Assassin’s Creed Shadows has been a long time coming. Despite the clamouring of their fan base, Ubisoft held off for years on giving the people what they want, an Assassin’s Creed game set in feudal Japan. Then, after finally announcing Assassin’s Creed Shadows, the game was delayed at the last minute… and then delayed again. Thankfully the wait is over, the latest entry in the Assassin’s Creed franchise is finally here, and it is utterly resolutely brilliant. Indeed, it might just be the best game in the storied series to date and Ubisoft’s best game in years.
First off, how do you like your Assassin’s Creed? If you prefer the stealth-focused and closed environment approach of the early games in the franchise, then Shadows is likely not for you. If, on the other hand, your preference is the open-word action RPG approach established by Assassin’s Creed Origins, then you’ll find that Shadows is the epic culmination of everything you enjoyed since Bayek’s Ancient Egyptian adventure. Though, after the first eight hours or so of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, you’d be forgiven for thinking that this wasn’t the case.
Shadows is a slow starter, and while the drawn-out opening is full of great emotional beats and outstanding character performances, setting-up protagonist Naoe’s quest for vengeance, it is distinctly lacking in open-world activities and gameplay variety. When you’re not watching its admittedly very beautiful cut scenes, you’ll spend your time travelling from village to village murdering people, with a distinctive lack of tools and abilities to make it interesting to do so. During this opening section of the game, the limited areas of Japan you visit feel sparse, empty, as if something is missing. That something is Yasuke, and by the time the African Samurai strides into the game everything clicks, the open world reveals itself, activities and encounters fill the environment, the gameplay evolves, and finally Assassin’s Creed Shadows kicks into gear.
Yasuke plays in a completely different way to any protagonist in Assassin’s Creed history. He’s an unstoppable tank, like Batman from the Arkham series, as if the Doom Slayer was lifted from Hell and plonked into feudal Japan. Clad in robust armour, Yasuke shrugs off most attacks, smashing through opponent’s defences to complete a strike, even if it means taking some damage on the way.
Later, Yasuke’s extensive skill tree can be harnessed to allow him to reclaim health from attacking, but in the early going you’ll be too busy grinning with glee as the mighty samurai boots an unwitting thug, sending them careening with rag-doll hilarity through the wall of a nearby temple. Combat is punchy and reliably structured around parries and dodges to expose an enemy to counter attack. Nothing groundbreaking here, but eminently satisfying, and I found myself playing as Yasuke far more than I thought I would, just to throw it down with another Daimyo or two.
Of course, many will lean towards playing as Naoe first and foremost, as she fulfils that more traditional role of the Assassin’s Creed avatar with stealth and athleticism. That means all your expected tropes, with free running, flipping, and leap of faith-falling aplenty. The extra time in development has clearly served Shadows well, as, for once, the free-running works perfectly. No more accidentally leaping off cliffs, Naoe goes where you want her to go, when you want her to go there, with smooth and precise animation.
That’s not to say that this Shinobi doesn’t bring anything new to the table. Crawling through low cover is now an option, as is swinging on a grappling hook, allowing for different approaches on a target to be carried out – Yasuke simply can’t access rooftops and vantage points in the same way. More intriguing is that Shadows is the first Assassin’s Creed where light and dark in the environment influences your likelihood to be seen. It now makes complete strategic sense to wait until dark before infiltrating a fortress, snuffing out candles as you making your way past hordes of enemies, practically invisible. To reach your victim unseen is a satisfying thrill, one that is sure to scratch the itch of even the most ardent stealth enthusiast.
Each player character has an enormous amount of differing abilities, weapons, and tools to mess around with. Yasuke’s shotgun-like Teppo is tremendous fun, thanks to the ability to switch weapons mid-attack meaning you can parry attacks from a sword, before spinning the rifle into position and blowing a foes’ face off Meanwhile Naoe’s standout weapon, the dagger-like Tanto, is far more exciting than it sounds, thanks to they way in which the Ninja slams it into to her victim with wanton abandon. Actually, this must be the goriest Assassin’s Creed yet – watching Yasuke slice off both his opponents arms before hacking off their head is quite the sight.
What really makes Assassin’s Creed Shadows tick though, is the option to freely switch between the leads depending on the situation you face and how you want to deal with it. A veritable army of Samurai blocking your way? Yasuke will carve a bloody path through them, but, if you’re not feeling the need for a fight, you can switch to Naoe and creep past them instead. It’s a shame that whilst the game encourages experimentation with its two player characters, offering open combat encounters to play around in, it makes it so darn clunky to swap between them, forcing you to dip into the menus to do so. This is particularly aggravating when you encounter a quest-giver for a specific hero, demanding you switch hero before you can interact with them. This is something they can hopefully refine in an early patch.
It’s in the depiction of feudal Japan that Assassin’s Creed Shadows truly delivers. Frankly, there are moments of jaw-dropping visual beauty here. You can spend ages just soaking in the vistas that stretch many miles into the distance. Blossom trees blow hither and thither in the wind, each branch moving independently of the others as blossoms float down to coat a woodland path. Seasons change and the environments with it, submerging villages in snow, or causing flowers to bloom in the summer. Waves lap against the shore, the sunlight sparkling across the water. Stunning is a word that doesn’t quite do justice to the environmental detail on display here, but it’ll do.
Unusually for Ubisoft, this glorious open world isn’t covered in icons and intrusive HUD nonsense. While you can still scan the surroundings from high-up vantage points, this doesn’t automatically fill your map with navigation points, instead insisting that you mark points of interest for yourself, and only a handful at a time. It’s less immediate, but it means you’re encouraged to explore the world more dynamically, search for your next target, find yourself distracted by an intriguing cave that you decide to explore, discovering an awesome new weapon hidden deep within.
Events occur organically around you, often dictated by the season. A peasant might need rescuing from some thugs, a passing Ronin might challenge you to a duel, or you might spot a lovely dog to pet and bring home to your hideout. There’s a wide range of activities to undertake, delightfully many of them avoiding combat to bring different experiences to the player. A forgotten crumbling temple becoming a free-running playground, a meditation point that brings transport your character into past events, taking the time to paint a playing bunny, clambering to the summit of a big waterfall to try and see if Yasuke can do a leap of faith – you’re definitely going to want to try it. In short, the world of Assassin’s Creed Shadows feel alive, with a historical and cultural authenticity that blew my mind.
The historical plot is smart and well-researched, brilliant evoking a Japanese Samurai cinema vibe with Assassin’s Creed’s own distinctive style. During your adventure, you’ll meet a who’s who of important figures from the period in their adventures, Oda Nobunaga and Hattori Hanzo are two early stand outs, but there are many more infamous characters expertly woven into proceedings. Thankfully, there’s also a minimum of modern-world nonsense here, with the option to explore digital anomalies and AI shenanigans if you want, but mostly letting you stick with the awesome feudal Japan setting. With all that going for the storyline, even a few blatantly obvious plot twists doesn’t change the fact that this is my favourite Assassin’s Creed setting and storyline by far.