Assassin's Creed Shadows

Assassin’s Creed Shadows almost feels like what it would be like if Ken Burns was tasked with making a video game. It’s exhaustive in how it depicts Japan’s feudal era even in fiction, crafting its world with the eye of a historical documentarian. It’s not quite the in-depth slice of life that Red Dead Redemption 2 goes for, but it approaches that same idea with fewer systems. Some of my favorite moments came when I just got bored of stabbing people and got on my horse instead. I didn't stop every few feet to complete a puzzle. I didn’t stop to open another chest. I just rode, breathing in nature and listening to my own exhale intertwine with the wind.

Assassin's Creed Shadows takes you to a Japan with an atmospheric game world, well-made gameplay and great attention to details, but also reveals significant weaknesses in the narrative and quest design.

The setting is an easy match for the [Assassin's Creed] series’ format and the story is appealing, but some underwhelming combat and a general lack of gameplay surprises soften the effect of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, and Ubisoft bringing its sandbox roadshow to Japan should feel more momentous in practice.

Assassin's Creed Shadows immerses us in a beautiful and, above all, atmospheric feudal Japan, where individual aspects of the game have been cleverly improved. However, an unexciting story, weaknesses in the AI and the repetitive, monotonous gameplay prevent the latest installment in the series from generating much excitement.

Assassin's Creed Shadows can entertain you, even despite the silly plot. But you won't lose anything without this game.

I don’t think Assassin’s Creed Shadows is a bad game, but I don’t think it’s a great one either. With patches I think it could seriously become a great game, but as it stands with what I was playing, I’m not impressed with the systems/gameplay. I really, really want to like Shadows more because of how much the total package feels, but those few issues are enough to really hamper that. If you’re someone that enjoys going everywhere to do things and unlock everything, you’ll definitely have a great time, so it’s not inherently a super negative. The combat experience is definitely a damper though. Fingers crossed Ubisoft and the team behind Shadows really polishes and shines it up!

Assassin's Creed has been based on the same gameplay formula for years, and now was the moment for Ubisoft to surprise us with a new approach, but the developers only half-heartedly accomplished this task. Such an interesting setting was all too asking for more creative use of successful gameplay innovations. Nonetheless, Shadows is pretty much the good old Assassin, providing dozens of hours of content and plenty of targets to eliminate.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is not a bad game, nor is it fantastic. It follows the same recipe as the series’ installments have done for a few years now, where we’re served a story full of intrigue, power struggles, and a revenge motif. The main characters, Naoe, a nimble ninja, and Yasuke, a powerful samurai, provide varied gameplay experiences, but does not quite let the player live out the full fantasy of being either. It’s unfortunate that Ubisoft does not unleash the full potential of finally having an Assassin’s Creed game set in Japan.

Ubisoft has finally released Assassin's Creed Shadows, after several setbacks. It follows the formula of the series, without taking any risks, limiting itself to delivering a game that is consistent with what fans already know. Naoe is a nice surprise, while Yasuke doesn't seem to know what he's doing here. Anyone who likes the saga will love Shadows, but it's a shame it's not more daring.

Assassin's Creed Shadows is a visual spectacle that captures the essence of feudal Japan, but fails to realise its potential. Despite stunning art direction and historical detail, the game is held back by its own ambition to appeal to different types of players. The duality of protagonists, which promised innovation, ends up creating more obstacles than opportunities, with stealth and combat mechanics that don't evolve significantly from previous titles. While the open world invites exploration due to its beauty, it quickly reveals the repetitiveness of its missions. For fans of the series, there are rewarding moments, but Shadows leaves the feeling that it doesn't intend to change the Assassin's Creed formula, remaining hostage to a design that shows signs of fatigue.

While its open world is stunning, its combat is robust, and its dual-protagonist design is somewhat novel, Assassin’s Creed Shadows proves too repetitive and dramatically flat to wholeheartedly recommend taking its trip back in time.

It's a well-crafted game within its own scale with a great story and emotionally resonant characters, but in the grand scheme of what a big open-world RPG could provide, Assassin's Creed Shadows doesn't maximize its potential.

Shadows possesses the ingredients of a practically perfect Assassin's Creed videogame, but falls on its face over the same old mistakes from the Ubisoft playbook.