20 minutes of Assassin’s Creed Shadows is officially now — Ubisoft announced release time and «weight» download

Ubisoft has confirmed the release date of Assassin’s Creed Shadows and launched an early download of the game on some platforms.

The global release of Assassin’s Creed Shadows will take place on March 20. The exact time of access depends on the region and platform, but not all of them will be supported. First, Ubisoft shared a 20-minute video with key gameplay elements. So let’s start with this.

20 minutes of gameplay — what did they show?

The video shows the features of the game styles of the two main characters Naoe and Yasuke. The characters enter the Nijo Palace in Kyoto, better known as the tenshu. They will become important points on the Shadows map, whereStrong enemies guard valuable resources and unique items.

The most important thing with «sweeps» Tenshu — to eliminate the samurai daise in order to access to the equipment from the cache. You can find out what exactly is hidden in the chest by hovering over the palace on the map. The developers believe that this will help in planning tasks (but it looks like a simplification).

Ubisoft also revealed what the different game styles:

• Naoe (shinobi) — plays through stealth: she uses a hidden blade, a hook to climb rooftops, and reconnaissance through «observation». She can change her equipment on the fly, such as a hat that enhances her aerial attacks and allows her to kill an elite samurai with a single blow.
• Yasuke (Samurai) — a typical tank that relies on direct attack. He uses a bow, poisons, heavy weapons, and can destroy enemies by exploding powder barrels.

Shadows doesn’t have a spy bird like the previous installments. It has been replaced by the «observation» mechanic, which allows you to manually mark enemies. The still open world of Japan will be smaller than in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, but will have many urban areas and rooftops

The passage will be influenced by a system of seasons: in winter, you can leave footprints in the snow, and in summer, hide in the tall grass. For the lazy, «canonical mode» will choose the «correct» answer in dialogs instead of the player.

When does the game start and when to download?

For starters, Shadows will weigh a hefty —107.77 GB, so you’ll need to make sure you have enough space on your PC or console. However, you won’t be able to play the game on Steam Deck, as it doesn’t meet the minimum requirements of the game

The situation may change in the future, but there is no confirmation yet More about the game’s system requirements, said the developers.

The following is known about early downloads on other platforms:

• Xbox Series X|S — is available now
• PC (Ubisoft Connect) — March 17 at 18:00 Kyiv time
• PlayStation 5 — March 18 at midnight (local time).

On March 20, the game will be available for download at different times:

• Steam — download access will be unlocked on March 20 at 4:00 Kyiv time.
• PS5 and Xbox Series X|S — midnight local time
• PC (Ubisoft Connect) — March 19 at 22:00 GMT, but due to the time difference in Ukraine, it is still midnight

Gamers in New Zealand will be the first to get access to the game, according to Xbox fans. Some may try a VPN to play earlier. Although a number of gamers have already done so — for

Almost a month before the release to the network«leaked» videos with gameplay and photos of disks. Soon after, Ubisoft said that the leaks did not reflect the final version. The developers then urged gamers not to criticize the quality of Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

Pre-order Assassin’s Creed Shadows on Steam costs ₴1999, in Ubisoft Store  — ₴1519. 

Source: Eurogamer/ PlayStation.Blog