Ubisoft added a mode to the upcoming AC title that frees players from deciding anything relevant in the game.
Assassin's Creed: Shadows will feature a mode that takes every decision in the game away from you.
Who doesn’t know the fear of being stuck between choices in a decision-driven game? Which will be your starter Pokémon? Which of your companions should be the next Divine in Dragon Age: Inquisition? Which Spartan sibling should follow you in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey? Especially with some RPGs, you can get the feeling that the decision you make now can affect the rest of your whole gaming experience.
And even though something like that can be tough, it’s part of the fun. In the end it gives some kind of realism to the virtual world of gaming, knowing that whatever you do or say in that moment can’t be undone. Or you just let the machine decide.
Ubisoft has the phenomenal idea to give you the option of getting rid of your free will. The (hopefully) upcoming Assassin’s Creed: Shadows will feature a “canon mode” that will take all the choices you might be confronted with in the game away from you.
During a recent AMA on Reddit, director Jonathan Dumont explained:
Choices come more into play when recruiting allies and romance some of the characters. Since the fan base is divided on branching dialogues, we have incorporated an option called Canon Mode which allows you to play the game with choices already made for you, to give you a choice free experience. Hope this makes it fun for everyone.
Sure, the Assassin’s Creed franchise might not be that decision-driven with a story relying on your choices, a lot of people might care more about the gameplay – so the mode might come in handy when you care too much, or not at all about making choices in a game, but it still seems like a weird addition to a game.
Talking about how the devs have approached storytelling in the next AC title’s non-linear campaign, he said:
Most of the main targets' questlines can be tackled through exploration and are not in a predetermined order. However, each target has a coherent story with [a] bottleneck section that can introduce more linear and cinematic narrative sections. The particularity is that we leave open many sections to be played with Naoe or Yasuke which can impact the way some of the questlines evolve.
When asked about the delay of the game, Dumont stated:
We’ve been able to make changes and tweaks on parkour for example, or touch up parry mechanics or work on cinematic transitions. For example, we felt there was a stickiness in the parkour, the delay allowed us to accelerate the responsiveness of inputs and fix rooftop behaviors that were impeding on Naoe’s fluidity. The team is making something we are all proud of with this extra time.
At least it seems like there is something going on in the development of Assassin’s Creed: Shadows. If you are still interested and want to play the game even after the delay to February 14 of next year is just up to you – or not, if you’re a fan of the choice-free “canon mode”.
What are you’re opinions on the “canon mode”? Are you a fan of meaningful decisions in games?
