After a few delays and leaks, Ubisoft’s next main entry in the Assassin’s Creed franchise, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, is nearly here. And, in a series first, it comes with a mode that removes many choices, instead adhering to one “canonical” narrative path. Now Ubisoft has explained why this option was added and also clarified that you’ll still be free to kiss whoever you want even if you pick the Canon Mode.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows, set in feudal Japan and starring two very different protagonists, launches later this month. When fans boot it up, they’ll have an ironic choice to make: During your playthrough, do you want to make choices or not? You can play Shadows like most RPGs, choosing what to say to certain people to affect the outcome of a questline or story arc. Or you can choose Canon Mode, which removes such choices and tells a set story created by Ubisoft. But why is this previously confirmed Canon Mode even in the game? Well, Ubisoft says it’s because of fan “disappointment” over the way all the dialogue options in games like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Valhalla prevented the creation of a single “canonical” record of how those stories played out.
In a recent interview with Gamerant, creative director Jonathan Dumont talked about the Canon Mode in Shadows. According to him, while many fans have loved the RPG choices in recent AC games, others missed the fact that there was no longer a single, agreed-upon metanarrative.
“When we introduced a choice of characters and dialogue choices in AC Odyssey, many of our fans loved the idea, but some expressed their disappointment in not having a definitive and canon narrative for the game that could be embedded in the AC lore meta story, “ said Dumont.
“After speaking with our fans during development, we decided to add a mode that takes out all the choices for Shadows and that can serve as a reference story within the franchise. This way players can enjoy the more RPG style of narrative or a more linear one, if they prefer.”
It’s yet another example of how Ubisoft is extremely focused on ensuring that both old school Assassin’s Creed fans—who prefer linearity and stealth—and newer fans—who prefer RPG-flavored open-world action—are happy when they play Shadows.
For those who crave a more traditional Assassin’s Creed experience, you can turn on instant assassinations, play almost entirely as classic assassin Naoe, and turn off all dialogue choices, too. On the flip side, you can play the game like Valhalla and mostly fight your way through crowds of enemies with big swords while making hard decisions. As I experienced in my preview with the game earlier this year, Shadows truly feels like an Assassin’s Creed designed from the ground up to make all fans happy.
However, regardless of whether you play in canon mode or not, Ubisoft will let you romance and kiss any romanceable character you desire. This was confirmed by associate narrative director Brooke Davies while speaking to Gamerant.
“Because Naoe and Yasuke are different people, they each have unique romance possibilities and connections,” said Davies. “None of our love stories is canon, so players can choose for themselves who—or who not—to pursue.”
Assassin’s Creed Shadows launches on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on March 20.
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