Assassin’s Creed Shadows Movements Reviewed by Two Parkour Athletes

Assassin’s Creed Mirage's parkour faced the scrutiny of two professional parkour athletes. Their insights reveal the game's balance between realistic movement and fictional liberties, offering a fascinating look at the development process.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage: A Parkour Reality Check

A "Hate Crime Against Parkour"?

In a recent PC Gamer Reality Check video (March 15th), Toby Segar and Benj Cave of STORROR, a renowned UK parkour team, dissected Assassin’s Creed Mirage's parkour, comparing it to previous entries and their own parkour game, STORROR Parkour Pro. While fans of the series, their analysis highlighted discrepancies. Segar, for example, labeled a specific climbing technique, the "alpine knee," a "hate crime against parkour," citing the significant risk of knee injury from the weight distribution.

Cave further pointed out unrealistic aspects, such as seemingly effortless climbs and precarious balancing acts, along with the characters' unlimited stamina. He emphasized the stark contrast with real-life parkour, which demands careful planning, assessment, and controlled movements, not the continuous, unbroken flow depicted in the game.

While acknowledging the fictional nature of the game, the developers clearly strived for a degree of realism. An interview with IGN (January) revealed that the game's delayed release stemmed from meticulous refinement of the parkour mechanics.

Recreating Feudal Japan

Beyond parkour, Ubisoft's commitment to historical accuracy shines through the game's "Cultural Discovery" feature (Ubisoft website, March 18th). As explained by Ubisoft Editorial Comms Manager Chastity Vicencio, the in-game Codex offers over 125 detailed entries on the history, art, and culture of Japan's Azuchi-Momoyama period, compiled with the help of historians and museum resources. This surpasses the historical content found in Assassin's Creed Mirage's "History of Baghdad" feature.

However, recreating Feudal Japan presented significant challenges (The Guardian, March 17th). In interviews, developers Marc-Alexis Coté (Executive Producer) and Johnathan Dumont (Creative Director) shared the extensive research and development involved, including trips to Kyoto and Osaka, collaboration with historians, and overcoming hurdles like accurately depicting the unique light conditions of Japan's mountainous regions. The team’s dedication to authenticity is evident in Coté's statement: "The expectations have been this high throughout. It’s been a challenge."

Assassin’s Creed Mirage launches March 20th, 2025, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Stay tuned for further updates!