When you play Assassin’s Creed Shadows and the wind begins to blow, the environment comes alive in remarkable ways. The leaves flutter upwards, the grass moves in a lively dance, and Naoe’s hair sways gently with each breeze. This captivating visual effect enhances the game’s dynamic seasonal and weather systems. In an insightful chat with Digital Foundry, some of the game’s rendering engineers revealed that what we’re experiencing as wind is actually a clever simulation of invisible fluid.
Surprisingly, the realistic wind effects are crafted using a fluid simulation that navigates through the game world. This isn’t a new trick in the gaming industry; in fact, similar techniques have been successfully utilized in games like God of War and Dwarf Fortress. So, naturally, it fits seamlessly into the world of Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
Ubisoft has dubbed this dynamic weather system “Atmos,” tailored specifically for the game’s seasonal cycle. Naoe’s quest for vengeance unfolds through two pivotal phases of her life, with seasons changing alongside her story. One moment, you find yourself wading through deep winter snow in the serene Japanese countryside, only to sprint across lush green fields as the snow recedes. Eventually, you’ll even gain the ability to alter the seasons at will.
Paired with the game’s innovative ray-traced lighting, Assassin’s Creed Shadows emerges as a visual masterpiece. For the first time in my gaming experience, ray tracing feels indispensable in establishing an atmosphere that truly enhances storytelling. Digital Foundry breaks down the technical aspects, but essentially, ray tracing amplifies the game’s lighting by integrating it with existing technology. Indoors, shoji screens emit a warm glow, while outdoors, objects cast deeper shadows where sunlight doesn’t reach. Without ray tracing, the rich contrasts fade, leaving the game world less vibrant. As the experts at Digital Foundry say, it’s akin to a “generational divide in lighting fidelity.”
Playing Assassin’s Creed Shadows makes a strong case for upgrading to a PlayStation 5 Pro or a high-end gaming PC with a 50-series Nvidia graphics card. On the PS5 Pro, the game runs smoothly at 60 frames per second with ray tracing enabled, and it is set to fully support Sony’s PSSR upscaling in a future update. On PCs, using DLSS and Frame Generation, you can effortlessly achieve 60 fps on an RTX 4070 or newer model.
Harnessing all that computing power is rewarding because it’s not just about lighting. Dynamic elements like the wind and the ability to slice through bamboo elevate the interactivity and tactile experience of the game, reminiscent of the feel in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. By leveraging modern technology not merely for hyper-realistic visuals but to craft an immersive, living world, Assassin’s Creed Shadows has set a new benchmark in gaming experiences.
