Even as someone who's had a lot of fun with the modern run of Assassin's Creed games, I have to admit they've been having a bit of an identity crisis. The common refrain is "Is this series even about stealth anymore?", and certainly most recent major entry Valhalla, essentially an RPG about a towering Viking warrior, felt about as far from the series' origins as you could get. Shorter entry Mirage was in theory a redressing of the balance, though even that felt oddly tentative about its return to Assassin's Creed's sneaky roots.
In its first proper gameplay trailer, however, Assassin's Creed Shadows looks ready to turn that divide into a strength. Its two playable characters represent two sides of the series—Naoe is a ninja, expert at quiet footsteps and decisive stabs from behind, while Yasuke is an in-your-face samurai. Between them, they cover all the bases, offering two different playstyles without either feeling incongruous.
