Time rifts aren’t the only glitches in Assassin’s Creed Unity’s matrix

Oh, the horror! Assassin's Creed Unity glitches are pure, unadultered nightmare fuel

By Will Fulton Published November 13, 2014

time rifts arent glitches assassins creed unitys matrix 2 ac unity glitch — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Thousands of assassins have taken to the streets of revolutionary Paris in Ubisoft’s newly launched Assassin’s Creed Unity, and as is so often the case with sprawling, open world games like this, loads of glitches have come to light. These range from the prosaic and silly to the strange and sort of horrifying.

Related: When NBA2K15‘s face scanning goes wrong, it goes really, profoundly, wrong

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Of course the usual fare of characters clipping or falling completely through environments have showed up. The real winner, though, is a glitch wherein characters’ heads disappear, leaving you talking to nightmare visions consisting of disembodied eyes and mouths. Here are some of our favorites, culled from Twitter:

All the AC: Unity glitch gifs just make me realize how much untapped potential there is for slapstick comedy in games pic.twitter.com/bVsjFRlzMu

— Scott Jon Siegel is @numberless@xoxo.zone (@numberless) November 12, 2014

My favourite AC: Unity glitch so far has invisible race karts – http://t.co/EFAGjXVl9V

— Tom Phillips (@tomphillipsEG) November 12, 2014

https://twitter.com/AShimmyDance/status/532396870166122499

https://twitter.com/HanFreakinSolo/status/532631178801856512

https://twitter.com/PressTheButtons/status/532620378833977344

https://twitter.com/McNarnia/status/532633535849693185

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Action Games

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…

Gaming

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.

Gaming

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

Gaming

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.