Ubisoft Details Assassin’s Creed Shadows Combat, Including Wandering Ronin, Katanas, and Hidden Blades

Yo, bro, hold up. Ubisoft just dropped a whole blog post for Assassin’s Creed Shadows and—let me tell you right now—this game is gonna be insane. Feudal Japan? Check. Samurai? Check. Katanas? Check. And just when you think it can’t get any crazier, you find out it’s dropping on Valentine’s Day, which, I mean, alright—nothing says “I love you” like chopping down a bunch of dudes with a katana.

So first off, the game’s got two playable characters: Naoe the stealthy assassin (you know, the silent but deadly type) and Yasuke, the savage samurai (who’s all about that slash ‘em till they drop playstyle). Each of these bad boys has different weapons and different playstyles. And I swear to God, if you’re not switching it up between the two, what are you even doing?

Naoe’s arsenal? Okay, hold onto your hat, ‘cause this girl’s packing some wild stuff. First, the katana—classic, fast, and it can make enemies stagger. But then? She’s pulling out the Kusarigama, a ball-and-chain scythe thing that can swing across distances and wreck multiple enemies at once. And if you wanna be all sneaky-like? The Tanto and Hidden Blade combo, baby—double assassinations, y’all. I’m talking death-by-a-thousand-cuts style. Smooth.

Now, Yasuke is the one you want if you’re looking to go full-on, “I’m gonna slay everything in sight.” His long katana’s built for both offense and defense, but if you need to take it up a notch, Yasuke’s got the Naginata (a big ol’ pole with a blade on the end—yeah, like a supercharged spear). And don’t even get me started on his Kanabo—this huge-ass mace just obliterates enemies’ defenses. Oh, and did I mention the Yumi bow and the Teppo rifle? Yeah, you can literally start sniping people too.

But we’re not just here for the weapons, right? Nah, nah. Enemies in AC Shadows are about to get you sweating. You’ve got your classic bandits and foot soldiers, sure. But then you’ve got Ronin (the wild ones who just roam and attack on sight), Samurai Daisho (these are the elite ones guarding some top-tier loot), and—OH—Guardians. These guys are freakin’ terrifying, okay? White manes, facemasks, and they’re the endgame bosses. Just terrifying.

But wait—combat, dude. This is where it gets crazy. If you’ve played the newer AC games, you’re already familiar with that Dark Souls-esque combat system, right? Light attacks, heavy attacks, and then there’s the Posture Attack—think of it as a charged-up version of either one. You build combos, break the enemy’s guard, and BOOM—devastating hits. And of course, you’ve got your dodges, parries, and flurry attacks. Yasuke can even block arrows with his weapon, which, I mean, just sounds badass.

But, wait, here’s the kicker—Ubisoft’s also getting rid of the Season Pass this time. No more paid expansions, no more “early access” nonsense. Everything’s gonna be free for DLC. They’re listening, bro.

But…yeah, not everything’s been perfect. Some fans were pissed about the game’s depiction of Japan, saying it’s not historically accurate—Ubisoft tried to apologize, but people are still salty. Plus, there was that whole “using a re-enactment group’s flag without permission” thing… I don’t know, man, it’s like a trainwreck that keeps happening, but Ubisoft’s trying to make it right. We’ll see.

Anyway, the delay’s got some fans upset, but honestly? Assassin’s Creed Shadows is still gonna crush it. It’s competing with Ghost of Tsushima’s sequel, but honestly, there’s room for both, right? As Yves Guillemot said: “There’s space for high-quality games, and these two will both sell well.” It’s a lot to juggle, but hey, it’s Feudal Japan, bro. What’s not to love?

So get ready, it’s coming at you in February. I’m hyped. You should be, too