Masumi on playing Naoe from Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Singer-songwriter, actor, and now online game voice actor Masumi shouldn’t be new to enjoying a Japanese murderer grieving the lack of her father. She starred as a yakuza inheritor in 2021’s Yakuza Princess — her “breakout film,” as she calls it. Then, she booked a brand new problem: Naoe, the shinobi murderer protagonist in Murderer’s Creed Shadows, the most recent entry in Ubisoft’s AAA franchise, which was launched Thursday.

Masumi’s efficiency as Naoe is the heartbeat of the sport, alongside that of Tongayi Chirisa, who voices the opposite protagonist, based mostly on the historic determine Yasuke. Within the opening hours of the sport, it’s Naoe’s voice that guides you round as you get your footing in feudal Japan. Polygon chatted with Masumi over the cellphone on Tuesday, just some hours after critiques of the sport have been printed right here and elsewhere on-line. We talked about Naoe’s story, voice performing, and the challenges of mocap.

[Ed. note: This interview has been edited for concision and clarity.]

Polygon: Do you join with the character of Naoe, or did it’s a must to enter a special house for this character?

Masumi: Yeah, truthfully, every thing about Naoe actually drew me in instantly after I obtained the audition. She’s such a robust and layered character. She’s fierce and decided, and I imply, she’s carrying the load of the world and the previous that she has, and she or he’s additionally combating for her future. So after I first obtained the story and realized about her journey, I felt fairly linked to her. And he or she’s not only a warrior, however she’s somebody who has to navigate this actually complicated world of loyalty, revenge, after which additionally discovering herself — like, private development. So there was lots of factors for me to actually resonate together with her.

One thing I’m actually having fun with about her is that she’s so small, which feels like such a pure alternative for an murderer character, however really shouldn’t be essentially the case for Murderer’s Creed protagonists up to now. What’s it prefer to play an murderer?

This isn’t the primary time I obtained to play a feminine murderer character. I obtained to play [one in] Yakuza Princess, and she or he’s additionally an murderer, and that was type of my breakout film. So I really feel like from the start, I’ve all the time [gotten] to play these actually sturdy feminine characters which might be complicated, and so they all undergo this actually emotional journey. So after I obtained Murderer’s Creed Shadows, and Naoe was much more of an pleasure, as a result of she’s not simply anyone who’s complicated and robust, however she will get to undergo it in Japan on this most tumultuous time. So I really feel actually empowered that I obtained to play her, and I hope gamers additionally come away feeling empowered going by way of Naoe’s journey.

I do know that is your first online game. How was that have totally different out of your different performing experiences?

The movement seize was a totally new expertise, and it’s such a singular problem since you’re performing in an enormous empty house with no units, no costumes. So you actually need to faucet into your creativeness and type of belief your physique to deliver the character to life. And likewise trusting your companions, too, to all the time be current with you, as a result of we have now all of those type of limitations. And in order that was an attention-grabbing problem to have.

I additionally bear in mind we have now little Jiro, in our world, and he was a tremendous little one actor, and for him it was actually troublesome to get used to the headsets […] as a result of it type of compresses your head slightly bit. And so he was getting slightly bit nauseous, and so we needed to navigate that. I’d get nauseous, too, to start with, and I needed to get used to that. And so we must take breaks for him to have the ability to settle down with the nausea, after which return into it. You don’t know these challenges till you really do it.

The voice-over was additionally an entire totally different problem, as a result of with mocap, not less than you may categorical together with your whole physique, however in VO, it’s simply your voice. So it’s a must to convey every thing together with your tone and breath and power. And I didn’t understand that I must do, like, 100 totally different breaths, and I by no means had to concentrate a lot on what respiratory patterns they’re. In order that was actually attention-grabbing. However truthfully, all of the challenges was actually rewarding. I obtained to be taught a lot.

That is type of odd to inform you, however within the model I’m enjoying, the breaths come by way of the controller, so it’s actually immersive as a result of it’s proper there, nearer to your ears than the remainder of the soundtrack. So, relaxation assured these are being put to good use.

Do you have got a lot expertise with video games?

I’ve by no means actually performed video video games, however my husband performs. So yeah, throughout COVID particularly, we have been doing couple-y video games. I don’t know if you recognize the online game Don’t Starve Collectively.

OK, thanks. [laughing] I’m glad you recognize this. That was the sport that I used to be enjoying loads, since you don’t really want expertise in that recreation. However anyway, my husband purchased a PlayStation as quickly as he discovered that I obtained this job, so I’ve to play it. I imply, it doesn’t matter if I’ve expertise or not. I’m desirous to see the world. I hear it’s actually lovely.

You completely ought to. It received’t be too onerous, don’t fear. Although it’s in all probability a wierd expertise listening to your personal voice. Do you sometimes watch your personal performances?

Sure, as a result of I began as a singer-songwriter. So I went to music faculty in LA, after which, earlier than performing, I used to be doing music for a giant chunk of my life. So in music, you type of need to take heed to your voice. That’s the one means you develop. So I’m used to listening to my singing voice, however this isn’t singing. That is actually speaking and yelling. And typically I’m outraged. Lots of occasions I’m outraged — let’s be sincere. So I’ve by no means listened to my voice in that means.

Do you have got a particular scene or plot level that you simply actually resonated with if you have been performing it?

It’s totally different between cinematic and VO, and I’d say there was extra VO periods than cinematic. However in cinematics, it was all the time in regards to the depth of the scene. There was lots of intense scenes. And so I can instantly take into consideration a couple of. […] One in every of them would be the second when Yasuke and I come by way of this — ’trigger we begin as out as enemies, after which there’s a factor that occurs that’s so heartbreaking, and we have now to resolve whether or not we wish to come collectively or half as enemies. And that story, that was one of many hardest tales I’ve ever needed to immerse myself in, to actually perceive the emotion of what Naoe was going by way of. And if you happen to see that scene, then I feel it’s simply troublesome for anyone to emotionally think about themselves in [it].

After which within the VO sales space, the tougher ones was — [gasps] I used to be about to spoil, honey! I used to be so about to spoil. [laughs] […] Properly, there was a scene with my member of the family, and people have been actually robust as a result of I’ve to stability: How a lot emotion would I give it as Masumi, or how a lot emotion do I want to provide it as Naoe, who has already grow to be an murderer and has seen so many sufferings by way of her journey already? In order that balancing was actually robust. There’s some moments that I actually would love to speak about it, however I can’t. However yeah, it’s round my household. That’s how I would depart it.