Assassin’s Creed Shadows takes a run at improving parkour, as Ubisoft strives to make the system less 'like a gas pedal'

Parkour has always been a distinguishing feature of Assassin’s Creed. Hooded figures leaping between rooftops and flinging themselves into conveniently placed haystacks is one of the series' most consistent visual motifs. But as the games have evolved from historical action-adventures to quasi-RPGs, on-foot traversal has become increasingly sidelined in favour of more elaborate stealth and combat systems, as well as other travel mechanics like riding horses and sailing boats. Assassin’s Creed Shadows is intent on changing this, however, with Ubisoft making numerous additions to the hallmark free-running system that had me gradually sitting up in my chair as I read about each one.

Ubisoft's really focused on the details this time—so much so that Shadows still isn't quite finished, and is being delayed from February to March 20.

These additions were detailed in a blog post published on Ubisoft’s website, which provides a complete overview of the new game’s parkour. For starters, while the fundamentals remain the same (ie, holding down the parkour button and pressing up and down to climb and descend), parkour will be slightly different depending on which character you play as. Shadows’ shinobi Naoe will be able to "jump further and reach higher" than the samurai Yasuke, who is better primed for combat than climbing. Both characters must be careful about where and when they implement parkour, however, as climbing and leaping around is considered “high-profile” by guards, increasing the likelihood of being spotted.

The most notable change is the incorporation of the dodge button into parkour, which unlocks an array of new moves. Dodging near the edge of a rooftop will see Naoe cartwheel off the ledge, landing quietly on her feet. Naoe also has a unique 'sprint dodge' ability that lets her dive over objects while dashing and tuck-roll to maintain her momentum. This doesn’t replace the ability to automatically mantle over objects, but sprint dodging provides increased damage protection compared to default horizontal parkour.

Naoe can deploy her grappling hook for a range of additional parkour moves, including the ability to hook onto any rooftop ledge and climb the rope directly, swing across gaps, and run along walls. According to Ubisoft, the grappling hook will be particularly useful on rural "parkour paths" and during castle infiltrations, where extra security may make conventional parkour more challenging.

By comparison, Yasuke’s parkour abilities are narrower. He does get his own ledge-drop ability, and his landing is heavier than Naoe's. He also can’t use a grappling hook or sprint-dodge, but he can smash through certain objects that would normally block Naoe, which sounds rad in its own way. It’s also worth noting that, in a first for the series, Naoe and Yasuke can go prone, further reducing their visibility to enemies. Naoe’s can roll around while prone and literally assassinate people while lying down.

All this is intended to make parkour a less passive experience.

"In our game, holding down the parkour button like a gas pedal is not the optimal way to do parkour," Shadows’ associate game director Simon Lemay-Comtois says. As part of this, Ubisoft has also introduced unclimbable surfaces that will prevent players from squirrelling up certain walls or structures. "This means we had to be more thoughtful about creating interesting parkour highways and afforded us more control about where Naoe can go, and where Yasuke can't, making our two play styles even more contrasted," Lemay-Comtois adds.

Given how freewheeling parkour has been historically, the decision to stop players from climbing virtually anywhere is a bold and possibly contentious one. Ubisoft is clearly aware of this, reassuring players that “most of what you’ll see in Assassin’s Creed Shadows is still very much climbable.”

Nonetheless, I reckon making parkour less universal and passive, and more active and engaging when you do use it, is a smart way to make the system more relevant in a game that is much mechanically broader than it was once. Certainly, reading this has made my interest in Shadows more active than it was before.

And that's a good sign, because there's a lot riding on Assassin's Creed Shadows—Ubisoft desperately needs a win.