Great article! If I recall correctly, Assasin's Creed Shadows also received criticism for initially planning to release on the 30th anniversary of the Tokyo sarin attack. It's crazy how much controversy there has been surrounding this game.
I hadn't heard that - interesting! The consensus seems to be that leaving the controversies aside, it's actually a pretty good game. So perhaps a happy ending for Ubisoft...
Contrasting the initial ability to destroy shrines with the decision that players can't hunt the abundant wildlife (explicitly for 'cultural reasons') almost makes you wonder, given the Nobunaga precedent you laid out, if they specifically wanted to embrace historically accurate samurai demolition as a gameplay feature.
Reminds me of Ghost of Tsushima (though set much earlier), which handled some of these things differently. Have you had a chance to play it? It's a masterpiece, and its historical themes were actually what led me to discover your fantastic work (also masterpieces – currently loving The Light of Asia!).
Its sequel, Ghost of Yotei, is set to release later this year, exploring Hokkaido in 1603 (so right after the Sengoku period of AC:S). It'll likely touch on the unification's aftermath and the beginnings of Ainu cultural suppression. Honestly, if I worked marketing at Sony, I'd be trying to get you on a podcast ASAP! Since I don't, I'll just cross my fingers that maybe you'll write about it sometime around the release. Love reading your takes on video game / Japanese history intersections. Keep up the great work!
Great article! If I recall correctly, Assasin's Creed Shadows also received criticism for initially planning to release on the 30th anniversary of the Tokyo sarin attack. It's crazy how much controversy there has been surrounding this game.
I hadn't heard that - interesting! The consensus seems to be that leaving the controversies aside, it's actually a pretty good game. So perhaps a happy ending for Ubisoft...
Contrasting the initial ability to destroy shrines with the decision that players can't hunt the abundant wildlife (explicitly for 'cultural reasons') almost makes you wonder, given the Nobunaga precedent you laid out, if they specifically wanted to embrace historically accurate samurai demolition as a gameplay feature.
Reminds me of Ghost of Tsushima (though set much earlier), which handled some of these things differently. Have you had a chance to play it? It's a masterpiece, and its historical themes were actually what led me to discover your fantastic work (also masterpieces – currently loving The Light of Asia!).
Its sequel, Ghost of Yotei, is set to release later this year, exploring Hokkaido in 1603 (so right after the Sengoku period of AC:S). It'll likely touch on the unification's aftermath and the beginnings of Ainu cultural suppression. Honestly, if I worked marketing at Sony, I'd be trying to get you on a podcast ASAP! Since I don't, I'll just cross my fingers that maybe you'll write about it sometime around the release. Love reading your takes on video game / Japanese history intersections. Keep up the great work!
Interesting - thank you. I'm going to explore these games - and will make a note to write something about Ghost of Yotei!