Assassins In Thine Own Shadow

The Curious Self-Sabotage At Ubisoft

While the past few years have not been kind to Ubisoft’s share price, this titan of industry has long been a bastion of great video game making. Sadly, in spite of having several high profile games published over the last four years, it does seem that the sun is finally setting at Ubisoft. Casting incredibly long shadows in which unforced errors have been plotting the company’s inevitable demise. While many bemoan the desecration of Ubisoft’s storied intellectual property, few seem to realise that Ubisoft’s ace in the hole is the technology that powers its video games. The developers at Ubisoft’s various studios have proven adept at harnessing the potency of their engines and creating environments that are unparalleled. Having recently played through Star Wars:Outlaws (Massive Entertainment), a brief soiree through EA’s Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order (ReSpawn games) is enough to persuade one of the quality and scale of Ubisoft’s world building. While there is a generational difference between two games, the follow up to Fallen Order is not much better at world building. In fact, the difference is so stark ReSpawn’s offerings look like well funded double A titles as opposed to full throated triple A efforts. The environments in Ubisoft’s games are often rich in detail and teem with life. This far exceeds just what the environmental artists put in. It also includes the myriad creatures that inhabit these worlds and how well they interact with player’s character. These worlds not only feel lived in but fully inhabited selling the illusion of reality in these virtual spaces. Sadly for Ubisoft, video games are more than just great world and character design. As a medium of art and entertainment, video games also have to deliver narratively and in gameplay. Areas where Ubisoft’s recent titles have had far less success. For many gamers, if a game fails both narratively and gameplay-wise it is not worth their hard earned money.

The frequent gusts of wind naught more than the world inhaling and exhaling. A celebration of the life bequeathed by its creators.

From the outside looking in, it does seem that there is a huge disconnect at some of Ubisoft’s development studios between the teams that build the actual games and those that write, direct, market and star in them. Ubisoft’s latest offering, Assassins Creed Shadows, has a world sumptuous with detail and innovation. From my current play through, 16th century Japan is simply a buffet of appetising treats presented by the developers for our eyes to feast on. Fortunately for the player, the merriment and festivities don’t end there. The auditory landscape is obscenely rich compared to titles from other publishers. Lavished with great care and attention. From creaking tree branches to croaking frogs to the gentle ripple of flowing streams the world built reminds us it is a living being. The frequent gusts of wind naught more than the world inhaling and exhaling. A celebration of the life bequeathed by its creators. The gameplay mechanics have also been dramatically improved compared to the previous titles especially pertaining to combat. Playing as Naoe, one of the games dual protagonists, one can’t help but notice the little flourishes in her character’s animation as she leaps from place to place often with acrobatic finishes. Sadly, dark clouds shadow these ancient lands as that’s where Ubisoft’s brilliance ends. 

Then there’s the nearly two hour long credits at the end of the game. These are more akin to a rap sheet detailing the companies numerous crimes, artistic and otherwise.

The voice acting in English is atrocious. This is particularly egregious as past Ubisoft titles, for the most part, have had great voice acting. The firestorm launched at the start of the game’s marketing campaign by proclaiming works of fiction to be historically accurate tainted the title in the minds of many. Some saw it as naught more than the politicisation of another would be great title. The stunt at the game’s launch of reportedly hiring lawyers to track down mean comments online directed to developers reeked of infantility. Then there’s the nearly two hour long credits at the end of the game. These are more akin to a rap sheet detailing the companies numerous crimes, artistic and otherwise. Self-submitted evidence of a development process and team that were overly bloated. Unforced and costly errors. Assassins Creed Shadows is a game on the cusp of greatness hobbled by questionable narrative choices and negative sentiment garnered during the game’s marketing run. Ubisoft claims that two million people have played the title since launch. While some have been quick to point out that there is a distinction between players and actual copies sold, this is still an impressive number for any title. This being said, these numbers may not be enough to save Ubisoft from the brink of bankruptcy. They may need to sell as many as five million copies sold to recoup their investment in the title.

Image credits in order of appearance: Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay; Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay