The development team of “Assassin’s Creed Shadowmen” interviews and explains why they chose Yasuke instead of a Japanese general

“Assassin’s Creed Shadowbearers” developed by Ubisoft will be released on March 20. We briefly interviewed Luc Plante, level design director of Quebec Studio, and Cassandra Poon, associate producer of Ubisoft Singapore Studio.

In a media briefing before the visit, Luc said the months of delay have allowed them to improve many elements and the game is better, more fun, more stable and more balanced than ever before. “Assassin’s Creed: Shadowbringers” is set in feudal Japan in 1579, and various weather conditions will redefine the open world.

This time, the perception of the enemy is dynamic and will be affected by shadows and light. For example, in rainy or foggy weather, it will be more difficult to sense the assassin played by Nao Jiang. When walking on the roof in winter, it may be difficult to sense the assassin. Causing icicles to fall from the eaves. Tall grass in summer can make you invisible more smoothly.

Yasuke is a warrior with powerful strength. He can break open some doors, and he can also hold some blunt weapons with high armor-breaking capabilities and switch them to use during battle.

The following is the interview

Q: Please first talk about what work and efforts the team has done since the last postponement was announced in September? So what content is being modified after the extension to March?

A: Mainly for parkour and various balance adjustments to ensure that the game can provide the best gaming experience. The reason for the latest postponement is the same. We hope to solve all the problems in the final stage and improve the balance. This is a huge RPG game that requires a lot of detailed adjustments. We hope to use every minute to create a perfect game experience. , which is the reason for our postponement.

Q: Are the two protagonists of this game forced to switch because of the plot? Or can players choose a protagonist and play from beginning to end?

A: Except for certain specific moments, such as when their motivations or personal tasks need to be told in the plot, other parts of the content can be experienced by any protagonist. Therefore, it is completely up to the player to decide whether to switch protagonists back and forth, or simply Complete the entire game with your favorite protagonist.

Q: After the last trailer was released, many Japanese players pointed out some minor cultural errors, such as the torii gate at the entrance of the village, the square shape of the tatami, etc. Have you re-examined and corrected these aspects?

A: We take this very seriously. We are committed to making the game content as real and reasonable as possible. Since the early stages of development, we have been ensuring that we are in place in these aspects and continue to improve and perfect this part of the content.

Q: We all know that there were quite a lot of famous historical generals in Japan during the Warring States Period. Why didn’t we consider selecting a famous Japanese general when we were planning this game, but chose Yasuke instead?

A: From the beginning, we wanted to have two protagonists, representing samurai and ninja respectively. For this design, we wanted two different protagonists, and we hoped that these two protagonists could tell the story from completely different perspectives, Yasuke He is a foreigner, and Nao is a ninja from Iga. He hopes that players will discover and explore the content of “Assassin’s Creed: Shadowbringers” just like Yasuke came to Japan when entering the game.

In addition, I would like to add the original intention of this “outsider” and “insider” design. A foreigner trying to survive and succeed in an unfamiliar culture is also a challenge and achievement today. We hope to explore this cultural difference and use it to reach every player with a similar background.

There will be a lot of stories, including people who have been in that culture, and people coming in from the outside. In order to achieve this, we need two protagonists, rather than forcibly merging these two qualities into one character, so that we can Maximize the game experience from two different perspectives.

Q: So you want to create a conflict between two cultures?

A: I think it’s more about communication than conflict. I hope to maximize the players’ gaming experience from two perspectives.

Q: How is “Assassin’s Creed: Shadowbringers” different from the past Assassin’s Creed series?

A: Just like the past “Assassin’s Creed”, we conducted in-depth research on the era background and setting of the game, and we established a huge historical database to ensure that the elements we selected can be used in the game. and give it meaning. In terms of game play, a new “crawling” has been added this time, allowing players to have more changes and flexibility when pursuing goals.

In addition, the game will also be affected by the seasons. In addition, rope rappelling based on physical inertia has been added, which allows players to parkour in places that were previously inaccessible, bringing a new scope of exploration.

Q: I believe the development team has received some responses from East Asian players. Could you give a final message to these players?

We are conducting game testing all over the world. Every player’s feedback is very important to us. In fact, we started doing this a long time ago. This includes all “Assassin’s Creed” and other Ubisoft games. Players Your opinions are important to us, and we take all feedback seriously to ensure that players get the best gaming experience.

“Assassin’s Creed Shadowbearers” will be released on March 20 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC platforms.