Assassin’s Creed Shadows Review: An Imperfect Return to Form

At the time of its review cycle, Assassin’s Creed Shadows has two metaphorical weights on its shoulders. One is its feudal Japan setting. Throughout the hit Ubisoft franchise’s 18-year run, the premise of a secret worldwide league of assassins hiding and striking in the shadows has always seemed like a match made in heaven with the Land of the Rising Sun’s shinobi warriors — stemming a fan demand that has almost as been as long as the series itself. 

The other is the form of Ubisoft’s recent releases and the pressure for Shadows to turn that around. However, I’m pleased to report that despite some caveats, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is more than worth your time and money. It’s established itself as a strong entry in the series by combining its classic stealthy gameplay with a superb setting. 

Merging Fact and Fiction

One of the most interesting hooks around the Assassin’s Creed series has been its fictional twist on real-world events. That’s thanks to integrating the franchise’s long-running inter-connecting conflict between the titular liberating brotherhood and the tyrannical Templar Order with actual times in history. With a particularly unique mix of Japanese history and the franchise’s core appeal in its premise, Assassin’s Creed Shadows makes for the series’ best interpretation of that fictional historical hook in over 10 years.

AC Shadows takes place in late 16th-century Japan during its Sengoku period — a time of widespread civil war, with daimyo Oda Nobunaga being the brutal de facto ruler he was in real life. One of those affected by the casualties of his blood-soaked campaign is Shadows’ first protagonist, Naoe, a fictional daughter of another real historical figure — Fujibayashi Nagato, the leader of the ninjas in the Iga region. 

Once Naoe is thrown head-first into the conflict, she’s set on a path for revenge against a league of multiple powerful foes, journeying across the land, and gaining allies while making use of the shinobi and assassin skills her father taught her. 

However, Naoe’s quest also sees her cross paths with Shadows’ other protagonist — real-life African samurai, Yasuke. In Nobunaga’s service until the lord’s death, the first foreign samurai initially begins on the opposite side of the conflict to Naoe before circumstances have them join forces. 

From then on, you’ll have access to both the skillsets of a shinobi and a samurai at your disposal — making for both a versatile choice of mission approaches and a fascinating interpretation of one of Japan’s most chaotic times.

Filling the Blanks in a Fun Way

A big reason focusing on this particular period of feudal Japan works for the Assassin’s Creed formula is that the real-life events around Yasuke himself have, to an extent, been left up in the air. Up until that period in 1582 which saw the death of Oda Nobunaga — covered by the game in its own way — no historian has been able to factually confirm beyond speculation what happened to the legendarily notable samurai. 

As a storytelling opportunity that’s been explored in TV, anime, manga, comics, and even a film in the works, Ubisoft Quebec does an impressive job with its own take on what happened to Yasuke at that time through the AC Shadows lens.

With the use of Ubisoft’s upgraded Anvil engine, the high production quality in visuals, sound design, and voice acting all come together to make the many cutscenes and scale of the battles feel like a new samurai film telling an alternative version of Yasuke’s story — one that just so happens to have the involvement of a fictional shinobi called Naoe.

Speaking of voice acting, adding to the variety of games already set in Japan—Ghost of Tsushima, Rise of the Ronin, and the Like a Dragon/Yakuza series—Assassin’s Creed Shadows has gone the extra mile by adding a bonus feature to the typical ‘sub vs dub’ argument: Immersive Mode. 

Immersive Mode is a welcome language option that allows you to play through AC Shadows’ events in a mixture of Japanese and Portuguese as they occurred in real life — adding authenticity whether you’re playing in the standard story mode or the also interesting Canon Mode that takes the decision-making out of dialogue options. 

Although, the English dub still does a fine job as ever if that’s what you’re used to from playing Assassin’s Creed games before.

Another big winner among that aforementioned list of production value is Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ soundtrack scored by The Flight. Many Japan-set games like Ghost of Tsushima have made a solid effort in creating that folksy, mid-millennium set of tracks made up of instruments like shamisens and flutes. Still, AC Shadows layers in increments of ’60s/’70s-esque classic Japanese rock soundtracks as well. These aren’t abundant throughout the game, but when they pop up, they grant you something new and distinct with unexpected waves of audible energy in tonally suitable scenes.

Back to What Works

With the format of having Naoe and Yasuke as shared protagonists, each with their respective shinobi and samurai playstyles, AC Shadows feels like a combination of old and new — with Yasuke representing the upfront warrior style similar to those in Odyssey and Valhalla. Meanwhile, Naoe follows Mirages’ suit with the return of the franchise’s earlier stealth gameplay.

However, because you’re not able to unlock Yasuke as a playable character until around 10 hours into the story, you’ll take the time solely as Naoe to get acquainted with the series’ full return to its original stealth action-adventure formula, reinvented for its modern larger open-world map setting. 

One of the biggest perks for longtime AC fans is the continued return of Eagle Vision — the X-ray vision-style mechanic that allows you to see through walls, spot enemies highlighted in a red hue, and make the strategizing of your sneak-and-assassinate operations far easier. Compared to Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla’s Eagle Sense — where you’d use the viewpoint of a companion bird to spot and mark enemies — the ‘Vision’ variant is far simpler to work with since you’re not forced to continuously shift perspectives.

Another is the increasing selection of Naoe’s shinobi arsenal and Shadow’s various surroundings to maximize the enjoyment of becoming a master assassin. Along with the series-iconic weapon, the Hidden Blade, Naoe can also utilize kunai, smoke bombs, shurikens, and distracting Shinobi Bells. 

With Shadows still providing plenty of mechanical options such as being able to go prone and crawl about, using a bamboo stick to hide underwater or assassinating foes through shoji paper doors, this really feels like an AC game that makes the most of this iconic, historical locale. 

While Naoe’s use of parkour, stealth, grappling hook, and weaponry feels like a breath of fresh air compared to Valhalla and Odyssey, the eventual addition of Yasuke satisfyingly fills a need for a tanky brute that can quickly shred through enemies.

While Yasuke can’t use Eagle Vision, another new feature in Assassin’s Creed Shadows is the Observe mechanic. This allows both protagonists to zoom in and look around environments with an aim-like function and identify investigative objectives, collectibles, or resources, based on colored dots. While having this merged with Eagle Vision for Yasuke would be more efficient, it still works as an easy-to-use compromise.

The Issues Lie in the Gameplay

Both protagonists can obtain, equip, and use distinct weapon selections for a greater variety of playstyles. Be that as it may, that aspect of gameplay still involves a continuous loop of swapping out or upgrading multiple pieces of gear to what feels like endlessly optimizing your loadout across a 35+ hour playthrough. This isn’t new to the series, but this grind still adds a sense of monotony as it does in previous entries.

Be that as it may, while the basic sword-slashing combat isn’t very enthralling at the beginning, combat does improve as you progress. The implementation of well-timed guards and parries, powerful abilities for weapons acquired through skill trees, and slick finishing moves build up a satisfying and gory power fantasy that usually comes with the grind of these games. 

The main issues that hold Assassin’s Creed Shadows back from being beyond great are three-fold in terms of its gameplay: character switching, combat clunkiness, and forced fluff. 

The switching between the protagonists is the lesser of the three but is still grating over time. As Naoe or Yasuke, you can switch to the other in your inventory menu, during fast travel, or when you’re about to take on a campaign mission where you can play as either. The problem is that you’re unable to switch when you’re in a prohibited enemy zone. 

So, if you end up in a type of side activity — like an enemy base — where you realize you’re using the wrong protagonist, you need to spend time wandering out, go to the Inventory menu, switch, go through a loading screen, and head back to where you were before. 

This wouldn’t too be much of a nuisance normally, but Yasuke is fundamentally not built for traversal or exploration whatsoever since his heft and non-shinobi traits make him incapable of parkour, grappling, or walking on walkways beyond a nervous slow pace. If you want to try and explore much of the map, you’ll likely play as Naoe to make the experience less of a chore. 

Clunkiness in combat is usually a part of third-person action-adventure games on the same level, but Shadows’ can be frustrating in numerous circumstances. Essentially, unless you’re fighting enemies in a fully open, outdoor setting, you’ll have some form of obstacle get in your way at least once. This could be as simple (but still infuriating) as obstructing your view so you can’t time a dodge or parry, or preventing you from moving so you get hit by an enemy strike. 

Fighting indoors feels chaotic, too. Interiors are littered with pillars, furniture, and those aforementioned shoji doors. Failing in your stealthy approach and being made to switch to real combat is enough of a nuisance that you might feel compelled to reload your autosave and try again. 

Ubisoft still hasn’t managed to get away from its map bloat issue in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, either. When I mentioned ‘forced fluff’ before, it’s because only one type of side content rewards you with Knowledge Points. These are required to access what are arguably essential skills at different tiers in both Yasuke and Naoe’s skill trees. These skills are then unlocked with Mastery Points, earned by leveling up and killing other samurai. The fact we’ve got two points for a skill tree is a questionable design choice in itself.

However, Knowledge Points are only obtained by clearing red-symbol side activities across the map like finding Lost Pages at temples, praying at Shrines, or performing Kuji-Kiri. Getting to rank 2 isn’t too much of a hassle, but because the Knowledge Point requirement increases per rank, you later feel forced to complete what’s essentially busywork if you want to craft builds for each character that feel powerful enough to get you through the later story. Plus, after dozens of hours in a game, you want your character to feel suitably strong and masterful in the art of assassination, not helplessly hacking away at the same enemy. AC Shadows’ activities can feel like they’re part of a lovely serene experience, but feeling like you have to do them as a chore takes half the joy out of them. 

The Saving Grace

Despite Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ flaws, there is one thing that’ll have you coming back for more: The combination of Ubisoft Quebec’s clear passion for bringing Japan to life in their universe and the game’s dedicated storytelling.

There are shifting seasons that form part of a moving time mechanic, gorgeous scenic natural landscapes, meticulously adapted temples and landmarks, and easily scannable codex entries you can use to learn more about the land and its culture. The map was made by a team that loves Japan and has done its research. This rendition of Sengoku Japan conveys the country’s beauty to players, regardless of their level of prior knowledge.

While you’re initially unlocking fast travel points, Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ sizable campaign will have you traversing the map from objective A to B. Whether trekking on foot or riding horseback, the scenic views, abundance of creatures, and well-crafted settlements with bustling inhabitants ensure exploration never feels like a chore.

That’s made even easier as you get to know Naoe and Yasuke and their personal stories intertwine with those around them. The fictional shinobi and real-world samurai each have their reasons for fighting, one for revenge and one in service of their lord and doing what’s right. However, they soon end up together battling for something bigger than themselves. 

While their separate combat styles make them feel like two halves of the same coin, taking control of two very peculiar yet likable characters — seeing their individual arcs intertwine and come together so well — provides a more enhanced experience compared to controlling just one. The further you venture into the campaign, exploring more of their evolving friendship with their lovable companions like Junjiro, the more compelled you feel to fight for your newfound family until the credits roll.

Final Thoughts

Assassin’s Creed Shadows definitely has a few gripes that may wear on you during longer sessions. However, the immersive beauty of its version of feudal Japan, well-adapted characters both historical and fictional, and finely-crafted narrative are enough to push you through to the end. 

Although feeling like a diamond in the rough, Shadows has made the AC formula fit in with the series’ most requested setting. It also excels in utilizing its premise and ambiguity of Yasuke’s real-world fate, to create a what-if scenario that’s simultaneously fascinating and epic. 

While recent past entries in its larger open-world formula, Valhalla and Odyssey, were in no doubt successful and deserving of acclaim in their own right, there had always been talk among parts of the fanbase saying that the franchise had partly lost its appeal with deviating away from the titular Brotherhood of Assassins keeping AC games connected and distinctive.

By introducing the also-likable shinobi protagonist Naoe — refining the ‘back to basics’ return to stealth that Mirage started — Ubisoft Quebec has proven that Assassin’s Creed games are indeed better when you can play as an fully-fledged assassin.

While it still doesn’t fully reach the heights of AC 2 or Black Flag, Shadows represents Ubisoft’s flagship franchise back on form with the best Assassin’s Creed game in 12 years.