At the latest Ubisoft Forward, the developer finally announced the long-awaitedAssassin’s Creedset in feudal Japan, but it may be too similar toGhost of Tsushima.Assassin’s Creed Codename Redwill bring the series to one of the most requested settings, and fans could not be more excited to see what it will entail. However, there is also a bit of worry about what this game will look like. Sucker Punch already explored Japan in its own action-adventure title, andAssassin’s Creedwill need to do its best to forge its own path.
Sucker Punch releasedGhost of Tsushimain 2020. The game was a brand-new IP that instantly captivated its audience and served as a great way to fill the void left byAssassin’s Creedavoiding the region. While Ubisoft could have been the first to Japan, it is now going to be playing catch-up toGhost of Tsushima. That game showed players what a fun action-adventure title in Japan looks like, and Ubisoft needs to make sure thatAssassin’s Creed Redis more than a clone of its competition.
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Assassin’s Creed Was Beat to Japan
Fans of theAssassin’s Creedfranchise have been calling for the series to explore Japanese history for a long time. The series has explored a lot of Europe and North America, and it even ventured into Egypt for a bit. It has generally stayed away from Asia, except for a small appearance intheAssassin’s Creed Chroniclestrilogy. No matter how many players called for the series to go there, Ubisoft seemed committed to staying away.
In 2020, Sucker Punch came into the fray withits brand-new IPGhost of Tsushima. The game was an action-adventure game heavily rooted in Japanese history. It put players in control of Samurai Lord Jin Sakai as he embarked on a mission to expel the Mongols from the Japanese island of Tsushima during the first Mongol invasion. The world was beautifully constructed, the gameplay was a lot of fun, and the story was a fantastic ride.
WhileGhost of Tsushimawas its own thing, many people couldn’t help but compare it to theAssassin’s Creedseries. Some people felt like it was going to be the closest thing to anAssassin’s Creedin Japan that they would ever see, with many mechanics feeling very similar to Ubisoft’s franchise. Players would travel across this historical setting and sneak around encampments, taking out foes from the shadows while using an assortment of items to distract them. This concept formed the backbone of theAssassin’s Creedfranchise and was one of the things that many fans were desperately missing from recent entries in the series.
Ghost of Tsushimafelt more like anAssassin’s Creedgame than the actual franchise did at the time. The serieshad releasedAssassin’s Creed Odysseytwo years prior which was a far cry from the core Assassin versus Templar storyline. The title also put less of an emphasis on stealth gameplay,soGhost of Tsushimacame in to pick up the slack.
Sucker Punch’s work generated one of the fastest-selling PlayStation games. Now, Ubisoft is finally preparing to deliver on the fan requested setting, but it feels a little too late. Players have seen what a fun action-adventure in Japan looks like, andAssassin’s Creed Codename Redwill no doubt draw comparisons toGhost of Tsushima. The studio will have to tread carefully if it does not want to be called a mere clone of its competitor.
Assassin’s Creed Cannot Be a Ghost of Tsushima Clone
Assassin’s CreedRedis a longtime coming, but Sucker Punch beat Ubisoft to the setting of Japan. If Ubisoft wants to avoid these comparisons then it needs to try its hardest to differentiateRedfromGhost of Tsushima’s Samurai story. The time period and the story need to be very different, otherwiseRedwill not be very special.
Assassin’s Creed Redalready has one thing going for it and that is the protagonist that Ubisoft has chosen.Ghost of Tsushimaput players in control of a Samuraiand Sucker Punch crafted a story around the journey of a Samurai in Japan. Based on the quick reveal trailer,Assassin’s Creed Redwill be giving players control of a Shinobi and will provide players a more fantastical type of story. That means that the story will at least deal with an entirely different journey, but the time period also needs to be very different.
Ghost of Tsushimatold a story during the first Mongol invasion of Japan, and all that Ubisoft has said so far is thatAssassin’s Creed Codename Redwill take placein Feudal Japan, which could be an advantage.Codename Redshould let players do espionage and assassinations in a Japan free from invasion, or else the two stories may share very similar story beats.
There is place for more than oneaction-adventure set in Japanese historyas the setting has so much to explore. The studios just have to make sure that the games are different enough to warrant their creation. These next couple years will show fans if Ubisoft is up to the challenge or simply chasing a fad.
