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

Assassin's Creed Valhalla's extensive gameplay drew criticism, prompting Ubisoft to refine the experience for its upcoming installment, Assassin's Creed: Shadows. Feedback regarding the lengthy main plot and overwhelming optional content has been addressed.

Game director Charles Benoit stated that completing the main story in Shadows will take approximately 50 hours, with full completion (including all regions and side quests) estimated at 100 hours. This contrasts with Valhalla's 60-hour minimum playtime and potential 150-hour completion time.

Ubisoft has streamlined optional content to avoid overwhelming players, aiming for a more balanced ratio of story progression and optional activities. The goal is to reduce tedium while preserving the richness of the world and narrative depth. The developers intend to cater to both players who enjoy extensive gameplay and those prioritizing a focused story experience, avoiding excessively long playtime for either.

Game director Jonathan Dumont highlighted the team's research trip to Japan, significantly impacting Shadows' development. The scale of Japanese castles, mountainous landscapes, and dense forests exceeded expectations, leading to a focus on enhanced realism and detail.

A key change involves world geography. Travel distances between points of interest have increased to emphasize the openness of the landscapes. However, each location will be more detailed and nuanced, contrasting with the denser point-of-interest distribution in Odyssey. Travel will be more time-consuming, reflecting a more natural and expansive world, but locations will be richer and more immersive. Dumont emphasized the significantly higher level of detail in Shadows, promising a truly authentic Japanese atmosphere.