Each new Assassin’s Creed game brings with it new mechanics, characters, quests, and ideas, but the most important fresh addition with each entry is a whole new setting. For Assassin’s Creed Shadows, that’s the most-requested setting in the franchise’s history: historic Japan.
Of course, Japan’s history covers a variety of fascinating periods and eras, so we’re here to break down the when and where of Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ setting.
Features of the Era
With a start date of 1579, Assassin’s Creed Shadows takes place just two decades before the events of FX’s recent TV show, Shōgun. As such, many of the key elements featured in the show will be important to Shadows – this is a period of the merchant class, and Portuguese traders have made their mark on the country. The West has imported cannons and long guns into Japan, as well as Christianity via the Catholic Jesuit missionaries.
Comparisons will no doubt be drawn between Shadows and Ghosts of Tsushima, Sucker Punch’s Assassins Creed-like samurai game. But Ghosts is set in 1274, three centuries before Shadows. As such there will be notable societal and architectural differences between their worlds. The 16th century was a period of urbanisation, with castle towns, bustling ports, samurai districts, and supporting fiefdoms. The culture was artistically different, too, with more vibrant and exotic paintings and ornate building designs. These will all likely be important points of interest in Shadows, especially when it comes to parkour exploration and open world activities.
The Azuchi-Momoyama Period
Assassin’s Creed Shadows explores the Azuchi-Momoyama period, which was the final stage of the Sengoku period – a time of continuous civil war during the 15th and 16th centuries.
Prior to the start of Shadow’s story, in 1568 Ashikaga Yoshiaki took control of Japan and became the 15th (and final) Ashikaga shōgun. He did so with the aid of the daimyō warlord Oda Nobunaga, whose armies stormed Kyoto to install Yoshiaki as shōgun. Nobunaga was the real power, though, and eventually Yoshiaki attempted a revolt against the warlord. Nobunaga responded by overthrowing the Ashikaga Shogunate and launching a war of unification in 1573, with the hope of politically unifying the country’s warring clans.
In 1579, when Shadows begins, Oda Nobunaga was at the height of his power. He’d recently won a major victory against the rival Takeda clan by adopting the use of arquebus firearms, a tactic that changed Japanese warfare forever.
In the CGI trailer, we see what is likely Oda Nobunaga’s assault on the Iga province in 1581, which was the concluding offensive of the Tenshō Iga War. The area was home to the Iga ikki, a republic of shinobi, and was one of the birthplaces of the ninjutsu arts. The Oda clan had previously attempted to overthrow the Iga ikki in 1579, led by Nobunaga’s son, but the invasion was a failure. Nobunaga himself orchestrated the second invasion, deploying up to 60,000 troops against the Iga resistance. Nobunaga’s invasion was successful, with his guns and cannons blasting through the Iga’s fortifications. Much of Iga was burned down, including temples, forts, and villages.
The Centre of Unified Japan
If the Azuchi-Momoyama period is the when, then central Japan is Shadows’ where. Ubisoft has chosen this area due to it being the region where Nobunaga organised his stronghold from which he would unify the country. The developer has yet to showcase Shadows’ map, but it seems logical to assume that Kyoto will be a key location, and potentially the likes of Kobe, Osaka, and Momoyama. The Iga province has been confirmed, as has Arima and Omi.
A major landmark featured in the CGI trailer is Takeda Castle, a Sengoku period fortress located on Mount Shiroyama. Shadows is set to feature a number of historically accurate castles built at realistic scale, and so the use of Takeda Castle in the trailer suggests it will be available to explore in the game.
For much more information on Assassin’s Creed Shadows, be sure to read our in-depth interview with the development team about their next-gen open world ambitions, as well as the 40 details you need to know. We’ve also got a breakdown of the CGI reveal trailer and a guide to the real historical Black samurai, Yasuke, too.
Matt Purslow is IGN's Senior Features Editor.
