with a metal ball at one end and a scythe on the other, which she swings to hurt multiple enemies at once. You can switch characters at any point in the story, with bigger missions letting you select who to play as before you start. Yasuke feels like the most powerful Assassin’s Creed character ever, but Naoe is likely the most stealthy of the bunch, giving you two vastly different ways to play.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Release Date
Assassin’s Creed Shadows releases November 15, 2024, for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. If you want to read more about upcoming games, check out our Star Wars Outlaws hands-on preview.