You’ve seen the trailers. You’ve heard the debates about historical accuracy. But when you actually sit down with the game, you’re hit with a question that defines the modern Assassin’s Creed era: do my choices actually matter?
Honestly, the answer is "kinda." It’s complicated.
Ubisoft has been playing a weird tug-of-war with its fan base since Odyssey. One half of the room wants a tight, linear narrative like the Ezio days. The other half wants to build their own legend with branching paths and romance options. In Assassin's Creed Shadows, the developers basically tried to please everyone, which means we’ve ended up with a system that's deeper than Valhalla but still strictly tied to a single "true" ending.
The Big One: Choosing Your Protagonist
Before you even get into dialogue trees, your biggest "choice" happens every time you leave a Hideout. Are you playing as Naoe or Yasuke?
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This isn't just about a skin swap. It changes how you experience the world of Feudal Japan. Naoe is your classic shinobi—small, agile, and frankly, a bit of a glass cannon. If you choose her, you’re spending your time in the rafters, using a grappling hook, and snuffing out lights to stay hidden. Yasuke is the polar opposite. He’s a tank. He doesn't sneak. He can't even use the grappling hook. He’s essentially the "brute force" choice for players who just want to kick down the front door of a castle and start swinging a Kanabo.
The game is clever about this. Some missions actually require one over the other, but for the bulk of the open world, who you choose determines your tactical "narrative." Naoe deals with the shame of her village’s destruction through precision; Yasuke deals with his outsider status through overwhelming power.
Does the Dialogue Change the Ending?
If you’re looking for The Witcher 3 levels of "oops, I accidentally caused a plague because of a dialogue choice," you won't find it here.
Assassin's Creed Shadows choices are mostly about the journey, not the destination. The story culminates in a single, canonical ending. This is a bit of a departure from Odyssey, where your family could end up alive or dead based on how you treated them.
However, don't let that fool you into thinking it's on rails. Your choices determine who is standing by your side when the credits roll.
Key Decision Points to Watch
- The Tea Ceremony: Early on, you’ll attend a ceremony to find the "Golden Teppo." You have to choose between confronting Wakasa or Otama. If you go after Wakasa, you cut to the chase. If you pick Otama, things get sidetracked.
- Mitsumune vs. Yaya: This is a big moral fork. Your ally Mitsumune wants to slaughter surrendering soldiers. Yaya wants mercy. If you side with Mitsumune, Yaya walks away. If you stop him, she stays and becomes an ally you can actually summon in battle.
- Gennojo’s Fate: Later in the game, a character named Gennojo attempts a suicide mission to destroy a building. You can stop him, soothe him, or do nothing. Doing nothing kills him. No more Gennojo.
Basically, the world doesn't end if you make a "bad" choice, but your social circle definitely shrinks.
Canon Mode: The "I Don't Care" Button
Ubisoft introduced something called Canon Mode. It’s basically a toggle for people who hate making decisions.
When you turn this on, the game removes all dialogue choices and plays out the scenes exactly how the writers intended. It turns the game back into a linear action-adventure. This is great if you’re worried about "messing up" your save file or if you find the RPG mechanics immersion-breaking for a game that’s supposed to be about reliving memories that already happened.
Romancing in the Shadows
Yes, you can flirt. No, it isn't a marriage simulator.
Both Naoe and Yasuke have four potential romance options. For Naoe, you’ve got guys like Gennojo (the crafty oni-impersonator) and women like Katsuhime (the teppo expert). Yasuke has his own set, including a more subtle, "forbidden" connection with Lady Oichi.
Most of these are triggered by picking the dialogue options with a Heart Icon. It’s pretty straightforward. You flirt a few times, do a personal quest, and then you get a romantic cutscene. Interestingly, there aren't really "break-up" mechanics. You can flirt with everyone, though some characters might send you a "goodbye" letter if they feel you’re being a player.
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The Animus Justification
Hardcore lore nerds always ask: "How can I make choices in the past?"
The game handles this by leaning into the idea of "memory gaps." The Animus isn't a perfect video recorder; it’s a simulation based on DNA. If the DNA doesn't specify exactly how a conversation went, the Animus lets the user fill in the blanks. As long as you hit the major historical milestones—like the Honnoji Incident—the Animus is fine with you choosing whether to be sarcastic or sincere to a merchant in Kyoto.
Actionable Tips for Managing Your Choices
To get the most out of your playthrough without needing a 100-page guide, follow these rules of thumb:
- Enable "Crucial Only" Icons: Go into the options menu and set Dialogue Icons to "Crucial Only." This hides the fluff choices (like sarcasm vs. kindness) but keeps the icons for life-and-death decisions or romances. It's the best balance between immersion and control.
- Prioritize Allies: Characters like Yaya and Gennojo aren't just there for flavor. They provide gameplay bonuses when recruited. If a choice involves "mercy," it usually results in an ally. If it involves "revenge," you usually just get extra loot or XP.
- Check the Conversation Log: If you step away from the game and forget why a character is mad at you, use the log in the pause menu. It tracks previous choices so you can see where you veered off the "nice" path.
- Stick to Naoe for Exploration: While you can play as either, Naoe’s "Eagle Sense" and grappling hook make finding mission-critical intel much easier. Save Yasuke for when the objective says "Eliminate all guards."
Making the "right" choice in Assassin's Creed Shadows isn't about winning or losing. It's about deciding what kind of legend you want to leave behind in the Sengoku period. Whether you're a merciful shinobi or a ruthless samurai, the world reacts to your blade—and your words—even if the history books only remember the result.