Assassin's Creed Shadows DLC Includes a Prince of Persia-Style Side-Scrolling Sequence

Assassin's Creed Shadows DLC Claws of Awaji, which launches today, kicks disconnected with a astonishment side-scrolling intro series that's reminiscent of Ubisoft's classical Prince of Persia series, themed astir a Japanese puppet show.

During a hands-on gameplay session, developers who worked connected Claws of Awaji astatine Ubisoft Bordeaux told IGN that the thought began beingness arsenic a chill conception enactment unneurotic by a tiny squad portion the workplace was betwixt large projects, pursuing its enactment connected Assassin's Creed Mirage.

When Bordeaux officially started enactment connected Claws of Awaji, the thought resurfaced arsenic a method to present the caller story's mounting and characters, and was built retired utilizing inspiration from Prince of Persia, the spin-off Assassin's Creed Chronicles series, arsenic good arsenic non-Ubisoft side-scrollers specified arsenic Playdead's Inside.

While comparatively basic, the side-scroller provides a astute mode to rapidly get players up to velocity connected Awaji itself, which is an land abstracted from the main Japanese representation and lone accessible with Shadows' archetypal large add-on. Awaji is overseen by Kimura Yukari, the DLC's main antagonist, and it rapidly becomes evident that you are playing done a propaganda-fuelled puppet amusement meant to observe her rule.

Not lone does the instauration showcase Yukari, it besides provides players with their archetypal hints astatine the destiny of a mysterious Assassin who looks to beryllium Naoe's long-lost mother. Except, of course, you're proceeding astir her from Yukari's constituent of presumption — and it's harmless to accidental the 2 don't get along. Overall, it's a clever framing instrumentality that tells players beauteous overmuch everything they request to cognize astir the authorities of Awaji earlier Naoe's boots interaction its shore.

Gameplay-wise, you'll mostly beryllium navigating elemental stealth and platforming sections, arsenic good arsenic little moments of combat that spot Shadows' accustomed systems flattened down onto a 2.5D plane. It's a amusive experiment, and I peculiarly liked however the sidescroller's narration reacted to what I was doing — specified arsenic erstwhile I was spotted by enemies, oregon performed peculiarly good during combat. There are a mates of areas with branching paths, excessively — though the wide end-point is the same.

While overmuch astir Claws of Awaji volition apt extremity up feeling acquainted to fans who person already ploughed 100 hours into the main Assassin's Creed Shadows game, the DLC does supply a bid of stand-out archetypal moments to support things fresh. Another of these is its amusive stealth brag fight, which IGN has each the details of. Players looking for closure connected the basal game's storylines — specified arsenic the destiny of Naoe's parent and the determination of that last enigma container — should besides travel distant satisfied, Ubisoft has said.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social