Assassin’s Creed Shadows Immersive Mode, explained

The Assassin's Creed franchise has always strived to immerse players in diverse historical cultures. Assassin's Creed Shadows takes this commitment a significant step further by offering an unprecedented level of immersion in 16th-century Japan. Let's explore the game's Immersive Mode.

What Does Immersive Mode Do in Assassin's Creed Shadows?

In most Assassin's Creed games, character dialogue is modernized, rarely reflecting the characters' native languages. While Assassin's Creed Shadows largely follows this pattern, Immersive Mode changes that.

With Immersive Mode activated, characters speak primarily in their historically accurate languages. This means the voiceover language is locked to Japanese, enhancing authenticity. However, the game intelligently incorporates Portuguese dialogue where appropriate, reflecting the presence of Jesuits and Yasuke's interactions with them. This linguistic accuracy significantly boosts the game's historical immersion. While players could somewhat mimic this effect in previous games (e.g., using the Arabic dub in Mirage), Immersive Mode represents a substantial leap forward for the Assassin's Creed series.

Should You Turn On Immersive Mode in Assassin's Creed Shadows?

The primary drawback of Immersive Mode is that it replaces the English voice cast's performances. However, the Japanese and Portuguese voice actors deliver equally compelling performances.

Assassin's Creed Shadows provides extensive subtitle options, allowing you to follow the dialogue in your preferred language regardless of the audio settings. Immersive Mode can be toggled on or off in the audio settings menu at any time; a simple reload from your last save applies the change. Unlike the game's Canon Mode, this setting isn't locked for the entire playthrough. Experimenting with Immersive Mode carries no risk. For the most authentic Assassin's Creed Shadows experience, Immersive Mode offers a powerful way to transport yourself back in time. We hope to see this feature in future titles.

Assassin's Creed Shadows is available now on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.