No, You Don’t Need Assassin’s Creed Lore to Enjoy Shadows—Here’s Why

Been eyeing Assassin’s Creed Shadows but worried that you’ll be drowning in 16 years’ worth of lore? Good news: you won’t. Ubisoft’s latest entry in the franchise is the most standalone AC game in years, meaning you can dive into feudal Japan without first earning a PhD in Assassin-Templar politics.

No Prior Assassin Training Required

Some franchises make you do your homework before you can even think about jumping into the latest release. (Looking at you, Kingdom Hearts.) But if you’re worried that Assassin’s Creed Shadows requires you to have played all two dozen previous AC titles, read the novels, or sat through that Michael Fassbender film, let’s clear that up right now:

You don’t need to know anything. At all.

Shadows is as close to a clean slate as this franchise has ever been. You don’t need to remember the Creed, the Templars, the Isu, the modern-day subplot, or why Ezio Auditore had such a great beard. You don’t even need to know what the Animus is (though if you do, cool—more power to you).

Ubisoft has deliberately designed Shadows to be accessible to newcomers, meaning if you’ve never played an Assassin’s Creed game before, you’re just as qualified to swing a katana and parkour over rooftops as a series veteran.

The Past (and Animus) Still Exist, But They’re Barely a Thing Here

Let’s address the Animus elephant in the room.

If you’ve played earlier Assassin’s Creed games, you’ll know that each historical adventure is actually a simulation of the past, experienced through the eyes of modern-day characters diving into genetic memories via a machine called the Animus.

At one point, this was a huge deal—Desmond Miles, Templar conspiracies, global stakes, all that jazz. But if you fell off the AC train sometime after the Ezio era, here’s what you missed:

1. Desmond is long gone. (Like, a decade ago.)
2. Layla Hassan, his modern-day successor, is also gone.
3. The Isu (ancient superpowered beings) are still a thing, but you don’t need to care.
4. The Animus is no longer a big, sci-fi chair—it’s just an app now.

In Shadows, the Animus is barely a factor in the story. It exists, sure, but it’s less “science-fiction conspiracy” and more “historical sightseeing tool.” You won’t be getting yanked out of the past for mandatory modern-day plot dumps—Ubisoft is keeping the focus where it belongs: on Japan, shinobi, and samurai duels.

Feudal Japan Is the Main Event—Not Assassin vs. Templar Drama

Historically, Assassin’s Creed games revolve around the eternal battle between Assassins (freedom-loving rebels) and Templars (order-obsessed overlords). That conflict still exists in Shadows, but it’s not the driving force of the story.

Instead, the game is fully centred around feudal Japan’s internal power struggles during the late Sengoku period. Think political intrigue, warlords vying for dominance, and a divided nation on the brink of unification. The Assassin-Templar rivalry? It’s background noise compared to the real conflicts happening in Japan.

Critics have pointed out that Shadows plays more like a samurai and ninja drama than a traditional AC game. So if you’re jumping in purely for the setting, stealth, and katana duels, you’re in the right place.

Yasuke and Naoe Don’t Know the Assassin’s Creed Lore Either

Another reason Shadows works as a great entry point is that its two main protagonists, Yasuke and Naoe, are also not deeply embedded in Assassin-Templar lore.

• Naoe, the shinobi, has ties to the Assassin Brotherhood, but she’s not walking around delivering lore-heavy monologues about Ezio, Altair, or the ancient war.
• Yasuke, the samurai, is entirely new to this world. He’s never been an Assassin, doesn’t care about Templars, and isn’t bogged down by centuries of Creed history.

Since Yasuke is also a newcomer, players unfamiliar with the franchise will experience the world through his perspective, making the game more immersive and approachable.

What About the Hidden Blades, Leap of Faith, and AC Tropes?

If you’re worried that Shadows won’t feel like an Assassin’s Creed game because of its standalone nature, don’t be. The iconic elements of the series are still here, just without all the franchise baggage. The Hidden Blade, Leap of Faith, stealth assassinations, and parkour movement are as refined as ever. If anything, the stealth mechanics have been improved, making this the most assassin-like experience since the franchise pivoted to RPGs. The only difference? You won’t need to know a decade’s worth of lore to enjoy them.

For longtime fans, Ubisoft has left breadcrumbs and Easter eggs that connect Shadows to the larger Assassin’s Creed universe. The Animus Hub, an in-game lore database, will eventually be updated to include additional backstory and series-wide connections. However, Ubisoft has confirmed that this content is entirely optional, and at launch, it’s not even that fleshed out.

Translation: If you don’t care about Assassin’s Creed’s deep lore, you can ignore it completely. But if you do care, there’s bonus material to explore.

Jump In Without Fear—Shadows Is Built for Everyone

Unlike earlier entries where skipping past games meant missing vital plot points, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is designed as a fresh starting point. If your last AC experience was sneaking around Renaissance Italy as Ezio, or if you’ve never touched the series at all, you won’t feel lost. Ubisoft has made sure that Shadows functions as a self-contained story, allowing players to enjoy the stealth, combat, and historical immersion without needing a franchise refresher.

In short: If you’ve been waiting for the perfect moment to jump into Assassin’s Creed, this is it. And if you still feel guilty about skipping past games, just remember—even Yasuke doesn’t know what an Isu is.