One of gaming’s most prominent franchises finally heads to Japan in Ubisoft’sAssassin’s Creed Shadows. Hearkening back to the busy “RPG trilogy” that began withOrigins, it’s a curious follow-up when compared withpredecessorMirage’s leaner design, even though there’s certainly less loot to sort and fewer map tokens to clear. The setting is an easy match for the series’ format and the story is appealing, but some underwhelming combat and a general lack of gameplay surprises soften the effect ofAssassin’s Creed Shadows, andUbisoft bringing its sandbox roadshow to Japan should feel more momentous in practice.
It’s not the fault of the game’s central duo, especially itsexcellent rendition of historical figure Yasuke. Shinobi Naoe and her samurai partner fight for vengeance and peace in 1572 Japan, andhow their pasts and motivations adapt to the broader Assassins vs. Templar mythos captures that appealingAssassin’s Creedblend of historical fiction and sci-fi cult conspiracy. The characters' mechanics and movement are quite different – in line with the brother-sister duo of 2015’sSyndicate– and choosing who to control in a mission is largely left to you, outside certain scenarios and quests.
Do You Need To Play Any AC Games Before Assassin’s Creed Shadows?
Whether you’re new to Assassin’s Creed or a veteran of the franchise, AC Shadows doesn’t require any special knowledge, though it might help.
There are optional objectives dotting the map as per usual, with the upgrade/knowledge system carefully tempered to decelerate main quest progress and force grinding for XP. The open-concept quest menu is confusing, and some forgettable activities round out the game’s more uninspired elements, but the overall attention and focus feel noticeably sharpened fromOrigins,Odyssey, andValhalla.If you loved all or parts of those games, you’ll probably become fast friends withAssassin’s Creed Shadows, but this never comes off as the history-fueled sandbox game set in Japan to rule them all, and it’s hard not to wish that it were so.
A Ninja & A Samurai Making The Best Of It
Naoe & Yasuke Make For A Great Assassin’s Creed Revenge-Seeking Duo
Set during the final decades of Japan’s Sengoku Period,Assassin’s Creed Shadowsintroduces you to newcomers Naoe and Yasuke.Naoe’s vengeance mission makes for a perfect if familiar franchise protagonist, liningAssassin’s Creed Shadowsup with a list of 11 baddies to track down, unmask, and murder. While Yasuke’s eventual positioning in the story proves more interesting, later insights into Naoe’s true nature flesh out her potential, leaving the narrative on a tantalizing high note with room for DLC.
Where Assassin’s Creed Shadows Takes Place In The AC Timeline
Assassin’s Creed Shadows fits into the complicated Assassin’s Creed timeline, spanning centuries of history across four different continents.
In terms of storytelling,Assassin’s Creed Shadowsdoes proper justice to the franchise, packed with chatty and well-mannered characters, clandestine intrigue, and immersive cultural context. The two leads are finely voiced and their supporting cast enliven the story, which is available in adapted English or full Japanese and Portuguese audio. That being said, I didn’t uncover any jaw-dropping revelations or frame-story shakeups, but there were some Animus quests left to uncover by the time credits rolled.
Four Beautiful Seasons In A Gorgeous Version Of Japan
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Definitely Looks The Part
Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ Japan looks superb overall, and the game rotates through four seasons that alter the landscape’s color and trigger other time-based systems, like Wanted status. I never clocked a stutter on my years-old PC rig and performance was impressively smooth, though swapping between characters prompts a loading screen; this is par for the course, but if the swapping mechanic was instant or near-instant it would make the game’s duo concept much more immersive.
The elephants in the room are the recent sandbox action games set in Japan that beat Ubisoft to market:Ghost of TsushimaandRise of the Ronin.ShadowsbeatsRisehandily in terms of visual quality and detail, withGhost of Tsushima’s surreal painterly aesthetic more attention-grabbing with its style.The various gear sets inShadowscould be the best-looking in the series, especially the fine craftwork seen in Yasuke’s intricate museum-quality samurai armor.
Considerable lighting issues compromised my game’s nighttime darkness so, if some of the screenshots here appear a little scorched, the brightness setting had to be ramped up to accommodate.
The soundscape is strong as ever, with a soundtrack full of period-specific music, flute motifs, and biwa instrumental work. The ambient sound effects help set the scene and there’s some fantastic foley work, including incredibly realistic long-distance rifle fire echoes, a startling effect which I don’t remember encountering in other games.
A Standard Mix Of Targets, Activities & Collectibles
The Side Activities In Shadows Are Underwhelming At Best
Assassin’s Creed Shadowsstill contains the Ubisoft busywork we’ve all come to expect, tolerate, and/or love.While the “bloat” does feel generally reduced overall compared to similar games, the main questline features few mechanical surprises. Two side activities for the central heroes are Kata and Kuji-kiri, which are QTEs that almost seem like placeholder minigames. Either one rewards a useful Knowledge Point that expands the skill tree, butthese pale in comparison toGhost of Tsushima’s unique haiku minigame orRise of the Ronin’s many colorful diversions and their resultant rewards.
Other than that, there are simple noninteractive sumi-e paintings and horse archery missions, which feel a little half-baked – as is the horse-riding gameplay in general, though this isn’t unique toShadows– some simple collectibles to gather at temples, and cave challenges that Naoe can parkour through for a piece of gear. The latter is remarkably basic so far asAssassin’s Creed“jump dungeons” are concerned, rounding outthe generally unremarkable bonus gameplay pursuits.
However, this isn’t to imply thatAssassin’s Creed Shadowslacks side content which makes better use of the core mechanics. Assassination contracts are frequently available, along with timed Animus quests (whose currency feeds into arolling catalog of battlepass-like rewards in the hub) and NPCs who offer staged mission sequences and mysteries to investigate.Unsurprisingly, there aren’t any massive towers to scale at this particular moment in Japanese history, though the many tenshus are fully explorable, inside and out.
Combat Is King & Yasuke Is Always Up For It
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Leans Towards Larger Scuffles, Which Can Leave Naoe Feeling Underpowered
Yasuke’s kit is built for action, so it’s good thatAssassin’s Creed Shadowsis more combat-forward than some other games in the franchise. While players can usually select their preferred hero for any quest, I often found myself leaning on the big guy whenever given the option. Naoe’s dexterity is fine for most sneak-based or one-on-one affairs, but feels ill-equipped against groups. On the other hand, Yasuke can barely climb most structures, able to only occasionally reach a one-story roof.
It’s discouraging that the game doesn’t directly pair them up more often; one memorable mission offers two perspectives on the same objective and allows you to experience both in sequence. As the enemy HP ramped up, I kept Yasuke closer, dispensing with any tedious stealth assassination plans – most of which fail on stronger targets by default – andI began to considerShadowsless as anAssassin’s Creedentry and more as a scaled-back character-action game.
The problem is, even with the increasing enemy density and variety, combat never evolves into an engaging test of skill. All enemies utilize blue attacks, which can be parried, and red attacks, which must be dodged. The lowliest bare-chested rogue with a sharp stick and a dream can trigger an instantaneous red attack, making it so that you can’t outright sleepwalk through an encounter, but rare is the fight that feels different and more exciting than the last.It should also be stated that the almighty kick ability is still here, and it’s better than ever.
Once Yasuke has an upgraded weapon – especially the almighty Naginata, which feels utterly broken at this point – the mightiest armies don’t stand a chance. And so, this combat-orientedAssassin’s Creedgame soon becomes a cakewalk, even on the hardest difficulty mode. Furthermore,every final enemy in a scuffle prompts one of four or so execution animations per weapon, and I dearly wish there was an option to tune down the frequency.
Quest Structure & Parkour Opportunities, But Limited Toys To Play With
Shadows Features An Interesting Twist To The Ubisoft Token-Hunting Formula, But It Doesn’t Feel Ready For Prime Time
Speaking of options to deactivate:Assassin’s Creed Shadowsfeatures a new system where quest objectives can be tracked down via hints in lieu of a standard map marker. It boils down to reading three clues, analyzing the area, and scanning around with Naoe’s Eagle Vision to hash out the exact target location. Or, alternately, you just turn this feature off completely in the options menu and track objectives normally.
It took me roughly 41 hours to clearAssassin’s Creed Shadows' main quest, and that’s with spending time to rinse several longer side quest sequences and other content. The credits drop you back where you left off, free to hunt down other activities and rolling Animus quests.
I celebrate the attempt to inject more mystery into Ubisoft’s token-hunting rigmarole, and played through approximately half of the game this way. Eventually I gave up and turned it off, as I didn’t feel it added sufficient spice to the grind.Maybe the concept could work if it leveraged genuine puzzle-solving or NPC dialogue and investigation, but it ultimately felt like needless padding in this form.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Pre-Load Date, Times, & Global Launch Details
When can you start playing Assassin’s Creed Shadows? Find out everything you need about pre-load date, time, and global launch details here.
What further damages this design is the sheer number of steep hills and untraversable walls strewn throughout Shadows’ Japan. As a player who loves to forge my own path from points A to B in a parkour-oriented open-world sandbox, I can’t remember the last time I encountered so many slippery slopes and unclimbable cliffs. In this way,Assassin’s Creed Shadowsactively interrupts player agency to nudge us back to the standard road, and it was as frustrating in the game’s first hour as the fortieth.
Naoe’s grappling hook is interesting in theory but limited in function (and, incidentally, it’s useless against these walls). Furthermore,there are only four basic combat-ready ninja tools found in the skill tree, which seems odd in a franchise which so values its gadgets and gizmos. On the other hand,calling upgradable assists to aid in battle with the Ally system is a fun feature, though we only unlocked two such characters in the campaign.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Is A Visual Feat That Needs Just A Little More Depth
Shadows is A Beautiful Trip to Japan, But Lacks Some Interactivity
I find myself returning toRise of the Roninwhen weighingAssassin’s Creed Shadows. In Team Ninja’s first open-world venture, the developers addressed so many of the genre’s pain points and aspired to render rewards more valuable in a big game meant to hoover up time. It’s still cozily satisfying to rinse a map of tasks and cleave through a dozen bandit forts, butmany ofShadows’systems seem only serviceable where they should be exceptional.Shadowsplays it too safe when it comes to its easier difficulty, its lack of story surprises, and its tried-and-tested combat and gameplay features.
There are no combat stances to swap between, no samurai skills or assassination techniques to learn and equip. There are no audacious tools to acquire, and the grappling hook doesn’t even factor into the group battles, where it could theoretically help Naoe. There’s no horseback combat and, in fact, the horse archery minigame is the only place where the concept is even referenced in the main quest. There are no elaborate combos to learn, but neither are there crafty enemies that would require their use.
What’s left is a solid narrative and a lovely environment to scamper over and screenshot. Yasuke is a terrific incarnation of the character, and it’s undeniably fun to play as a massive samurai bursting through a wooden gate and taking on an entire squad of burly soldiers at once. Fans of the dozen-plus games’ worth of worldbuilding should appreciate the story, even if the lead-in to upcoming DLC saps the ending of some closure.Assassin’s Creed Shadowsfulfills Ubisoft’s long-awaited promise of an open-world Japan, but it never outdoes its competition.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Reviewed On PC.
Set during Japan’s Sengoku period, two distinct protagonists—Naoe, a shinobi, and Yasuke, a historical African samurai—must navigate political intrigue and violent clashes between the Assassins and Templars. Players can switch between stealthy, shadow-based gameplay with Naoe and Yasuke’s direct combat approach, exploring the duality of their missions in a beautifully rendered open world.
Screen Rantwas provided a digital PC code for the purpose of this review.
