Destructoid Changelog: Assassin's Creed leaves the shadows

Hello everyone, and welcome to the latest issue of Destructoid Changelog. This week’s biggest game is Assassin’s Creed Shadows, and thankfully, it’s been worth the wait, but there’s more to come for Monster Hunter Wilds, too.

Feudal Feuds

If you’ve been under a rock recently, you may have missed how Assassin’s Creed Shadows launched this week. So much of the pre-game discussion centered around its place in the (frankly ridiculous) culture wars, that it’s easy to forget it’s the franchise’s long-awaited debut in a Japan setting.

It’s something fans have asked for over the last two decades, and thankfully, it doesn’t waste its shot. Shadows is staggeringly beautiful (particularly on PS5 Pro, if you watch the Digital Foundry analysis)—but it’s much more than that. An Assassin’s Creed game that does a fairly good job of catering to classic fans who would otherwise only have Mirage on the stealth side of things, and the newer, RPG model debuted in Origins and running up to Valhalla in 2020.

This manifests as two drastically different playstyles that dovetail nicely. Yasuke is a hulking force, capable of knocking down doors and charging through enemies, but he’s hardly the most subtle assailant, occasionally falling from rope walkways and landing with a thud.

Naoe is lithe, able to slip into the shadows and use tools to her advantage, but she’s also relatively fragile. Learning to pilot each character is tantamount to success, and it makes Shadows feel like an entry that caters to any prior fans, regardless of the era they joined the journey.

Whether it’s the kind of title that will sway newcomers or those who have rejected the way of the Creed in the past is unclear yet, but early signs are promising.

Mo’ Monsters

Last month’s Monster Hunter Wilds is still putting up big numbers (at least on Steam, where we can track the data), and as promised, Capcom is teasing more details for the game’s post-launch roadmap next week.

The first free update will get more details on March 28 (7pm PT/2pm GMT), showcasing fresh additions, notably the arrival of the “Bubble Dragon” Mizutsune as a new monster tackle.

If you were having fun but wanted things to be a little more difficult, you should get your wish. The update, which is slated for April, will introduce “a monster of formidable strength at a level above Tempered” alongside the aforementioned Mizutsune, which is music to our ears.

Ready to step up to the plate, Hunters?

The Future Looks Bright

This week saw the return of the Future Games Show, with the Spring Showcase 2025 marking the company’s first of the year.

Showcasing a whole host of games we’ll be playing this year (many in the next couple of months), we got another look at Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, South of Midnight, and Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny.

There’s truly too much to run through here, but big announcements include the System Shock 2 25th Anniversary Remaster being dated for June 26, as well as a new open-world survival title from Bloober Team and Skybound, I Hate This Place.

Finally, one for classic shooter fans—Painkiller is returning via 3D Realms and Saber Interactive, and will launch this year.

That’s all for today, but we’ll be back next week. Thanks for subscribing!

Destructoid team