Assassin's Creed Shadows

If you’re not yet tired of Japan filled with samurais, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is highly recommended and a triumphant return to more open-worldy formula. Scratching the surface reveals an experience that feels very familiar and safe in many ways. However, that’s not a negative thing. Sometimes it’s simply really enjoyable to return to familiar video game series that you can almost guarantee it works well. With AC Shadows, it is also noticeable that every aspect in the game has improved since Valhalla.

Leaves the naysayers in the dust with a beautiful presentation, stylishly delivered story, and compelling characters. Yet another successful rebirth for the franchise, and one that bodes well for the future.

The two leads make for charismatic avatars, differing wildly in their combat styles and thus lessening the possibility the player will tire of the formula that underpins the gameplay for long periods. We have not been short of sumptuous hack’n’slash blockbusters set in Japan’s beautiful countryside – from 2020’s Ghost of Tsushima to last year’s Rise of the Ronin. But Shadows somehow edges them in its synthesis of ancient Japanese culture. For sheer spectacle alone, it rarely flags, treating the player to an endless stream of exquisite tableaux, from majestic castles to bustling towns to imposing mountains and forest.

There are problems with Assassin’s Creed Shadows, for sure. But it’s so fun to play, it’s telling a gripping story, and there is so much sense of progress and reward for every little thing you do that it actually feels like an open world game that’s taking its cues from a modern roguelike, or something. Every action has meaning, and the breadcrumbs that tempt you to clean up all the icons on the map are moreish. This may be one of the biggest Assassin’s Creed games ever made, but it also feels like the most well put-together.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is the series refresh badly needed after Valhalla, showcasing a huge technical and visual upgrade alongside a new gameplay blueprint. A fantastic story and well-developed characters ground the game in a believable era of Japan that is fun to explore. It confidently sets the standard for the next games in the franchise.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows allows Japan to breathe life into a series that has hinged its reputation on tradition. It represents a culmination of the work laid out in Origins but never stumbles over its own size and ambition. While players looking for more than just fine-tuned familiar thrills might be disappointed at the big swings Shadows does take, a focused narrative and progressive combat are enriched by an exceptionally beautiful and detailed setting. Assassin’s Creed Shadows acts as the turning of a new page for Ubisoft’s flagship, one hopefully leading to another vibrant, historical world.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows feels like the result of immense pressure forged into something strong—much like the finest steel tempered in the hottest fire. You can sense the weight of expectations behind its development, and for the most part, it rises to the challenge. The game delivers a rich and immersive Assassin’s Creed experience, blending stealth, action, and storytelling with impressive attention to detail. While it occasionally stumbles with uneven difficulty spikes and some noticeably stiff facial animations in cutscenes, these flaws don’t overshadow what is largely a well-crafted and worthy addition to the series.

Assassin's Creed Shadows offers a gripping story with charismatic characters, an exquisitely beautiful world and a great stealth system. It's not perfect, but it is undoubtedly one of the best installments of the series.

Whether as a deadly shinobi or a formidable samurai, Assassin's Creed Shadows is a joy to play.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is a massive success and a winning combination of stealth and steel. It’s a fantastic entry in the open-world RPG line of games in the stealth series and the most refined version of that style yet, with satisfying and rewarding exploration, brilliant combat, and a dual protagonist system that really works. Even a few minor quibbles can’t hold it back.

Fans of Assassin’s Creed have waited an era or two for a series entry that lets you be a ninja and explore Feudal Japan. Thankfully, the wait has been absolutely worth it. Assassin’s Creed Shadows is an astonishing achievement. Vast, impossibly detailed, immaculately researched, and enormously fun, Shadows is easily one of the best games in this storied franchise.

With Assassin's Creed Shadows, Ubisoft has finally delivered on the feudal Japan setting fans have always wanted. However, some elements have been left behind in the wake of the modernization of Assassin's Creed.

Assassin's Creed Shadows is another notch in the belt of this illustrious series. Sneaking and stabbing as Naoe or duelling foes in honourable combat as Yasuke, the duel protagonists are a genius addition to all the things we love about Assassin's Creed. Even though I haven't gelled with the more recent huge open-world AC titles, I leave my time with Assassin's Creed Shadows with renewed excitement for the series thanks to a more manageable map size and a great story. Add in the beautiful backdrop of medieval Japan throughout the seasons, and you've got a hit.

Assassin's Creed Shadows features two characters who are opposite in essence, but complementary in their objectivity. Naoe, the Shinobi, Yasuke, the Samurai. Stealth vs. Brute force, both working together for Revenge and Order of a new Japan. Historical characters help to illustrate and brighten this narrative. Good combat gameplay and new mechanics contribute to an excellent game, which like every Ubi game, has some bugs.

With the best story so far, that's a well done tribute to Japanese culture as well, and with its two widely different main heroes, Assassin's Creed Shadows is just one of the best parts of the series so far. Story, gameplay and dye atmosphere generate a great synergy making the game a must buy for action fans, especially for those who love Japan and want to experience the most groundbreaking part of the country's history.

At the end of the day, it’s a game about killing. But here, death and beauty are linked – and the act of killing is given a gravity that must be clearly understood. It’s not killing for the sake of killing, and while past games have tried the same tact in their depictions of death, the approach of Assassin’s Creed Shadows feels far more mature and interesting.

Is Assassin's Creed Shadows the best Assassin's Creed game yet? Some might feel that way, for sure. It's certainly up there with the best the series has to offer, alongside the likes of Assassin's Creed 2 and Origins. In any case, most will be happy to hear that it successfully marries the extended freedom and scope of newer titles in the series with the stealth-focused gameplay of old, especially when playing as Naoe. And so, whether you're a fan of the series or simply like the idea of exploring feudal Japan, eradicating wrongdoers as either a samurai or a ninja, consider Assassin's Creed Shadows a must-play.

The wait was well worth it for Assassin’s Creed Shadows. The fans have been asking for an AC game set in Japan, and Ubisoft has finally delivered, with a dual-protagonist experience that offers crisp combat mechanics, a bombastic musical score, and a beautiful visual presentation. Assassin’s Creed is so back.

We don't think this game will change the mind of the non-believers of the franchise (it's the same formula, improved), but if you care just a bit about these games, you are in for a treat. It's an awe inspiring journey, full of secrets and surprises. You can tell the extra development time was well worth it.

Assassin's Creed Shadows takes players to feudal Japan on an intense journey of revenge and honor. With Naoe and Yasuke, the gameplay balances stealth and brutal combat in a world rich in historical detail. Despite a few technical stumbles, the game delivers an immersive and engaging experience, reaffirming the franchise's legacy.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is the most stunning entry yet. Parkour is tight, combat hits hard, and managing your Creed feels nostalgic. Japan’s world kept pulling me into photo mode—I can’t wait to explore more. This is Assassin’s Creed in Japan done right.

Based on Naoe's strength as the protagonist and the renewed focus on its stealth gameplay, Assassin's Creed Shadows is yet another resounding success for the franchise. Its only flaw is its inability to put Yasuke on the same level as his companion, a minor thing when so many other elements make it a must-have for those interested in the series or the setting.

The long wait has finally come to an end, and it was well worth it: Assassin's Creed Shadows is an incredible experience by Ubisoft taking place in a beautiful feudal Japan. The game boasts an incredible number of activities and side quests which considerably enlarge the game's overall length, and even complement the main plot adding some relevant data. Yasuke and Noe are very different characters, especially when it comes to batlle, but in the end the two of them are equally enjoyable. The icing on the cake comes from both the visual aspect as well as the sound design, which definitely help providing the most immersive of experiences.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows represents a new era for one of the most well-known and successful franchises in gaming history. Reaching adulthood in 2025, when it will celebrate 18 years since the first game, the series is more mature and complete than ever. As Origins did back in 2017, this could be a great first step towards a new age of Assassin's Creed, who keeps reinventing itself and adapting to what the community needs and wants.

Assassin's Creed Shadows brings back the franchise's fun with an engaging adventure in Feudal Japan, standing out for its rich narrative, well-integrated characters, and stunning visuals enhanced by the seasonal system. However, the game falters by overreaching in scale, featuring a lengthy storyline and a vast map with empty areas that contribute to visual and gameplay bugs. Even so, it’s a breath of fresh air for Ubisoft, signaling a return to its former glory.

Combining the tight stealth gameplay of the classic games in the series with the more expansive open world RPG elements of the more recent games, Assassin's Creed Shadows has plenty to love for both past and present fans.

Assassin's Creed Shadows overcomes its controversies to deliver the feudal Japan journey that fans of the series had been eagerly awaiting. This is all thanks to a great combination of the saga's past and present, which provides a lot of variety. It's a portrait of the country of the Rising Sun that will make you explore every single level inch by inch.

With Assassin's Creed Shadows, Ubisoft sticks to a familiar formula but executes it brilliantly. Add to that the new weather and season systems, along with the expanded base-building mechanics, and we’re convinced that waiting for an Assassin’s Creed set in Japan was more than worth it.

Assassin's Creed Shadows improves the familiar game concept in several areas, making it a worthy Japanese spin-off.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows shows Ubisoft can take fan feedback seriously, delivering a long yet engaging game. With strong leads like Naoe and Yasuke, it’s a must-play for series fans.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows feels like the culmination of years of reworking the series into a full-fledged RPG. With smart changes to the overall flow of combat and a narrative that rivals some of the best triple-AAA experiences available today, Shadows is not only the best AC in well over a decade, but arguably one of the finest action-RPGs of the decade so far.

Shadows, like its predecessors, has now yielded its own memory for me to store in my personal Animus: a reminder that when it comes to this medium, gameplay is king. And in Shadows, playing as Yasuke and Naoe is as powerful as the treacherous Shogun at the heart of this adventure.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is definitely an evolutionary rather than a revolutionary installment in the series. Every mechanic from the previous games has been polished, refined to make more sense, but there’s really nothing new that would radically change anything for the better. I don’t think the extra year that Ubisoft used to make the game was worth it since Shadows isn’t much different than Valhalla, Origins, or Mirage. Yes, it’s much more polished and looks a lot better visually, but it doesn’t bring back the gameplay and mystery of the first games in the series. Overall, I had a great time with Assassin’s Creed Shadows, but that’s because I’m a fan of the series. I have doubts that a newcomer to the series will find it equally interesting, especially since the overarching story is just serviceable.

If you’ve always dreamed of exploring Feudal Japan as a stealthy assassin, Shadows is the game for you. It stands out as one of Ubisoft’s best efforts in blending history with fiction, while there’s still work to be done to fully restore the series to its former glory, Shadows is undoubtedly a significant step in the right direction.

I can’t answer the biggest question—whether Shadows will restore Ubisoft’s lost fan love—but it’s certainly a step in the right direction. The game makes smart choices where its predecessors often prioritized quantity over quality. It delivers a visually stunning world, a more mature and cinematic story, and two unique protagonists that complement each other. However, it still feels bloated at times, inconsistent in quality, and doesn’t revolutionize the series.

With Assassin's Creed Shadows, Ubisoft once again proves that its studios have a real talent for creating universes and worlds in their own right. For those who love open-worlds and feudal Japan, there's no doubt that this installment will offer the expected change of scenery. In terms of gameplay, the complementarity and play styles of Naoe and Yasuke are truly refreshing, and we feel that efforts have been made, at various levels, to try to evolve the formula. Despite everything, if a few elements change, the very heart of the saga is still as present in the way we approach the game's content, sources of flaws that we have known for a long time: the redundancy of activities, the AI ​​​​that leads to quickly mechanical combat, and a somewhat flat story, even if it does have its epic moments. Ultimately, Assassin's Creed Shadows is an effective, mainstream, and entertaining installment, but the series' lack of polish and recurring issues mean that this installment hits a glass ceiling that prevents it from reaching the highest peaks.

It's not a revolution, but Assassin's Creed Shadows delivers a great Assassin's Creed RPG experience in feudal Japan.

This game offers a challenging combat system, immersive stealth mechanics, and stunning visuals, but its fragmented narrative, unbalanced characters and convoluted mission structure hinder the overall experience.

Ubisoft's big, bold swing with Assassin's Creed Shadows mostly connects, proving that it was right to hold off on the Hail Mary Feudal Japan setting until it had honed the series’ RPG trappings. Shadows’ attempts at new ideas don't all land the same, but it excels in the areas that matter most in these games with a gorgeous, rich and well-researched world to explore, compelling stealth gameplay and a story full of intrigue and fresh takes on historical figures.

Assassin's Creed Shadows is a very good game. It offers a generous journey through an absolutely sublime Japan, and the characters of Yasuke and Naoe offer rich gameplay, with true duality. The game doesn't revolutionize the formula, but it has the merit of being solid and keeping you on the edge of your seat until the end, without a single moment of boredom.

A game that’s not without its issues, but is a great entry in the franchise, and didn’t feel the need to cram in a ship to captain.

Assassin's Creed Shadows is definitely built with a familiar blueprint, but manages to refine pretty much every aspect or even perfect them. Especially the incredibly gorgeous world, dynamic between the two main characters and the balanced combat system stick out there. Without a doubt, this is the best Assassin's Creed game in years.

After spending 150 hours on it, finishing the main story of Yasuke and Naoe, and exploring every nook and cranny of the open world, we can tell you without any shame, we enjoyed the adventure offered in this feudal Japan of the 1500s. Everything is obviously not perfect, because the game still carries the stigmata of a license that has difficulty renewing itself, but there are positive things to be learned from it. By choosing to offer two radically different protagonists, the Ubisoft Quebec studio manages to bring together under the same banner the purists who swear by infiltration and the others who appreciate the action-RPG aspect taken since AC Origins in 2017.

One of the best looking Assassin’s Creed games to date; it intertwines the stories of its two protagonists well and makes full use of its feudal Japan setting.

In Assassin's Creed, the bloodthirsty are typically punished. For all its breadth and splendour, there is still not quite enough room to condemn its two most murderous inhabitants. [Issue#410, p.98]

Assassin's Creed Shadows is a game that brings a fresh perspective to the series. With a strong gameplay, it fulfills its goals, and you can enjoy this adventure for more than 30 hours. It's a plus that you can play this title more than once, and there are lots of exploration and items to discover. Shadows tells a story with a good dose of drama and a remarkable portrayal of this particular period in Japan.

Assassin’s Creed: Shadows is the best entry in the series since Origins — a stunning visual achievement with a solid gameplay loop that, unfortunately, loses momentum over time and is held back by a weak story.

It may sound as if I had more gripes than praise with Assassin’s Creed Shadows, but I truly enjoyed my time with it. It’s just that, with a series such as this from a historically controversial developer such as Ubisoft, it’s important to view Shadows with realistic expectations so you don’t get burned by what isn’t there and can instead appreciate where it excels.

Although Shadows gives the Assassin's Creed formula a much-needed update, it continues to falter in some areas. The long cutscenes and dialogues are still present, and you encounter so many enemies that the battles get boring at times. We know that sounds crazy in a game where you play an assassin, but sometimes you just want to achieve your goal instead of killing one guard after another. Those two shortcomings are especially noticeable at the beginning of the game, which is a shame, because it kind of took away our desire to continue playing. Fortunately, we bit through, because the further we progressed, the more Shadows blossomed. There is an enormous amount to experience, and Ubisoft clearly invested where it was needed: in the storyline. It is vastly expanded and rarely bores.

Assassin's Creed Shadows is massive and spectacular, but also very familiar. Despite its flaws, it's close to being the Japanese-set installment fans have been asking for for years.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ beautifully realized open world, engaging story and lively characters are some of its greatest strengths. On the other hand, its side activities are not of the scale we have come to expect from the series, while some of the game’s mechanics feel underdeveloped, making it a game with both strong and weak points.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows delivers a stunning and content-rich open world set in feudal Japan, featuring a diverse stealth and combat system with two distinct playstyles. While Ubisoft sticks to its familiar formulas, Shadows successfully offers one of the most impressive AC experiences to date.

While Assassin's Creed: Shadows won't be the salvation Ubisoft is hoping for, it's still a fun experience and one of the greatest games in the series in recent years, and that's what should matter at the end of the day. With nearly 60 hours of gameplay under my belt, I'm going to keep playing because this is an entertaining title that doesn't deserve to be the flop many expect, but it's not going to revolutionize the genre either.

Assassin's Creed Shadows is the culmination of Ubisoft's open world formula. A beautiful Japan that will suck you in, filled with details and things to do. Shadows has shortcomings, but they are blurred in a world where you can dive in for hundreds of hours.

Assassin's Creed Shadows is almost the best game across the long-running franchise, as a beautiful game to look at the whole way through, with strong central characters, solid improvements to exploration and perhaps the best combat and stealth gameplay we've seen from the series yet. Its strengths, however, make it all the more upsetting that the poor progression system and elements of bloat still drag the experience down. Still, it's very close to being the best game we've seen in the series yet, and a true sign that Ubisoft is on the right path to elevating the franchise beyond its original peaks.

Few other games have done such a good job with this setting, as you run through lush bamboo forests before scaling ancient castle walls and sneaking inside to steal treasures. These moments of brilliance more than compensate for its weaker points.

Series fans will find a lot to love here, even if Shadows doesn’t quite take the step of truly challenging itself to be more than what we might have expected it to be. The moment-to-moment gameplay is fun, Naoe and Yasuke are both compelling in their own way, and the backdrop of Japan really does make for a beautiful stage on which everything plays out.

Assassin's Creed Shadows isn't a sudden revolution for the brand. With minor tweaks, we get great stealth, fun combat, and likable protagonists. The concept of the game doesn't change much from its predecessors. But if you want to see the most beautiful depiction of Japan in any medium, look no further.

By sharpening the edges of its existing systems, Assassin’s Creed Shadows creates one of the best versions of the open-world style it’s been honing for the last decade.

Shadows is a near-perfect blend of focused missions and leisurely exploration across a massive open world.

Shadows is best played with hidden blades as a stealth-action game reminiscent of what Assassin's Creed used to be, but its greatest strength is choice.

Despite some repetition and bloat that makes Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ final stretch drag more than the rest of the game excites, its brave approach to exploration in a gorgeous world, heartfelt personal stories, and satisfying tweaks to the formula still make it stand as one of my favourite entries yet.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ few frustrations are quickly outweighed by a magnificently immersive Japan, an excellent AC-style mix of real-world and fictional characters like Yasuke and Naoe, and a fantastic cinematic-level story to let them all shine — especially if you experience the Japanese dub via the Immersive Mode.

Assassin's Creed Shadows finally takes the main series to Japan, and does so in some style. With excellent gameplay, a compelling narrative and a massive, beautiful world to explore, it is so much better than many expected it to be. Even if it's not the game that saves Ubisoft, it did exactly what it needed to, bringing confidence back to one of modern gaming's biggest and most troubled franchises.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows isn’t perfect, but it’s a solid step forward. Medieval Japan looks great, though interiors could use more variety. With its cinematic storytelling and compelling characters, this is a must-have for open-world fans.

And that's really the ultimate takeaway. It has a load of really fun parts, a fun gameplay loop, an engaging story, and an earnest effort to split the difference between the various elements of the franchise history. It's a good game! Take these reservations not as a subversion of that fact, but for what they are: Acknowledgement of its limitations.

Assassin's Creed Shadows thrives on boldness. Its dual protagonists improve on the series' stealth-driven roots and modern RPG leanings, though they're let down by a vague story that fails to make full use of either character.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows delivers the familiar Ubisoft formula in a stunning Japanese setting but feels mechanically stagnant. The series desperately needs fresh ideas—this is its last chance.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows presents a beautifully crafted world that is definitely worth exploring. The various activities you encounter in the world are enjoyable but could offer more variety. The story of Assassin’s Creed Shadows revolves largely around revenge and doesn’t have much depth, and in the case of Naoe, her adventure even feels incomplete by the time the credits roll. Fortunately, that doesn’t take away from the fact that Assassin’s Creed Shadows has a lot to offer. A massive number of missions, plenty of despicable people to take down, and, of course, the stunning setting more than make up for its weaker aspects. However, this Assassin’s Creed is anything but groundbreaking.

Assassin's Creed Shadows breathes new life into the stagnating series and, despite its immense running time, remains entertaining without a dull moment. It's an extremely successful blend of fiction and historical fact with a great deal of respect for Japanese culture.

Everything isn't perfect and this probably is not Ubisoft's breakout game, but the good far outweighs the bad. There's no doubt that this Assassin's Creed will strongly resonate with a lot of players despite its shortcomings and flaws, and the others should still acknowledge its undeniable qualities.

At last, the franchise travels to Japan, and with Assassin's Creed: Shadows, Ubisoft presents us with a captivating adventure that excels particularly because of its two playable characters. The gameplay is mostly more of the same, supplemented with some new elements that make it feel very familiar. At the same time, the pacing is not always great and side characters could have received more attention. Nevertheless, fans of the franchise will again be able to lose themselves completely in an adventure characterized by a beautiful world to explore and somewhat fresh gameplay.

While Assassin's Creed Shadows is unlikely to win over those who struggled to push through Odyssey or Valhalla, this is still one of the strongest overall entries in the series — and arguably the best of the open world RPG bunch. The storytelling is largely fantastic, the main characters are deeply likeable, and the open world itself is a thing of beauty.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is a balancing act that teeters towards brilliance, despite the occasional wobble.

Assassin's Creed: Shadows is an experience that was enriching, beautiful, and at times, gloriously confusing.

Merging the two core identities of the Assassin’s Creed franchise was no easy feat, but Ubisoft Quebec largely succeeded. The game boasts a vibrant open world, a wealth of activities, and a solid—if somewhat simplistic—combat system. However, where Assassin’s Creed Shadows stumbles is in its lackluster enemy AI, which often behaves irrationally, and its consistently low difficulty level, even at the highest setting.

Assassin’s Creed: Shadows is a compelling, bloody story against its long-awaited feudal Japan backdrop. Its later story beats have some epic set pieces and equally great performances. Despite that, though, it’s still an Ubisoft slog to get through, and ultimately, its uneven pace might make the journey to get there worth it. It struggles to justify the balance between its two heroes — and while they play differently, they still feel the same, providing enough gameplay disparity to invest in either one truly. Yaksue’s inability to stealth and parkour means that most will use Noe for exploration, which completely breaks the immersion of the experience in gameplay and story. It’s still a Japan-inspired journey worth taking — even if Ghosts of Tsushima did it better.

Despite its attempts at innovation, Assassin's Creed Shadows ultimately feels quite familiar in too many ways. The story, while somewhat fragmented, remains enjoyable for most of its duration, thanks to the well-developed protagonists and a good supporting cast. The gameplay introduces some interesting ideas, but the repetitive nature of certain tasks and the outdated AI prevent the new mechanics from reaching their full potential. Nonetheless, players who are drawn to the Japanese setting and fans of the typical Ubisoft's open-world adventures will probably enjoy the game without too many compromises.

Yasuke feels powerful, but “Shadows” enters a now-crowded market full of powerful samurai action with little to distinguish itself.

Assassin's Creed Shadows is another strong entry in the AC universe, excelling by building on the series' strengths. Japan is stunning, and both Naoe and Yasuke shine as some of the franchise's best protagonists to date. However, even for seasoned fans, its repetitive and unimaginative mission structure may be tough to overcome.

With its mammoth Japan heaving with to-do lists to check off, Assassin’s Creed Shadows opts for the safety of familiarity rather than taking any real swings for the franchise’s belated sojourn in the ‘Land of the Rising Sun’. What remains is a fine Assassin’s Creed title that, save for a few clever tweaks, fits snuggly in its template.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows doesn’t feel like a step forward or a step back, it feels like a sidestep for the series. For every improved feature – like stealth or combat – there’s something that feels worse, like exploring the world and climbing to a high place for a vantage point. At the start, you’re embarking on a bold adventure, and in the midst of it all, it feels like trying to complete a shopping list in a new supermarket with no signs. It’s directionless, overwhelming, and tedious. You can’t even ignore the dozens of optional objectives, otherwise you won’t be high enough level to take on the main challenges. If you want a game that you can play for the next year, AC Shadows is it, but if you want a tight, narrative-driven stealthy ninja adventure, look elsewhere.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is an excellent game but clearly not without flaws, even if the numerous innovations make it the best episode regarding infiltration. However, Naoe carries the game on her own, when Yasuke only has a central place in the story and not the gameplay. It's a game where freedom is at its peaks and it’s sometimes at its own disadvantage. The rhythm is irregular, the writing is often weakened by the poor animations during the cinematics. It’s a shame, because the game has an absolutely bluffing open world and an amazing and never seen before dynamic weather system that needs to become a standard now. Assassin’s Creed Shadows may not be the most sensational one, but it is, nevertheless, one the very good episodes of the franchise and sets its future brighter.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is a decent game that delivers a good narrative, a set of great protagonists and strong gameplay, but never fully commits to melding the best aspects of both eras into a truly great package.

Outside of the new, most sought after destination of Feudal Japan, Assassin's Creed Shadows never really escapes its own shadow of boilerplate gameplay systems and its tried and true open world formula the series is known for. Whilst the game is at the same high standard as every other entry, it doesn't truly excel at anything more specific.

Assassin's Creed Shadows marks the continuation, and perhaps the end, of the cycle that began with Origins. However, the episode set in Japan also represents the downward spiral, in terms of quality of some components of the gameplay and content offering, of a structural model that is starting to feel the weight of the years. Shadows is a game that wants to please everyone and that does everything more or less well, but without truly excelling in anything, and - unfortunately - without leaving its mark. The epic of shinobi and samurai leaves open several glimmers of hope for the future. But we hope that, both with DLC tied to the story of Naoe and Yasuke and with the next episodes, the saga can truly start again, rediscovering the ability to amaze us.

If you’ve never liked Assassin’s Creed this won’t win you over but Shadows is a well-made and exciting iteration that’s impressively well-polished, even if it lacks any significant new ideas.

Ubisoft Quebec renders feudal Japan with breathtaking detail and sets up two fascinating leads to experience its warring period with, but the trade-offs between the dual playstyles and frustrating control issues will likely test your patience during this epic journey. You'll still push through for the sake of Assassin's Creed Shadows' epic narrative and virtual historical tourism, but when compared with other older open world games set in Japan, you just wish it could feel more fun in the hands.

Assassin's Creed: Shadows is a game full of contrasts. On one hand, it offers solid stealth mechanics and a great combat system, but on the other, it features a lackluster storyline and generic exploration. If you're a fan of the series, you'll likely find something to enjoy here, but if you weren't convinced from the start, the combat and stealth may not be enough to win you over.

The bottom line is that Assassin's Creed Shadows is not a bad game, but unfortunately it is not really outstanding either. I had more fun with Naoe and Yaskue in feudal Japan than I had with Eivor in England back then. But it doesn't come close to Kassandra's adventure in Greece, for example. The design weaknesses mentioned are too obvious for that. Here, the game unfortunately wastes a lot of potential. And yet I will keep my adventure in Shadows in good memory.

There’s certainly room for improvement when it comes to its presentation and performance, but it’s hard to deny that Assassin’s Creed Shadows does so much so well. From its wonderfully realized world to its wealth of engaging quests and distractions, there’s plenty to enjoy here, regardless of whether you’ve fallen off the franchise in recent years.

Assassin's Creed Shadows isn't awful, but it’s not the game fans deserve. Clunky combat, awkward animations, and a departure from the series' standard make it a mixed bag. Still, its expansive world, production value, and new mechanics might justify giving it a try when its on sale, if you aren't an AC purist, that is.

The stories of vengeance in Assassin’s Creed Shadows are eclipsed by the game's quieter moments traversing feudal Japan on galloping horseback and visiting magnificent temples.

Despite all its controversies and pressure, Assassin's Creed Shadows is a good game, in which prevails what the franchise does best: a beautiful world and a compelling story, despite its lack of creativity in level design.

Assassin's Creed Shadows is a bloated collection of uninspired quests that quickly turn into a repetitive, boring grind. While the art and history teams deserve recognition for their efforts, it's all unfortunately wasted on a narrative that goes nowhere, is poorly explained, and has no satisfying resolutions. None of the changes and tweaks that Ubisoft brought to the table move the needle, and the game is ultimately more frustrating than it is fun. This is a game that desperately needed to succeed, and instead, collapses under its own weight. Future Assassin's Creed releases need to innovate instead of being yet another rehash of games we've already played in different locations. There are other open-world games in similar settings that are much more worthy of your time.

Assassin's Creed Shadows is a small, yet flawed, step in the right direction for the series. While the story, characters, visuals, music, and main gameplay mechanics shine, the lack of development for the protagonists, the boring side quests, the continued emphasis on combat instead of stealth, and the frustrating action RPG mechanics severely hinder the experience. Unfortunately, it's not the evolution of the series that many fans were hoping for, and it pales in comparison to other games that have handled its formula far better.