Assassins Creed Shadows: A Stunning Journey Through 16th-Century Japan That Struggles with Old Mechanics

While it’s improbable that the fate of a vast entity like Ubisoft depends solely on the triumph of a single major single-player title, the company is in no position to endure another significant misstep, especially following the lackluster responses to Star Wars: Outlaws and XDefiant . The need for a significant breakout success is pressing (along with the anticipated success of the Rainbow Six Siege X revamp). Fortunately for Ubisoft, Assassin’s Creed Shadows seems ready to meet those expectations.

At first glance, it embodies everything you’d anticipate: an expansive Assassin’s Creed experience that demands hours of gameplay. There is a multitude of activities available beyond the main storyline, with various missions and side quests that the game consistently directs you toward. Throughout my gaming experience, I found myself seldom feeling bored — even during lengthy flashbacks — which speaks volumes about the effort and thoughtfulness that Ubisoft’s developers have invested in both this sprawling world and its interconnected narrative.

It was crucial for Ubisoft to ensure that the game launched smoothly without any technical failures, avoiding a scenario reminiscent of Cyberpunk 2077. Fortunately, Assassin’s Creed Shadows generally performed well across my platforms (base PS5 and Xbox Series X) as well as on PC.

On a high-performance gaming PC equipped with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, 14th-gen i9 Intel CPU, and 32GB of RAM, the visuals were outstanding, with no issues running the game at maximum settings. The framerate remained consistently in the 55-59 fps range, barring a few slight drops during transitions to cutscenes, which play out at 30 fps. It’s important to note that Assassin’s Creed Shadows is verified for Steam Deck, but I didn’t have the opportunity to try it out on that platform.

Even during intense combat across all three platforms, I experienced no substantial slowdowns. However, there were minor graphical glitches observed on PS5. Initially, while navigating through puddles in performance mode, the water on a dirt path exhibited unnatural shimmering. This distraction interrupted my conversation with a companion.

In snowy regions, the textures of grass visible through the snow fluctuated in clarity while traversing the countryside on horseback. This happened in balanced mode, which aims to provide a middle ground between performance and quality modes. Although these are minor issues, they briefly took me out of the experience.

Another small quirk was that my horse often got stuck when I called for it. For instance, if I was on a narrow bridge and summoned my steed, it could spawn in the river below. It was a slight annoyance, primarily due to how the game’s programming instructs the horse to catch up with you, but it’s easily overlooked given the abundance of narrow paths encountered throughout the game.

Two heroes with their own narratives

The main draw this time around is the ability to switch between two characters almost at will. Naoe, a shinobi, embodies a more classic Assassin’s Creed protagonist, while the warrior Yasuke presents as a formidable samurai capable of breaking through barriers and effortlessly maneuvering bodies to concealment. Some missions and character interactions necessitate playing as specific characters, although generally, players have the freedom to choose in the open world.

I preferred playing as Naoe whenever possible. Her agility and skill at navigating fortified positions made her a valuable asset — her grappling hook is a particularly versatile tool — suited for stealth missions. Notably, she’s the only one equipped with the legendary hidden blade. Her movement feels incredibly smooth, a quality attributed to the additional development time allocated during the delays.

In contrast to Yasuke, Naoe can utilize the traditional eagle vision ability to reveal enemies, hiding locations, and treasures behind walls. She is adept in close-quarters combat as well, especially as you unlock skills such as the essential double assassination. Her kusarigama, featuring a sickle and heavy weight linked by a chain, forms an effective part of her weaponry.

Yasuke, however, is equally engaging as a character. Stealthily thinning enemy ranks with his bow or aggressively dispatching targets with a teppō firearm before charging in to finish off survivors with a long katana or crushing club is perpetually thrilling.

Both protagonists are well-developed and convincingly portrayed, at least while experiencing the game in English. However, the lip sync occasionally struggles to align with spoken dialogue, causing minor distractions during cinematic moments. While I didn’t explore the immersive mode, which features characters communicating in their original languages of Japanese and Portuguese, I would be curious to see if the lip sync issue is as prevalent there.

Personal stakes intertwined with a larger ambition

Nonetheless, the storyline was compelling enough to capture my interest throughout the cutscenes and gameplay. It begins with very personal stakes for both characters but expands to encompass the protection of Japan’s future. The writers have woven a narrative filled with intrigue and complexity, and I appreciated the incorporation of the overarching Assassin’s Creed lore into Shadows.

The intricate narrative structure makes the anticipated 40-60 hours of gameplay feel justified for many players. The new scouting feature, which facilitates pinpointing an objective’s location after discovering it’s in a particular area, works effectively. However, I found the condensed 20-hour format employed in Assassin’s Creed Mirage more appealing.

I appreciated playing in canon mode, which eliminated dialogue choices and allowed the narrative to unfold as intended by its creators. Revealing how Naoe and Yasuke establish their alliance would spoil too much, but their exchanges with one another and interaction with other characters, especially the flirtatious rapport Naoe develops with a certain gun-wielding figure, generally succeed in capturing the player’s interest.

The numerous performers contribute greatly to the experience, successfully delivering their lines. However, it feels slightly disjointed to hear one character speaking with a neutral North American accent while most others bring Japanese and Portuguese influences to their delivery.

Despite the robust story, the structure has oddities at times. The main narrative incorporates flashbacks, including one offering a combat tutorial right after an action-packed prologue, which can disrupt pacing even if they enrich the protagonists’ backgrounds.

Challenges of the skill tree

The progression system employed by Ubisoft is not particularly appealing to me. Naoe and Yasuke each possess six skill trees, subdivided into multiple levels. Players must earn experience points through various side activities like horse archery or locating hidden treasures within temples to unlock the next level. While these activities can be enjoyable, it becomes frustrating to have an abundance of mastery points available for use on skills but having to engage in sundry side tasks before acquiring some of the cooler abilities of Naoe and Yasuke.

Additionally, there are some outdated mechanics in place. Defeating a rōnin — a hired samurai tasked with eliminating the heroes — in an exciting duel yielded considerable loot, including legendary light armor. However, my inability to equip it due to insufficient character level requirements was baffling.

The varying difficulty of enemies between regions, a design choice that Ubisoft avoided in Mirage, feels overly familiar here. It’s a contrived method to escalate both difficulty and progression when alternative strategies such as inventive level design, introducing diverse enemy types, and player-controlled difficulty adjustments could achieve the same effect. Given the historical context of the series, it’s somewhat expected that certain gameplay conventions remain rooted in the past.

Generally, I don’t relish the idea of dedicating my time to hunting for gear upgrades merely to survive in a new region. Nonetheless, certain equipment perks can prove beneficial. Stealthily infiltrating castles to eliminate key foes and unlock a chest containing valuable gear felt rewarding — even as a supplementary activity while pursuing points of interest.

Regardless of gameplay aspects, climbing to a viewpoint is consistently worthwhile, as is a long-standing tradition in the Assassin’s Creed series. Players are rewarded with sweeping views of the surroundings, and since Shadows boasts stunning visuals, I made a point of claiming every viewpoint along my journey.

Aside from minor issues with puddle effects and grass textures, exploring this visually striking game, rich with foliage, meticulously crafted settlements, and a dynamic weather system, creates a memorable and immersive environment. The lighting systems enabling Naoe and Yasuke to extinguish candles and lanterns to remain hidden in darkness are excellent additions as well.

There are numerous enjoyable moments in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. One instance that echoed a scene from The Last of Us Part II had me beginning a peaceful side task when an assassin attempted to eliminate me, adding an unexpectedly thrilling twist. Moreover, an optional battle against a high-level enemy at the base of a blazing tower during the night was incredibly cinematic.

Serene moments abound, such as engaging in meditation or appreciating the scenery from viewpoints, alongside Naoe’s preparations for a pivotal tea ceremony in the story. Simply wandering through a forest and encountering gentle wildlife while autumn leaves swirl around you can also be calming.

This tranquility stands in stark contrast to the game’s frequent and brutal violence. In addition to the quick executions with Naoe’s hidden blade, Yasuke’s kill animations often depict the severing of heads and limbs. The balance of peaceful interludes against the backdrop of violence is skillfully managed.

A lot is riding on Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Ubisoft certainly hopes it garners immediate success and that players don’t postpone their purchases waiting for a price drop. There’s substantial competition as well, especially with Sucker Punch Productions’ anticipated sequel to Ghost of Tsushima, Ghost of Yōtei, scheduled for release later this year.

There appears to be enough in Assassin’s Creed Shadows to captivate both long-time series fans and newcomers enchanted by the 16th-century Japan setting, even those unfamiliar with the intricacies of the Animus. With impressive technical achievements, strong performances, and an expansive narrative, Assassin’s Creed Shadows unfortunately stumbles over some antiquated gameplay systems and frustrating choices. Nonetheless, I am eager to continue my exploration.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is set to launch on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows PC, Mac, Amazon Luna, and Ubisoft+ on March 20, with future availability on iPad planned.