Skip to main content

Andy Serkis shows you around Paris in Assassin’s Creed Unity’s Project Widow

assassins creed unity patch delayed paris refurbishment
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Ubisoft has launched a virtual tour of modern day Paris with narration by Andy Serkis (voice and mocap actor of Gollum fame) as a promotion for Assassin’s Creed Unity. Called Project Widow, the tour takes you around major Parisian landmarks like The Bastille and Notre Dame in a Google Maps-like immersive interface.

By looking around you can uncover bits of trivia and game videos, up to a total of 119 “recovered memories.” There is also a metagame of spreading revolution that seems to be based on the number of people exploring and sharing the site via social media, though there is no indication yet what will happen when a critical mass is achieved.

Recommended Videos

Assassin’s Creed Unity kicks off your adventures in revolutionary France on November 11 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

Will Fulton
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Will Fulton is a New York-based writer and theater-maker. In 2011 he co-founded mythic theater company AntiMatter Collective…
Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ blend of old and new is a recipe for success
Yasuke in Assassin's Creed Shadows fighting an enemy. He's dressed in his samurai armor.

Assassin's Creed Shadows was officially revealed a couple of weeks ago in a beefy cinematic trailer showing off its dual protagonists, Yasuke and Naoe. It's a big moment for fans of the series, as Shadows is finally the Feudal Japan Assassin's Creed game fans have been asking for since it was teased back in the very first entry in the franchise in 2007.

Does it live up to that long wait? Ahead of today's Ubisoft Forward stream, I saw an extended gameplay presentation for Assassin's Creed Shadows that gave me a much better sense of what to expect this fall. The team behind it is looking to blend newer series entries like Valhalla, Odyssey, and Origins into the more traditional Assassin's Creed titles from over a decade ago. And that seems like it could be a winning formula.
Out of the shadows
During the presentation, I saw both of Shadows' playable characters in action -- and they're quite different from one another. Yasuke's Samurai stature and hulking physique command respect from villagers when he walks by. They bow to him, move out of his way, and clearly show signs of admiration. His combat skills also match this, giving him access to actions like a shoulder charge to break down doors or knock enemies off balance.

Read more
Can’t wait for Assassin’s Creed Shadows? Play these games instead
Yasuke in Assassin's Creed Shadows fighting an enemy. He's dressed in his samurai armor.

Ubisoft unveiled Assassin's Creed Shadows last week, giving us our first real glimpse at the first Assassin's Creed game to be set in Japan. Its Feudal Japan setting is something that fans of Assassin's Creed have craved for a long time, and while it's awesome that Ubisoft is finally delivering that concept, some other games did beat it to the punch. Many other developers have noticed how fruitful a historical Japan setting can be, from its feudal era all the way until the West started to intervene in the Edo period. As a result, there are quite a few games that I can recommend you check out while you're waiting for Assassin's Creed Shadows' November 15 launch.

The five games I'm recommending all range in size. Three of them are AAA action games, all set in different eras of Japanese history that immerse players in different ways. Meanwhile, the other two games I'm spotlighting are more experimental titles that, while not directly comparable to Assassin's Creed Shadows from a gameplay perspective, are still well worth your time if Japanese history and culture intrigue you.
Ghost of Tsushima

Read more
No, Assassin’s Creed Shadows won’t be online only
Yasuke in Assassin's Creed Shadows fighting an enemy. He's dressed in his samurai armor.

Despite fan concerns that the recently announced Assassin's Creed Shadows would be online-only, Ubisoft has confirmed that this won't be the case.

The Assassin's Creed team posted a statement on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday to clarify that the game would only need an online connection to install, and then can be played completely offline after.

Read more