Assassin’s Creed Shadows voice actor Masumi reflects on her first video game performance

Singer-songwriter, actor, and current voice actor for video games Masumi are not used to playing Japanese assassins grieving over the loss of their father. She starred as a yakuza heir in 2021 Yakuza Princess – Her “breakout movie” as she calls it. Then she booked a new challenge: naoe, shinobi assassin hero Shadow of the assassin’s beliefsthe latest entry in Ubisoft’s AAA franchise, released on Thursday.

Masumi’s performance as Naoe is the heartbeat of the game along with that of Tongayi Chirisa, who voices the other protagonists, based on the historical figure Yasuke. During game opening hours, it is Naoe’s voice that will guide you as you gain your footing in feudal Japan. passthecontroller was chatted with Masumi on the phone on Tuesday. It’s only hours after the game’s reviews were published online elsewhere. We talked about Naoe’s story, voice performances, and MoCap’s challenges.

(Editor’s note: This interview has been compiled for Comcision and Clarity. )

passthecontroller: Do you connect with the Naoe character, or did you have to enter another space for this character?

Mass Media: Yeah, honestly, everything about Naoe really attracted me right away when I auditioned. She is a very powerful and layered character. She is fierce and determined. In other words, she carries the weight of the world and the past she has, and she is fighting for her future. So when I first got the story and learned about her journey, I felt quite connected to her. And while she’s not just a warrior, she’s someone who has to navigate this truly complicated world of loyalty, revenge and finding herself. So there were a lot of things that I really resonated with her.

What I really enjoy about her is that she is so small. This sounds like this natural choice for the assassin character, but in reality it’s not necessarily the case for the protagonist of past Assassin creeds. What is it like to play an assassin?

This is not the first time I’ve played a female assassin character. I was able to play (one) Yakuza Princessshe was also an assassin, and it was like my breakout movie. So I always got (to get) playing these really strong female characters complicated from the start. So when I got Shadow of the assassin’s beliefsand Nae was even more excited. Because she is not only complicated and strong, but she can experience it in Japan during this most intense time. So I feel that being able to play her is really empowering. We also hope that players feel empowered to travel Nae.

You know this is your first video game. How does that experience differ from other acting experiences?

Motion capture is a whole new experience and is a very unique challenge as you act in a huge empty space with no sets or costumes. So you really have to use your imagination and trust your body to bring the character to life. You also trust that your partner will always be there for you. Because we have all these kinds of limitations. And it was an interesting challenge.

Also, there was a little Giro in our world and he was a great kid actor. For him, it was really difficult to get used to the headset (…). And he was a bit nauseated, so we had to navigate it. I also get nauseous at first, and I had to get used to it. And we have to make sure he can calm down with nausea and then take a break to get back to it. You don’t know these challenges until you actually do it.

Also, voiceover was a completely different challenge. Because with MoCap you can at least express yourself throughout your body, but in Vo it’s just your voice. So you have to convey everything through tone, breathing and energy. And I didn’t realize I had to do, like 100 different breaths, and I didn’t have to pay much attention to what breathing patterns they were. That was really interesting. But honestly, all the challenges were really rewarding. I was able to learn that much.

This is a bit odd to tell you, but in the version I’m playing, the breathing goes through the controller, so it’s closer to the ear than the rest of the soundtrack, so it’s really immersed. So don’t worry that they are being used effectively.

Have you had a lot of gaming experience?

I’ve never actually played video games, but my husband does. Yes, we were playing couples games, especially during Covid. I don’t know if you know video games Don’t starve together.

Understood, thank you. (LOL) I’m glad you know this. It was a game I played a lot. Because you don’t really need any skills in the game. But anyway, my husband bought a PlayStation as soon as he found out he had got this job, so I have to play it. That means it doesn’t matter if you have the skills or not. I want to see the world. I heard it’s really beautiful.

You should definitely do it. It’s not too difficult, don’t worry. It’s probably a strange experience to hear your own voice. Do you usually see your performance?

Yes, because I started as a singer-songwriter. So I went to a music school in Los Angeles. And before acting, I was doing music for the big chunks of life. In music, you need to listen. That’s the only way you can grow. So I’m used to hearing my singing voice, but this is not a song. This is literally speaking and screaming. And sometimes I get mad. I’m furious in many cases – let’s be honest. So I’ve never heard my voice like that.

Are there any particular scenes or plot points that really resonated when you were doing it?

It’s different between movie-like and vo, and I think there were more Vo sessions than films. But in cinemas it was always about the intensity of the scene. There were a lot of intense scenes. And I can quickly think about some. (…) One of them is the moment when Yasuke and I pass through this. “It can be very heartbreaking because I started like an enemy, and that story was one of the toughest stories I’ve ever had to immerse myself in order to truly understand the emotions that Nae was going through. And if you see that scene, I think it’s just hard for everyone to imagine themselves emotionally (it).

And at the VO booth it was even more difficult – (Gasp) I was about to ruin it, honey! I was about to corrupt it. (smile) (…) Well, there were scenes with my family, and they were really tough because I need to balance it: how much emotion would I give it as a mass media, or should I give it as Nae, who has already become an assassin and has seen so much suffering throughout her journey? So the balance was really tough. There are some moments where I really want to talk about it, but I can’t. But yeah, that’s around my family. That’s how I leave it.