AC: Shadows Campaign: Intense, Shorter, Rich with Meaningful Locations

Fans of Assassin's Creed Valhalla have expressed concerns about the game's extensive plot and the abundance of optional tasks. Ubisoft has taken these criticisms to heart and is making significant changes with the upcoming release, Assassin's Creed Shadows. The game director, Charles Benoit, revealed in an interview that the main campaign of Shadows is expected to take around 50 hours to complete. For those eager to explore every region and tackle all side quests, the total playtime could extend to approximately 100 hours. This is a notable reduction from Valhalla, which required at least 60 hours for the main storyline and up to 150 hours for full completion.

Ubisoft's focus with Shadows is to streamline the optional content, aiming to prevent player overwhelm. The game will strike a more balanced mix of narrative and side activities, ensuring that gameplay remains engaging without becoming tedious. The developers are committed to preserving the richness of the game world and the depth of the story, ensuring that players who value comprehensive gameplay won't have to compromise on quality for a shorter experience. Meanwhile, those who prefer to focus on the main storyline can complete the game without dedicating hundreds of hours.

Game director Jonathan Dumont shared insights into the development process, highlighting the team's research trip to Japan, which profoundly influenced the creation of Shadows. The team was struck by the scale of the castles, the layered mountain landscapes, and the dense forests, leading to a realization that a higher level of realism and detail was necessary. This focus on authenticity will be evident in the game's more realistic world geography. Players will need to travel longer distances between points of interest to fully appreciate the open landscapes, but each location will offer a more specific and nuanced experience.

Compared to Assassin's Creed Odyssey, Shadows will feature a different travel system. Points of interest won't be as closely packed, resulting in longer travel times and a more open, natural world. As players progress, they will encounter increasingly detailed and rich locations. Dumont emphasized that Shadows will boast a significantly higher level of attention to detail, allowing players to immerse themselves fully in the Japanese atmosphere.