It's finally happened: Assassin's Creed Shadows is going full meta. Naoe and Yasuke's journey is still a story within a story, but this time, it's framed through the Animus Hub. You, the player, are using the Animus – not Layla, Loki, or anyone else – and that means our perception of the past could well be manipulated.
At least, that's how things are looking to me. I'm currently 21-hours deep in Ubisoft Quebec's gorgeous new RPG, and the only signs of modern day storytelling have come from the Animus itself. These moments of direct address, so far only experienced during the game's opening hours and halfway through Act 1, offer a repeated warning: the ancient memories I am experiencing are somewhat fragmented. This is pretty standard fare in any AC game, but the breath of fresh air here is that I'm no longer being asked to care about any of the other modern day protagonists introduced since Assassin's Creed 3. In a way, I am the main character – and I could really get used to it.
