Assassin's Creed Shadows wants to recover the feeling of exploration and make information a reward

Dark Souls and Elden Ring have proven that players don't need (and possibly don't want) an interface full of icons and markers holding their hand. At Ubisoft they have taken note of this and with Assassin's Creed Shadows they have changed the exploration system to «encourage the feeling of discovery as you explore the world.» It's not that on-screen information is going to disappear completely or be as austere as in From Software titles, but players should expect changes in this regard.

Charles Benoit, director of Assassin's Creed Shadows, assures that in this installment they do not want to «take the player too much by the hand with icons and markers.» In the open world that has been created for this title «information is key and becomes a form of reward,» adds the director. «In Shadows, information is something you have to seek out and earn, whether through your spies, encounters with NPCs, or with your own eyes,» says Benoit. In part, this change is justified by having a shinobi as the protagonist.

For example, the world map is a key piece of exploration and at the beginning of the game it will only reveal the names of regions and with its boundaries it will simply hint at locations. The map and its details will be discovered as the character moves through the world. «In short, the more you explore, the more information the map will provide you,» says the development team. «The map will be the cornerstone of your trip, your best ally to choose where your next adventure is located or where to find the objectives of your mission,» adds the study.

With Assassin's Creed Shadows the synchronization points are recovered, but they work a little differently compared to previous installments. Instead of revealing large regions of the map along with all the information, they now reveal nearby points of interest while the player observes them from a high point. Most of these points of interest will be tied to quests or activities that you can participate in and each of them unlocks a fast travel point. Regarding observation, in the absence of the eagle it will be the player himself who will have to find the best place to keep an eye on the area.

Among the features of Assassin's Creed Shadows related to exploration we also have shelters called kakurega that can be acquired to have a safe hiding place in each area; the option to activate the Pathfinder function to avoid getting lost along the way; a renewed quest log; and a scout system that allows allies to be sent to areas to help locate mission objectives and gather resources.

If there are no more surprises, Assassin's Creed Shadows will be available on March 20 for PS5, Xbox Series and PC.