Some physical copies of Ubisoft’s upcoming action role-playing game, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, appear to have been sold early, resulting in leaked gameplay footage emerging online.
Twitter/X user DannyStevens__ got his hands on an early copy of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, and he shared a bunch of screenshots and gameplay videos to prove it. It’s possible that a retailer may have broken street date or may have accidentally shipped a few copies early to those who had pre-ordered the game.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Leaked Gameplay
A video of the main menu and some gameplay footage from from Assassin’s Creed Shadows can be seen below.
The short gameplay footage shows one of the game’s dual protagonists, Naoe, engaging a group of enemies in melee-based combat. There’s also a brief look at the Inventory and Mastery sub-menus. The former allows players to equip gear and items as well as evaluate their attack damage stats, while the latter lets them unlock new skills and techniques.
Graphics Modes & HDR Settings
The ‘Video’ section of the menu screen shows the graphics options available to players on consoles, including a Quality and Performance mod. Quality mode is recommended by the developer, suggesting that the visual sacrifices made in order to get Performance mode running at a higher frame rate that targets 60 fps may be considerable. The HDR section of the menu includes a minimum luminance setting, suggesting that the game may require manual HDR configuration rather than using the PS5’s system setting.
Story & Gameplay Details
The individual who uploaded gameplay videos and screenshots from Assassin’s Creed Shadows also shared some impressions and new details. He has played for about 10-11 hours on a base PS5 in Quality mode. According to him, the on-disc version of the game is from an extremely old build, lacking the latest delay improvements. He was also unable to redeem the deluxe edition outfit codes that came with his copy.
So far, he has found all the main and side quests “very interesting” and has completed eight main missions. The game begins with Yasuke as the protagonist. After the introductory mission, it switches over to Naoe, and even after nine hours, he has not been able to switch back to Yasuke, suggesting that the two protagonists have yet to team up.
According to the leaker, Assassin’s Creed Shadows features an extensive number of motion-captured cutscenes, with the important story moments being “very good, almost like a movie.” However, some NPC interactions feel off, mainly due to incoherent lip-syncing. The first three hours of the game are packed with cinematic mocap sequences, and the title card drops two hours in, followed by a time skip. After the prologue, Naoe is shown plotting to kill Nobunaga, the head of the Shinbakufu, in order to avenge her father’s death, and she does so by teaming up with Akechi Mitsuhide. A meditation mini-game unlocks flashback cutscenes that flesh out the backstory.
In terms of gameplay, he feels that Assassin’s Creed has lived up to his expectations, describing it as “Ghost of Tsushima with an Assassin’s Creed feel but with better stealth.” However, he found the dodging and parry mechanics frustratingly slow. Despite this, he feels that the game is well-polished, and in his 10-11 hours of playtime, he has not encountered any major bugs or glitches, except for one cutscene where a character clipped through a wall. Weapon and outfit transmog options are also available. He likened the experience to that of Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, terming it nostalgic.
