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Imagine yourself walking through the busy streets of Akihabara (or Akiba), Tokyo’s electronics and gaming haven (a.k.a. otaku central), when suddenly, a nerdy guy busts his way out of a dark alley and does a flip over a passer-by, with guards tailing him by only inches. Surprised? Welcome to “Akiba Stealth.”

In preparation for the November 20 Japanese release of the newest game in the Assassin’s Creed series, “Unity,” the creators, Ubisoft, came out with a promotional video, entitled “Akiba Stealth,” to get the attention of the Japanese fan base. The video is supposed to be a “real-life” Assassin’s Creed in Akihabara, lovingly dubbed “Ota-ssin’s Creed.” (Get it? Otaku + assassin… otassin. No?)

In case you are unfamiliar with the game series, I’ll give you a quick run-down that will help you understand the video a little better: Assassin’s Creed is a historical-fiction, action-adventure game where the player is from a long line of assassins and has to collect ancient artifacts before the rival group gets to them. The new release is the first of the series to allow for character customization– which, is cleverly added into the promotional video.

▼ They weren’t all so clever with their customized characters…

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“Akiba Stealth” is set in present-day Akihabara and is focused on a group of seemingly random people who have been invited to take part in a game. Teaming up with iBeacon (a transmitter that signals the presence of an iOS7 user) and an exclusive app, players are sent to collect the “artifact” somewhere within the maze of electronics shops. The enemy comes in the form of security guards who quickly and efficiently nab the participants one by one.

▼ Oh, no! What will he do when faced against his enemy?

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The hero of the video succeeds with his keen sense of “social stealth,” a term dubbed by the video game creators to encompass the idea of blending in seamlessly with everyday society, in this case, Akihabara; so he fits right in with his otaku outfit. His incredible acrobatic skills help a little too.

▼ Those are some sweet skills, otaku or not.Screen Shot 2014-11-12 at 14.31.49

It’s definitely a fun concept in general, but bringing in athletic and cunning otaku into the spotlight makes it especially charming (and surprising). While Japanese viewers are raving, foreign viewers seem more excited about the concept than the execution of the video:

“They really need to make and release an app for everyone to use. It’d be fun … running around a city as if you were in the game hahahah”

“I too wish that Assassin’s Tag is a real game. “

“Akiba’s Sassin’s Creed: Uncaught and Unsightly”

“So basically the cops are chasing him because he stole a disco ball??? WTF….”

“Could’ve been done way better!!!!”

Perfectly done or not, it’s definitely catching the attention of the Japanese (potential) gamers. It’s also re-raising the discussion of whether there should be an Assassin’s Creed: Japan. However, the creators quickly shut down this idea, saying there are too many ninja games already. All I know is that I would love to play in a real-life game like this anywhere in the world, wouldn’t you?

Video/Images: YouTube (UBIJAPAN)
[ Read in Japanese ]