Assassin’s Creed Shadows Movements Reviewed by Two Parkour Athletes

Assassin's Creed Mirage's parkour faced a reality check from two professional parkour athletes. Discover their insights into the game's realism and how Ubisoft brought Feudal Japan to life.

Assassin's Creed Mirage: A Parkour Reality Check?

Parkour Criticism: A "Hate Crime Against Parkour"?

In a PC Gamer "Reality Check" video (March 15th), Toby Segar and Benj Cave of STORROR, UK-based parkour athletes, critiqued Assassin's Creed Mirage's parkour, comparing it to previous entries. While fans of the series, and creators of their own parkour game, STORROR Parkour Pro, they weren't shy about their observations. Segar highlighted a move—an "alpine knee"—used by protagonist Yasuke, labeling it a "hate crime against parkour" due to the high risk of knee injury from the weight distribution.

Cave further pointed out unrealistic aspects, such as climbing impossible structures and flawlessly balancing on narrow ledges. He emphasized the game's unrealistic portrayal of unlimited stamina, contrasting it with the careful planning and measured movements of real-life parkour. "In real parkour," he explained, "you check, you measure, you prep—it's a slower process."

While acknowledging the game's fictional nature, Ubisoft's dedication to realistic parkour is evident. A January IGN interview with Game Director Charles Benoit revealed that the game's delayed release was partly due to refining its parkour mechanics.

Recreating Feudal Japan

Beyond the gameplay, Ubisoft is immersing players in Feudal Japan through the in-game "Cultural Discovery" section (Ubisoft website, March 18th). Ubisoft Editorial Comms Manager Chastity Vicencio detailed this feature, describing it as an encyclopedic resource on the Azuchi-Momoyama period's history, art, and culture, created with input from historians and featuring museum imagery. Boasting over 125 entries at launch, it significantly expands on the historical features seen in Assassin's Creed Mirage.

However, recreating Feudal Japan presented significant challenges (The Guardian, March 17th). In an interview, developers discussed the difficulties of accurately representing the era. Executive Producer Marc-Alexis Coté explained the long-standing desire to create a Japan-set Assassin's Creed game, stating, "Every time we start a new game, Japan comes up... We've never pushed beyond the conception phase with Japan until this one."

Creative Director Johnathan Dumont highlighted the extensive research, including collaborations with historians and on-site visits to Kyoto and Osaka, undertaken to ensure authenticity. Even seemingly minor details, like the unique way light falls on Japan's mountains, presented obstacles. Coté summarized the undertaking, stating, "The expectations have been this high throughout. It’s been a challenge."

Assassin's Creed Mirage launches March 20th, 2025, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Stay tuned for more updates!