When you experience the gusts of wind in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, the environment truly comes to life. Leaves swirl upwards, the grass sways gently, and Naoe’s hair dances with the breeze. These effects greatly enhance the game’s dynamic seasons and weather system. Surprisingly, according to a Digital Foundry interview with the game’s rendering engineers, what feels like wind is actually an invisible fluid simulation.
Yes, you read that right. The convincing wind physics are the result of fluid simulation algorithms interacting with the environment. This technique is not new and has effectively been employed in various games, ranging from God of War to Dwarf Fortress. So, it made perfect sense for developers to use it here too.
The talented folks at Ubisoft developed something called the Atmos system for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, designed to complement the game’s seasonal themes. As Naoe progresses through her journey of vengeance, the seasons shift along with her two life phases. You could find yourself trudging through a snow-covered Japanese landscape at one moment, only to dash across lush, green fields once the snow melts away. Interestingly, players even gain the ability to switch seasons at will.
Coupled with incredible new ray-traced lighting effects, Assassin’s Creed Shadows might just be one of the most visually stunning games to date. Personally, it’s the first instance where ray tracing feels indispensable in crafting a mood and enriching the narrative. Digital Foundry delves into the specifics, but essentially, the game enhances older tech with ray tracing to illuminate scenes more authentically. Standing inside, for instance, the shoji screens emit a soft glow, while outdoor shadows deepen in areas where sunlight cannot penetrate. Turn ray tracing off, and the vivid contrasts fade, draining the world of its vibrancy. This distinction is so significant that experts describe it as a "generational divide in lighting fidelity."
For those pondering a PlayStation 5 Pro or a gaming rig equipped with a 50-series Nvidia graphics card, Assassin’s Creed Shadows makes a compelling case. The game runs seamlessly at 60 frames per second with ray tracing on the Pro, and will support Sony’s PSSR upscaling technology in a future patch. On PCs, both DLSS and Frame Generation ensure a smooth experience at 60 fps on an RTX 4070 or newer.
The visual splendor is just one part of why all this graphics power is worth it. The game’s dynamic elements—like the way you can slice through bamboo or how the wind interacts with the world—elevate the level of interactivity, evoking that same immersive feel you might recognize from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. With Assassin’s Creed Shadows, the bar has been raised, not simply for hyper-realistic visuals, but for crafting a vibrant, dynamic world waiting for players to explore.
