After spending years wandering the open-world wilderness, chasing RPG mechanics and forgetting that Assassin’s Creed was once about stealth, verticality, and actual parkour, Ubisoft has done the unthinkable: it’s admitting that Unity might have done something right.
In an apology and Hail Mary move, Assassin’s Creed: Shadows has received a parkour system update. Not only a simple tweak, Ubisoft has actually improved one of the franchise’s most neglected pillars, and this time, fans didn’t even have to storm the gates of Reddit to be heard. There were releases after releases in the form of AC Odyssey, Valhalla, and Shadows, but without the parkour the fans were hoping for. Thankfully, the developers set their minds to pay attention to it.
Unity’s Parkour Legacy is the One Thing Everyone Agrees On
If there’s one thing the Assassin’s Creed community can agree on across the countless timelines, confusing lore, and periodic betrayal by microtransactions, it’s that Assassin’s Creed Unity had the best parkour system in the series. Hands down. No debate.
Even though the game was a technical disaster at launch. But the way Arno navigated Paris is poetry in motion. Side-ejects, controlled descent, and responsive animation blending were an art form. Then Ubisoft inexplicably tossed it into the Seine and never looked back—until now.
When AC Shadows launched, the reception was about as divided as a multiplayer lobby in For Honor. Some players praised the atmosphere and narrative ambition, while others couldn’t get over the creative liberties (read: an African samurai in feudal Japan). Add to that a parkour system that felt more like auto-climb with lag, and you had a game stuck between two identities: RPG ambition and assassin legacy.
With the latest update, Ubisoft has improved parkour, most notably for Naoe. The update introduces a refined side-eject, drawing straight from Unity’s acrobatic playbook. It’s not a full rebuild, but it’s a start. And to be honest, it’s more than fans were expecting from a publisher that usually prioritizes neon cosmetics over actual mechanics.
Ubisoft is in Damage Control Mode, But that’s a Good Thing
Ubisoft hasn’t won any fan-favorite awards lately, and they didn’t actually care about that these past few years until their release earned good feedback. Between formulaic open worlds, lukewarm sequels, and some eyebrow-raising monetization schemes, the studio was fast becoming the cautionary tale of AAA fatigue. But lately, there are signs of life. It’s because they now starting to realize that they have to do something.
The giant company has entered what can only be described as “reputation rehab.” Rainbow Six Siege X is looking nice, and now with Assassin’s Creed Shadows receiving the desired parkour, tangible updates based on actual player feedback, it’s clear someone upstairs realized that ignoring negative reviews isn’t a sustainable business model.
For years, Assassin’s Creed fans have begged Ubisoft to remember what made the franchise iconic thanks to hidden blades, historical intrigue, and athletic rooftop shenanigans. The move toward RPG mechanics wasn’t inherently bad (Odyssey and Valhalla have their fans), but it came at the cost of a core gameplay loop that set the series apart.
If you remember, Ubisoft didn’t even bother to add hidden blade in Odyssey, leave more expectations in the corner. Valhalla made assassinations optional, and at one point, the series about sneaky rooftop murder was just Viking cosplay with side quests. Though for now, Ubisoft has acknowledged that legacy matters with Shadows’ parkour facelift because this feature is the mechanical soul of the franchise.
Despite all the past bad habits of the company, Ubisoft has now done the hard part and admitted a mistake. That alone deserves some credit in an industry that too often doubles down on bad design. But this can’t be a one-off fix. If Assassin’s Creed Shadows is going to have a legacy beyond “the one with the ninja and the historical debate,” then this parkour update needs to be the start of a movement, not a patch note buried in a changelog.
If Ubisoft stays the course by improving movement, doubling down on stealth, and not forgetting that being an assassin used to mean more than having a skill tree, we might witness the classic franchise we remember. And dare we say, the one we deserve.
