Assassin's Creed Shadows' 'Canon Mode' Makes Fans Ponder the Point of RPG Options

This feels like a nothing burger to me. Even in games where you can create your build and character aka Souls games, there is an established amount of canon. Sure you have different ending choices but no one complains there. Besides, when did we start caring so much about the story of AC anyway 😂

@ErrantRob Yeah, I agree. This is completely harmless. Don't like it, don't pick the option. Knowing there's a "correct" canon story hurts nobody. If someone cares about AC's story and RPG canon so much that this bothers them, I suggest touching some grass

It's nice to have the choice. If anything, it's better than previous entries where you made all the choices and then later found out the meta story doesn't take any of it into account.

My favorite of all the "RPG" ACs is Origins, where dialog didn't have options, so this would put it more in line with that entry, anyway.

It’s absolutely a nothing burger. But it’ll become an issue because at this point I feel like people want reasons to hate this game. This is tantamount to giving people a choice to play the game on hard, but allowing the platinum trophy to be gained in easy, then those who want to play on hard complain about it. Like, you can still play on hard. No one is forcing you to play on easy lol.

@ErrantRob **whispers** When they made Yasuke the main.. lol

While I appreciate the choice I think I'll leave the dialog options on. The "canon" choice has never really made much of a difference in the overall story anyway in Odyssey and Valhalla. You still ultimately ended up in the same situations for the most part. The dialog options just alter some minor plot points but ultimately don't really affect that much.

Perhaps it will be different in Shadows but even if it is, I can just look up what the canon choices were later. I could also just do another playthrough later down the road in canon mode if I like the game enough!

Nothing wrong with allowing players an option. Dialogue choices aren't for everyone and that's totally fine.

@ErrantRob

I sort of care about the story, as long as it's the historical story. Most of the modern day stuff is basically nonsense or barely existent in the more recent entries. Heck Origins''s ending seemed to create a plot hole in the historical story?

I'm sick of people moaning about things that are optional. Don't want to use it..... Don't use it.

Is this canon mode includes disabling temple destruction or Tori Gate climbing?

Feel free to mark this comment, but this game is going to flop. Yasuke controversy aside, there are just way too many negativity surrounding it for the game to be able to shake it off any time soon. Public perceptions are important, and this title is not getting any major positive vibe at all.

The word canon is the single biggest self imposed limitation that media has and often has no benefit for the product.

As far as Assassin's Creed goes, it's been a long time since I cared what the "real world" story is and is now more of an irritation that takes me off my pirate ship, or out of Egypt/Greece etc

That said, I don't care if there is a canon option, as long as I get a freedom of choice option

I think I will play it this way if I get it. I would rather have better flow than what often is a meaningless choice

'Canon' or 'rpg' mode, another Ubisoft hard pass here. Assassin's Creed Black Flag was the last entry that was actually fun and not a chore.

@QiaraIris The game is certainly getting dogpiled on in gaming enthusiast circles, but the majority of people who buy Assassin's Creed games aren't really dialed in that deeply. It's similar to when Call of Duty gets a ton of bad press. Commentators make hay to drive engagement, but ultimately, the normal consumer just doesn't care.

TL;DR I think this game will do just fine.

@QiaraIris That shocking lack of respect towards Japanese culture in this game, as with the release date itself, is probably down to laziness and incompetence rather than malign intent, but it still reflects very poorly on the developer.

We must protect Japan and no other countries.

@QiaraIris most people don't listen to naysayers and pretend controversies. Everyone I've spoken to that isn't obsessed with culture wars just wants to play a game.

I'm totally fine with this, actually. For players like me who prefer the older titles in the series, there's something special about immersing ourselves in a defined character and experiencing how they make decisions.

When games offer too many behavioral choices, it can sometimes dilute the character's identity. The decisions you make as a player inevitably reflect your own personality, which can imprint onto the character. Over time, this can feel repetitive or even boring, as the character loses their unique essence.

Or maybe just drop the RPG elements all together. AC storylines have always been forgettable at best since AC2. And with origins the series has become generic in the gameplay department as well. Consider me a fool, but I really liked the stealth gameplay and parcours of the old entries.

Can't wait to play day one, will be my first AC game since Syndicate and I will probably stick with the RPG mode. Does this mean there's a levelling up system or are they classing it as an RPG just because you can make choices.

@PoeticJustice I understand what you’re saying. I usually prefer video games with a predetermined character to a created one. Although I’m a huge RPG fan, when I have to create my own character, it just makes the game feel generic. For instance, instead of calling my character by his name, he’s just referred to as “Hey you“ or “Chosen One“. Still, I do love my RPG‘s.

@Mr_B021 you feel about AC old vs. new, the way I feel about God Of War old vs. new.

Wouldn't a better compromise just have been for dialogue choices to slightly change the PC's personality and relationships rather than change major story beats?

This is a non issue. More options for play is good.

Canon mode should have been the default from the start. I like that they are adding in the option, but this also just confirms the identity crisis Ubisoft is having, not knowing what to do with the franchise.
I'm doubtful this game will be more than mediocre when the devs themselves don't even know what this game is supposed to be.
I bet 'Canon Mode' is made to promote Naoe and push Yasuke to the background, making it look like Yasuke was just an afterthought and never a big part of the canon to begin with, in an attempt to de-escalate the current criticism the game has received.

@Korgon

I mostly agree, but Odyssey and Valhalla had different endings.
I would say Valhalla's ones were similar, but in Odyssey were different. You know... With the family.

@ThaBEN

Canon mode doesn't choose a protagonist. Only dialogue choices. Player still picks between Naoe and Yasuke.

game better not have anymore delays or im gonna get someone fired !

@Lup
Sure but I was referring more to the modern storyline more than anything. Regardless of what happens with the family. The modern storyline remains unchanged really.

At least as far as I can remember. It's been a while since I played Odyssey so maybe I'm just rusty on my AC lore.😅

It shouldn't matter which choice you prefer - there ought to be no complaints about being given a choice.

I will always prefer developers giving me a choice in how I want to play. Sometimes I might play multiple times to try each out, or switch back and forth (or start separate saves, if switching isn't practical). But the choice is always good, and fools who complain about such choices should be ignored.

@AhmadSumadi I feel the same about GoW. I prefer the old style. Different times I guess.

Stopped caring about AC Lore about 6 games ago!

But I do prefer a crafted storyline. I think they’d do better leaving the actual choices to something ‘more’ RPG like BG3 and focus more on gameplay and a more directed storyline.

I actually like this idea. It’s better than Dragon Age Veilguard where it didn’t matter what dialogue option you chose, it would result in the same thing

So you can either play the game one way or play it another? Am I missing something here? Surely this is the best of both worlds and should be seen as the video game equivalent to "having your cake and eating it."

@Richy2025 It's a shame that many people have already been fired. Maybe not directly related to this game, but there's been a lot of layoffs in Ubisoft.

Odyssey and Valhalla both had a canon version of the story what with Kassandra being the canon Eagle Bearer and such.

@QiaraIris Its not going to flop, pre-orders are strong especially in Japan. Once you get off the culture war grifter train you will find people are excited. As for Yasuke well Japan love him and the backlash around him is just racists being racists, after all where was this backlash with William in Nioh?

@DennisReynolds "after all where was this backlash with William in Nioh?" Exactly.

This is ridiculous. Canon mode is silly.

More choice is better. Completely on rails can be good (tLoU etc) but more RPG is almost always a good thing

I think it’s a great choice honestly. Caters to two types of players without sacrificing anything. I have my criticisms of these games, Ubisoft, etc but this one is a big fat nothing burger.

@Northern_munkey it didn’t exist because the people freaking out are white lunatics screaming about racism being bad and can’t see that they’re the ones being racist. These people won’t ever donate to any charity, they won’t help marginalized communities but they’re happy to freak out about a black dude in a game. Bizarre.

Anyone know the website which lists things I'm supposed to get angry at this week, even if I don't really care,people seem to be using it a lot lately.

@lazarus11 Twitter, Facebook, YouTube. Take your pick.

@DennisReynolds William was a real person who became a samurai by status. Nioh is a fantasy game with little to no historical accuracy. Just famous characters in passing conflict. It also has a central story involving London. Yasuke was a retainer at best and certainly not a samurai.

If you wanted to make a comparison you should have said Yasuke from Nioh because they are a lot more similar in design. Again Nioh is pure dark fantasy where AC tries to keep some historical accuracy. I'm not subscribing to the 'anyone who criticises is a racist' rhetoric. It stinks of head in the sand mentality.

@JohntheRaptor I love when people try to correct you and completely screw it up. A retainer would have meant he was a samurai, look up what retainer means.

Also AC is just as fantasy if not more then Nioh. The last entry had you playing as Odin reborn and facing off against Loki reborn. Odyssey had you playing as a Demi-God with a magic spear. AC2 revealed Adam & Eve were real and the first humans. AC has never been grounded like at all and its as fantasy as you get. Also the Animus has you seeing history as it really happened not what the history books make up so in the AC universe we're seeing the real history of Yasuke just like AC2 had us beating up the actual Pope with the actual Apple of Eden.

If William was the lead of AC Shadows the people crying over Yasuke would be defending William's inclusion because he was "real".

I love this. After playing a deep experience like Kingdom Come 2, where it’s done so well, games like this make it feel superficial imo. Ubi just isn’t that kind of studio, and these games don’t lend itself well to that style. Write good, thoughtful, and deliberate dialogue and I’m happy to put the controller down, sip my cocktail, and watch the cutscene.

@Coffeeglitch I wasn't asking a question I was agreeing with another commentor. I'm well aware of why it didn't exist but thanks anyway 👍

I thought the choices were pretty superficial anyway.

@Lup
"This means that cutscenes become purely cinematic, and your choice of character (Naoe or Yasuke) is locked during main missions."
That's literally what the article says.

I give zero ***** about whether Assassin's Creed has a canon either way.

I don't make choices in RPGs because I believe I'm scripting the games official events or anything. I make choices because the act of deciding is interesting.

Even with games with bigger consequences, I don't mind if the developer wants to make some route canon in the sequel. I'd rather they tell a good story in the new game than hamstring themselves by only being vague about the past.

It is choice that don't affect result, only the way how things happen, than why not? AC has lost it's track long ago, so why bother?

@ThaBEN

Don't know where they took that from, honestly.

https://www.reddit.com/r/assassinscreed/comments/1hbq6qg/comment/m1j8jkj/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

Shrugs. They are telling a connected story. So they have to have the version that will connect to the next game. Bioware has shown what happens when you have too many play variables. Nobody has time to make 5 games in one to appease everyone. (Folks will complain anyway.)

The RPG elements keep the “player is a puppet master” aspect in a much better fashion than the animus crashing if you deviated too much from the personality of the assassin. The series has always been about playing a simulator rather that actually being the character you are playing as. This isn’t as big of a deal as some folks are making it out to be. And I say this as a day 1 series player that still prefers the more rigid setup (with animus “glitches”) but I also know the RPG aspects help allow the switching protags in lore so I appreciate that. And for the folks that want “story mode” this accommodates them. For me it just means 3 playthroughs.