They called it Assassin’s Creed Shadows because it’s too dark to see anything

Shadow of the assassin’s beliefs It takes place near the end of what is known as the hilar period in Japan around 1579. This was 300 years before the advent of incandescent light bulbs. So it makes sense that once the sun sets, the world we will find inhabited by co-protagonists Naoe and Yasuke. dark.

Now I am not on the side of anyone who suggests that makers of assassin beliefs are drawn back from their dedication to the concept of historical accuracy. It’s one of my favorite elements of the franchise – that’s why I highly recommend playing Shadow of the assassin’s beliefs In immersive mode.

But sometimes, historical accuracy should take the back seat playfully.

Aside from the first cutscene, the opening of Shadow of the assassin’s beliefs – Introduction to both Yasuke and Naoe – Completely held at night. For the former character, this setting becomes an impressive scene when the warlord Nobunaga burns Iga State and burns to the ground. Yasuke’s face is lit by a massive fire as he admits to Nobunaga that the size of the casualties of this war gives him some pause.

The perspective immediately moves to Naoe. Naoe has to take on a vital mission because her father is feeling sick. Get artifacts from the khohun and grave. At this point I began to wonder if I needed to change the image settings in my game or computer monitor. Because as Naoe, I had little chance of seeing who was fighting or where I was going. Certainly, there is a moon at night, but its pale glow often spreads, even if it is not obscure by the clouds.

This could be what the developer intended. Well, they didn’t want players to be difficult to see what they were doing, but the lighting design was meant to convey the senses of Nae’s character. Covered by the darkness, I raw my tall grass and ran out to assassinate the soldiers of the Nobunaga invasion force.

However, as long as the moon is completely visible in the night sky, playing with HDR doesn’t seem to provide me with much lighting. When the game first taught parkour controls, I missed the jump. Because we couldn’t see a pillar in the middle of the gap that Nae was about to cross. Above you can see some (unedited) screenshots of Naoe riding the night I took while playing.

You may be thinking, This is how to do it Should Become. After all, this was the time in Japanese history when the only human-made lighting in existence constituted the lantern illuminated by the oil-burning flame within it (there are no candles yet!). The manufacturer Shadow of the assassin’s beliefs Here we made some historical concessions: technically, a paper lantern you see anywhere in the game, AndonIt was not widely used until the Edo period, which began in the early 1600s.

Of course I’m not suggesting that Shadow of the assassin’s beliefs‘The feudal Japanese version should be lit by a kerosene lamp or LED spotlight. But this is where the direction of art can make a huge difference. Consider soccer punch production Tsushima’s GhostIt is set in the Hancheon period, an even earlier period in Japan’s history, when Mongols first invaded the country in the late 13th century.

Taking inspiration from classic Japanese films like Equestrian Crimson works – in a very literal sense – the suction cup punch went with a bold, high contrast look Tsushima’s Ghost It has made the idea of ​​a samurai come true as it exists in the popular imagination (even if it is almost mythical). Like Shadow of the assassin’s beliefsthe game has a one-night cycle, but the moon may be a huge floodlight in the sky. Even when a thunderstorm hits at night, the environment is not black.

Again, for developers Shadow of the assassin’s beliefs Here we made a deliberate creative decision – if you want players to experience the fantasy of ninjas by ramming through the darkness like Nae, I respect them, we respect the vision. That infamous dark behind filmmaker game of thrones The episode certainly stuck to their guns when it came to filming a battle scene where Firelight was lit, and they were not interested in the audience’s complaints. However, game developers striving for different kinds of real life accuracy often make concessions for playability and fun. Think about “realism” that jumps out of a 10-storey building into a hay veil. As for me, I’m in my 40s, but my eyesight isn’t as good as before, so I just need to increase the brightness.