When the open-world started taking on RPG trappings with branching dialog trees and diverging story in Assassin's Creed Origins, fans were divided, since that meant major complications for the lore fiends invested in piecing the series' story together. With Assassin's Creed Shadows, Ubisoft aims to accommodate that side of the fandom with a "canon mode" that makes the choices for you.
"As for choices, they are present, and some have an impact but play less of a branching role than on Odyssey on the core narrative," creative director Jonathon Dumont says in a Reddit AMA. "Choices come more into play when recruiting allies and romance some of the characters. Since the fan base is divided on branching dialogues, we have incorporated an option called CANON MODE which allows you to play the game with choices already made for you, to give you a choice free experience. Hope this makes it fun for everyone."
The series previously gestured at the idea of a canon mode in Assassin's Creed Valhalla by allowing you to "let the Animus choose" protagonist Eivor's gender at the start of the game. This option presented Eivor canonically as a woman, though because of meta-story shenanigans it also allowed you to play a male version of the character at a few points throughout.
The tension between the needs of the franchise's overarching narrative and the open-ended choices the recent games have given players who want more freedom came to a head in 2019 with the DLC for Assassin's Creed Odyssey. While the game allowed you to choose who you wanted to romance throughout, leaving players free to make the protagonist gay, straight, or bisexual, the DLC story initially locked you into a heterosexual romance to kick off a bloodline important to the series' overall narrative. Here's hoping that the introduction of this canon mode for Shadows can offer the best of both worlds for players who want freedom and those who want storyline consistency.
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