AC: Shadows breakdown: campaign will be more intense but shorter, with ton of meaningful locations

Assassin's Creed Valhalla's extensive storyline and numerous optional tasks drew criticism from fans, prompting Ubisoft to re-evaluate their approach for the upcoming Shadows. The result? A more streamlined experience.

Game director Charles Benoit stated that the Shadows campaign will take approximately 50 hours to complete, with full exploration and side quests adding another 50 hours. This contrasts sharply with Valhalla, which required at least 60 hours for completion, potentially stretching to 150 hours for those seeking total game completion.

Ubisoft reportedly focused on reducing optional content to avoid overwhelming players, aiming for a better balance between narrative progression and optional activities. The goal is to maintain the richness of the world and depth of the story while making the gameplay less tedious. The developers intend to satisfy players who prefer rich gameplay without sacrificing quality for brevity, while also allowing those focused solely on the narrative to complete the game in a more reasonable timeframe.

Game director Jonathan Dumont highlighted the team's research trip to Japan as a significant influence on Shadows' development.

The sheer scale of the castles, mountainous landscapes, and dense forests were surprisingly impressive. This firsthand experience underscored the need for greater realism and detail.

One major change is a more realistic world geography. While travel between points of interest will require longer journeys, each location will be far more detailed and nuanced. This contrasts with Assassin's Creed Odyssey's system, where points of interest were more densely packed. Shadows prioritizes a more open, natural world, with richer, more detailed locations to discover. According to Dumont, Shadows boasts a significantly higher level of detail, allowing for a more immersive Japanese experience.