Ubisoft appears to have brought back a takedown animation spotted in the 2012 Assassin’s Creed 3 demo for the upcoming Japan-set Assassin’s Creed: Shadows.
Reports say Game RadarReddit user Bruno HM I noticed similarities between the Assassin’s Creed 3 demo from 2012 PAX East and the recent Assassin’s Creed: Shadows trailer.
Assassin’s Creed: Shadows’ protagonist Naoe also does what appears to be the exact same move to kill an enemy, jumping onto their back and stabbing them, then rolling forward to maintain momentum.
“Given the return of Pivot Blades and Dynamic Seasons, [Assassin’s Creed 3] At the inner [Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ developer Ubisoft] “Quebec?” wondered BrunoHM.
What makes this spot even more impressive is that the 2012 Pax East demo wasn’t actually shown to the public, but rather was shown behind the scenes to members of the press and video game industry. YouTube Channel Clear But they got hold of the footage and made it (and the animation) available to the world.
Fans can probably forgive Ubisoft for not technically reusing animation from previous games, as Takedown didn’t make it into the final Assassin’s Creed 3, the first of several North American-set titles. Of course, even if it had been reused, it would almost certainly have been remade from scratch, given the 12-year gap between the two games.
Assassin’s Creed: Shadows will be fully announced in May 2024 as a game set in Japan, with players taking control of two main characters: ninja Naoe and action-oriented Yasuke, a real figure from Japanese history.
IGN has a ton of exclusive content on this announcement, including in-depth interviews with the development team, where you can read about all the gameplay changes, story development, and open-world assassinations coming to Shadows.
If that’s not enough, check out our analysis and explanation of the place and time period Shadows is set in, as well as 40 key details we know about the game. You can also watch our full cinematic trailer walkthrough to discover all the hidden details, Easter eggs, and more.
Shadows will launch on November 12th, 2024 for those who purchase the Gold, Ultimate, or Deluxe Edition, while the Standard Edition will be available on November 15th, 2024.
Ryan Dinsdale is a freelance reporter for IGN. He talks about The Witcher all day long.