First, a video review

https://youtu.be/-Uknz0WB9jA


Impressions of Assassin’s Creed Shadows. There are now two heroes, but there are zero useful improvements


Before we even knew what it was called, Assassin’s Creed Shadows already had a target on its back. Culture wars have raged over the casting of historical black samurai Yasuke as one of the protagonists since the first screenshot leaked, leading to several failed attempts by Ubisoft to placate disgruntled voices concerned about “historical accuracy.” Shadows has also been delayed twice at a time when Ubisoft is desperate for a hit project, and the smell of blood has industry critics and Tencent bankers circling.

While analysts are preparing their opinions on what Shadows means for the future of the industry’s old giants and their vast open worlds, I have a simpler question: is Shadows interesting?

I’m glad that the answer to that question is an easy yes. Shadows is one of the most engaging stealth experiences of the last decade, and impressively, it also has the best and most exciting combat the series has ever seen. Whether I’m playing as Naoya, sneaking past samurai across rooftops or in the shadows, or as Yasuke, smashing through a castle gate and perfectly blocking a warrior monk’s attacks, Shadows is peak Assassin’s Creed.

But it’s not all neck slashes and katana decapitations. Shadows is huge – I’ve already spent about 50 hours completing the main story and a handful of side missions – but its bloated map, filled with stunning castles, endless temples, picturesque villages, and beautiful vistas, is much wider than it is deeper. In terms of stealth and action, Shadows successfully returns to what made the early Assassin’s Creed games great, but it also carries baggage from Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla. There are quests, companions, and dialogue options that are clearly modeled after BioWare or Bethesda classics, but the similarities are only skin deep, and I didn't find the characters or stories memorable.

The disjointed main storyline, faceless cast of characters, and stream of quests that all end the same way make me long for the days when Assassin's Creed focused solely on the two things it still excels at: infiltrating a place and killing the right person inside.

New Order
As if Ubisoft knew exactly how to win over fans of the classic AC series, one of Shadows' protagonists has something we've been missing from these games for a while: a direct connection to the Assassin Brotherhood. Naoya's story begins much like Ezio's, with a family tragedy, a passed-down hidden blade, and the destruction of her shinobi village, which drives her to seek revenge against a shadowy organization of masked assassins.

It's a standard opening, but its emotional moments are elevated by Naoya's performance from actress Masumi Tsunoda, Ubisoft's sharper cinematography this time around, and a haunting soundtrack created in collaboration between traditional composers and Canadian-Japanese rock band TEKE::TEKE.

Confusingly, the first half of Shadows is almost exclusively about Naoya as she crosses off the first few names from her long hit list. Meanwhile, Yasuke remains sidelined after a short prologue depicting his introduction to Oda Nobunaga as a slave and his rise through the ranks. All the time spent on Naoya at the beginning centers Shadows' plot on her crusade. While most quests allow you to play as either character, Ubisoft never makes a compelling case that Yasuke's dedication to Naoya's cause is stronger than simply "these bad guys need to go." He spends most of the journey as Naoya's loyal partner, occasionally using his status as a respected samurai to gain information, while his personal interests aren't properly explored until the very end of the story. Despite Yasuke receiving a lot of attention before Shadows' release, his unique identity is rarely even mentioned in dialogue. Likewise, the companions who join Naoe and Yasuke and hang out at their new shinobi headquarters - the thief, the displaced shinobi, the orphan, and others - typically have a stronger bond with Naoe.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, this game is so huge I haven’t even mentioned its incredible navigation. By default, you’re only given hints about where people and places are, like “Southwest of X” or “Near the red-light district.” The idea is to use Scouts, the scouting currency, to explore the area and confirm where to go, but if you skip that step, something as mundane as driving to a quest marker becomes its own little game of Geoguessr.

This was the best time I’ve had in Shadows since the beginning, and I couldn’t figure out why. The fact that the main storyline was behind me and I no longer felt rushed played a role, but I wasn’t just relaxing – I was enjoying my checklist game, savoring every kill and not thinking about what I would have changed. It felt like I’d finally learned to love Shadows. On the second monitor, my partner was battling a lightning dragon in Monster Hunter Wilds, and it occurred to me that we were essentially doing the same thing: picking names, hunting targets, finding loot.

I don’t think Shadows is a game you should binge-play. You can completely ignore the story, come back in six months, and still be caught up (heads should roll). I know I’ll be continuing to explore its 30+ castles well into 2025 and 2026, because I get the urge to play a great stealth game every few months, and now I have a new game to play with.

First, a video review https://youtu.be/-Uknz0WB9jA Impressions of Assassin’s Creed Shadows. There are now two heroes, but there are zero useful improvements Before we even knew what it was called, Assassin’s Creed Shadows already had a target on its back. Culture wars have raged over the casting of historical black samurai Yasuke as one of the protagonists since the first screenshot leaked, leading to several failed attempts by Ubisoft to placate disgruntled voices concerned about “historical accuracy.” Shadows has also been delayed twice at a time when Ubisoft is desperate for a hit project, and the smell of blood has industry critics and Tencent bankers circling. While analysts are preparing their opinions on what Shadows means for the future of the industry’s old giants and their vast open worlds, I have a simpler question: is Shadows interesting? I’m glad that the answer to that question is an easy yes. Shadows is one of the most engaging stealth experiences of the last decade, and impressively, it also has the best and most exciting combat the series has ever seen. Whether I’m playing as Naoya, sneaking past samurai across rooftops or in the shadows, or as Yasuke, smashing through a castle gate and perfectly blocking a warrior monk’s attacks, Shadows is peak Assassin’s Creed. But it’s not all neck slashes and katana decapitations. Shadows is huge – I’ve already spent about 50 hours completing the main story and a handful of side missions – but its bloated map, filled with stunning castles, endless temples, picturesque villages, and beautiful vistas, is much wider than it is deeper. In terms of stealth and action, Shadows successfully returns to what made the early Assassin’s Creed games great, but it also carries baggage from Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla. There are quests, companions, and dialogue options that are clearly modeled after BioWare or Bethesda classics, but the similarities are only skin deep, and I didn't find the characters or stories memorable. The disjointed main storyline, faceless cast of characters, and stream of quests that all end the same way make me long for the days when Assassin's Creed focused solely on the two things it still excels at: infiltrating a place and killing the right person inside. New Order As if Ubisoft knew exactly how to win over fans of the classic AC series, one of Shadows' protagonists has something we've been missing from these games for a while: a direct connection to the Assassin Brotherhood. Naoya's story begins much like Ezio's, with a family tragedy, a passed-down hidden blade, and the destruction of her shinobi village, which drives her to seek revenge against a shadowy organization of masked assassins. It's a standard opening, but its emotional moments are elevated by Naoya's performance from actress Masumi Tsunoda, Ubisoft's sharper cinematography this time around, and a haunting soundtrack created in collaboration between traditional composers and Canadian-Japanese rock band TEKE::TEKE. Confusingly, the first half of Shadows is almost exclusively about Naoya as she crosses off the first few names from her long hit list. Meanwhile, Yasuke remains sidelined after a short prologue depicting his introduction to Oda Nobunaga as a slave and his rise through the ranks. All the time spent on Naoya at the beginning centers Shadows' plot on her crusade. While most quests allow you to play as either character, Ubisoft never makes a compelling case that Yasuke's dedication to Naoya's cause is stronger than simply "these bad guys need to go." He spends most of the journey as Naoya's loyal partner, occasionally using his status as a respected samurai to gain information, while his personal interests aren't properly explored until the very end of the story. Despite Yasuke receiving a lot of attention before Shadows' release, his unique identity is rarely even mentioned in dialogue. Likewise, the companions who join Naoe and Yasuke and hang out at their new shinobi headquarters - the thief, the displaced shinobi, the orphan, and others - typically have a stronger bond with Naoe. Holy shit, this game is so huge I haven’t even mentioned its incredible navigation. By default, you’re only given hints about where people and places are, like “Southwest of X” or “Near the red-light district.” The idea is to use Scouts, the scouting currency, to explore the area and confirm where to go, but if you skip that step, something as mundane as driving to a quest marker becomes its own little game of Geoguessr. This was the best time I’ve had in Shadows since the beginning, and I couldn’t figure out why. The fact that the main storyline was behind me and I no longer felt rushed played a role, but I wasn’t just relaxing – I was enjoying my checklist game, savoring every kill and not thinking about what I would have changed. It felt like I’d finally learned to love Shadows. On the second monitor, my partner was battling a lightning dragon in Monster Hunter Wilds, and it occurred to me that we were essentially doing the same thing: picking names, hunting targets, finding loot. I don’t think Shadows is a game you should binge-play. You can completely ignore the story, come back in six months, and still be caught up (heads should roll). I know I’ll be continuing to explore its 30+ castles well into 2025 and 2026, because I get the urge to play a great stealth game every few months, and now I have a new game to play with.