Assassin's Creed Shadows is the latest game in the Assassin's Creed series. After years of waiting on an AC game set in Feudal Japan, players were eager to jump in. Unfortunately, not everything is perfect in the newest titles in the series. A severe focus on equipment and leveling up makes the game a bit more of an annoyance than many would like to admit. While it isn't perfect, the game is still enjoyable, but one thing makes it even better, and that is the guaranteed assassination mode. It doesn't take away the grind, but it makes the gameplay feel much better and partially returns that old-school Assassin's Creed feeling from the earlier games in the series.

What is guaranteed assassination mode?

Turn yourself into a killer

The Assassin's Creed series has changed a lot over the years. In the original game, enemies could be killed simply by walking up to them and using your hidden blade. This unique spin on a game during this time helped Assassin's Creed stand out. Since Assassin's Creed Origins, the series has taken a turn toward being more of an RPG. Since then, the games have become far more focused on getting gear, leveling up, exploring massive environments, and gaining new skills. This has also led to newer titles feeling a bit out of place when compared to those that started the franchise.

Guaranteed assassination mode helps return the feeling of the earlier titles in the series by allowing Naoe, the resident shinobi in Assassin's Creed Shadows, to instantly kill her opponents. There are some limitations to this mode, however, that I will get into later. For now, all you need to know is that it allows your assassin to actually assassinate targets whenever she stays hidden.

A limited assassin

With too many rules

Assassinations in Assassin's Creed used to mean something. When you entered an area, you knew what target you needed to take out and, if you managed to reach them stealthily enough, you could execute the assassination successfully. Along the way, Ubisoft decided to make the games more RPG-like. This isn't inherently a bad thing, but the way it was implemented took away from the franchise's core aspect.

In the most recent game, Assassin's Creed Shadows, Naoe has a lot of rules that prevent her from being a full-fledged assassin. These constraints are what clothing she is wearing, what weapons she is using, and what skills she has unlocked. On top of this, you need to worry about denied assassinations.

Beginning with the equipment, Naoe is required to swap armor and weapons to increase her damage output and give her different abilities. One that was shown off before the game launched was that changing her headgear allowed her to deal extra damage to a second aerial assassination target. Things like this take away from the immersion of the game. Needing to focus on what weapons and armor you are wearing when assassinating a target makes the game more tedious.

Even if your armor and weapons are the best around, you still need to worry about denied assassinations. This can happen from you being too low level, the enemy has too much health, or because you are seen during an assassination attempt. Being spotted makes sense, but not having the right equipment to finish the job can be a bit of a stretch.

Be the assassin you want to be

One who gets the job done

Guaranteed assassination mode removes the constraints that the base game gives you and allows you to experience Assassin's Creed Shadows as a proper assassin. Instead of the game being more of an RPG, it reverts the gameplay style to be closer to the original titles, allowing you to stealthily sneak around and assassinate targets. Of course, some parts of the game remain the same. You will still have access to parts of the skill tree as increasing your character's abilities is still a necessity, and you will still be able to change your equipment, but the game takes on a whole new feel that helped me get more immersed into the main assassin character. After all, this type of stealth gameplay is what the series started with.

I just want to be an assassin

If you are tired of the more RPG-style mechanics, like the need to focus on your equipment and constantly be concerned about your level, turning on guaranteed assassinations is a great way to make Assassin's Creed Shadows feel more immersive. To me, the series has become too focused on leveling up and collecting items. I miss the days of prowling the streets and stalking your opponent before going in for the strike. Nowadays, it feels like Ubisoft is trying to make all of its games feel similar to each other. If you have the time, try out guaranteed assassination mode. You might just thank yourself for doing so.