Ubisoft Reveals Why the Feudal Japan Adventure Focuses on Honshu Island for Realism and Visual Impact
Ubisoft’s upcoming Assassin’s Creed Shadows, set to release on November 15 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, will take players on a journey through feudal Japan. In a recent interview, Thierry Dansereau, art director of Shadows, revealed that the game’s world will be larger than Assassin’s Creed Mirage but smaller than the expansive Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, drawing comparisons to the scale of Assassin’s Creed Origins‘ Egypt.
In an interview with Play magazine, Dansereau explained the reasoning behind limiting the game’s scope to Japan’s Honshu island. This decision was driven by a desire for realism and a more focused narrative experience.
A Realistic World Focused on Honshu
Unlike the sprawling worlds of previous Assassin’s Creed titles, the decision to recreate only Honshu, Japan’s largest island, stems from a commitment to providing players with a historically authentic and geographically realistic setting. “This is where all the events surrounding Oda Nobunaga take place,” Dansereau explained. Honshu, home to modern cities like Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka, is historically rich, making it the ideal location to explore Japan during the feudal era.
The game will focus on capturing the intricacies of this iconic island while delivering a world that feels grounded in history. According to Dansereau, despite being smaller than Valhalla’s vast map, Honshu will offer a “much more realistic scale” compared to previous titles. This balanced approach between size and detail is intended to create a visually impressive and immersive player experience.
An Enhanced Graphics Engine for Immersion
To meet the high expectations surrounding the series’ first venture into feudal Japan, Ubisoft’s development team pushed the capabilities of the Anvil engine to new heights. Dansereau noted that achieving this vision required “a lot of support from the Anvil team” to deliver the technical prowess needed for photorealistic visuals.
Ubisoft has promised that Shadows will feature groundbreaking graphics, including advanced ray tracing for global lighting, highly detailed environments, and improved character interactions. The physics and weather systems have also been refined, ensuring a truly immersive and dynamic world that reacts to the players and the elements around them.
Balancing Gameplay with Visuals
While the scale of Assassin’s Creed Shadows may not match the colossal size of Valhalla, Ubisoft aims to make up for this with a denser, more visually striking world. According to Dansereau, the team put much pressure on themselves to ensure that the beloved setting of feudal Japan would meet player expectations. Combined with photorealistic graphics, this is meant to immerse players in a rich historical narrative grounded in gameplay and visual fidelity.
With the game set for release in just a few months, Assassin’s Creed Shadows promises to be one of the most visually stunning entries in the series. It offers a fresh adventure in a detailed and historically immersive Japanese setting.