Assassin's Creed Shadows is coming to Steam on March 20, inviting players to experience feudal Japan as the shinobi Naoe or the samurai Yasuke, each of whom have their own unique set of weapons, abilities, and gameplay strengths. The Assassin's Creed team released a 20-minute gameplay video showing Naoe and Yasuke executing the same mission, with each character showing off their particular strengths in both stealth and combat.

In the video, Yasuke and Naoe are on a mission to assassinate Takahashi Shiro, a member of the Twisted Tree family currently holed up in the Nijo Palace. Naoe kicks things off in the shadows by taking on the mission at night, showing off her skills with the Hidden Blade to take out a Samurai Daisho, an elite enemy, and using her grappling hook to stay out of sight. To keep her stealthy approach hidden, she shows off the ability to extinguish lanterns and assassinate enemies through shoji doors, but when it's time to fight, you'll see she can hold her own with the legendary kusarigama, a long-range melee weapon.Yasuke, on the other hand, will use his strength to hoist himself to the rooftops and eliminate enemies with his bow and katana without raising the alarm - despite infiltrating the tenshu in broad daylight. But when it's time to switch from stealth mode to combat, Yasuke shows off his explosively powerful skills with the teppo rifle, kanabo club, and naginata.


You can also get a glimpse of three recruitable allies in action: Gennojo, whose stun abilities are perfect for stopping enemies in their tracks; Oni-Yuri, the poison master who can knock out multiple foes at once; and Yaya, a ferocious brawler who can eliminate guards before Naoe flips down from the roof.

This is just a taste of what Naoe and Yasuke have to offer when Assassin's Creed Shadows launches on March 20. Wishlist or pre-purchase Assassin's Creed Shadows on Steam today. Everyone who pre-purchase the game will receive the Thrown to the Dogs bonus quest at launch, as well as the Claws of Awaji expansion coming later this year, at no additional cost.