New Assassin's Creed Shadows video shows off its "Spartan kick on steroids" and the most brutal combat I've seen in the series
"This is Japan, actually"
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Everyone remembers the legendary kick in Zack Snyder's 300, but did you know you can also pull off the same epic move in Assassin's Creed Shadows?
The official Assassin's Creed account shares a video of Yasuke, one of the protagonists you can play as in Shadows, fighting a man on the steps of a house. The man sends a couple of kicks Yasuke's way, and the samurai retaliates with a devastating kick of his own that sends the man crashing through the doors and tumbling into the abode.
That is a Spartan Kick on steroids https://t.co/lzVzAKcU20March 2, 2025
It's called the War Kick, but we all know the 'This is Sparta!' kick when we see one. It was performed by Gerad Butler's King Leonidas in 300. He yells, 'This is Sparta!' before kicking a messenger into a deep pit, killing him.
The caption on the tweet reads, "A move that would make our Misthios proud." This is referring to a nickname for the mercenary protagonist from Assassin's Creed Odyssey, who also has a powerful kick, so the similarity isn't lost on Ubisoft either.
One reply to the tweet shares a GIF of King Leonidas shouting the iconic line, and the Assassin's Creed account replies, "This is Japan, actually." One Twitter account calls the move "a Spartan Kick on steroids."
The clip also shows a brutal finisher where Yasuke stabs the man in the chest before chopping off both his arms and then his head. I've seen some bloody moves in my time as an Assassin's Creed fan, but this is one of the most devastating combos I've ever witnessed. Combat has been stepped up a gear.
You've still got a few weeks to wait for Assassin's Creed Shadows, so you should check out the other video game release dates this year so you know what else to look forward to.
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I'm Issy, a freelancer who you'll now occasionally see over here covering news on GamesRadar. I've always had a passion for playing games, but I learned how to write about them while doing my Film and TV degrees at the University of Warwick and contributing to the student paper, The Boar. After university I worked at TheGamer before heading up the news section at Dot Esports. Now you'll find me freelancing for Rolling Stone, NME, Inverse, and many more places. I love all things horror, narrative-driven, and indie, and I mainly play on my PS5. I'm currently clearing my backlog and loving Dishonored 2.
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