Parkour Pros Assess Assassin’s Creed Shadows Moves

Two professional parkour athletes evaluated the movement mechanics in Assassin's Creed Shadows. Discover how realistic the game's parkour system is and how developers recreated Feudal Japan.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows Prepares for Launch

Parkour Mechanics Face Professional Criticism

In a March 15 Reality Check video by PC Gamer, UK parkour specialists Toby Segar and Benj Cave from STORROR examined the realism in Assassin's Creed Shadows. Both athletes, who are developing their own parkour game (STORROR Parkour Pro), are longtime fans of the franchise.

The experts particularly criticized protagonist Yasuke's climbing animation where he uses his knee to support full body weight - a move they jokingly called a "parkour hate crime." They explained this "alpine knee" technique would cause serious injury in real-world parkour.

Cave noted other unrealistic elements like perfect balance on narrow beams and unlimited stamina. "Real parkour involves careful measurement and preparation before each move - it's a much slower process than portrayed in games," he explained.

While acknowledging the game's fictional nature, Ubisoft has worked to enhance movement realism. Game Director Charles Benoit revealed in a January IGN interview that the team delayed release to refine parkour mechanics.

Immersing Players in Feudal Japan

Ubisoft is incorporating historical authenticity through a new "Cultural Discovery" feature. As explained on March 18 by Comms Manager Chastity Vicencio, this in-game encyclopedia contains over 125 expert-written entries about Azuchi-Momoyama period art and culture, complete with museum-quality images.

The developers faced significant challenges recreating Feudal Japan. Executive Producer Marc-Alexis Coté told The Guardian on March 17 that Japan had been considered for every new Assassin's Creed game during his 16 years on the franchise, but only now reached production.

Creative Director Johnathan Dumont described their extensive research process, including consulting historians and visiting Kyoto/Osaka. The team overcame technical hurdles like accurately rendering Japan's unique mountain lighting to authentically capture the setting.

Assassin's Creed Shadows launches March 20, 2025 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. For the latest updates on the game, check our additional coverage below.