Assassin’s Creed: Shadows Review: Great combat and stealth, where plot plays it too safe

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In 1579, Japan is divided among powerful rulers (Daimyo), each trying to centralize power in their own hands. Leading the way is Oda Nobunaga of Owari Province, who is at the height of his power. His influence is so great that Jesuits arriving in Japan must seek his approval and request privileges from him. During one of these visits, the Jesuits present Yasuke—then still known as Daigo—who serves as their enslaved bodyguard. He quickly captures the attention of the powerful Daimyo, setting the stage for the story of Assassin’s Creed: Shadows. This introduction provides a glimpse into the historical period and the key events we will experience.

I’ve been playing Assassin’s Creed games for over 15 years, and my experience with the series has been a mixed bag. There were moments of pure excitement and others of deep disappointment, but the franchise has always managed to evoke some kind of emotion in me. This time, these feelings are mixed, but I also found something interesting there. On one hand, the game delivers solid stealth mechanics and a great combat system. On the other, it suffers from an average plot and repetitive, generic exploration.

A script in the shadows

In the tale of Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, players get the chance to assume the identities of not one but two characters – Yasuke and a ninja named Naoe, hailing from Iga, a region locked in conflict with the Oda clan. The narrative commences after a preliminary setup, thrusting us right into the midst of a skirmish between Oda Nobunaga’s troops and the shinobi of Iga. Initially, the game controls are in Yasuke’s hands. Soon afterwards, we meet Naoe, who is tasked by her father to retrieve and safeguard a tiny box. At this juncture, she is also given the Hidden Blade, an artifact that would become synonymous with the Assassins. However, what initially appears as a routine assignment escalates into a complex series of events that irrevocably alter Naoe’s life course.

I don’t want to reveal too much about the game’s prologue. Nevertheless, right from the start, players are met with a long story exposition, delivered through extended conversations and character introductions. As for the quality of the plot and dialogue, the first hour of the game is surprisingly strong, setting up intrigue and presenting key historical events from a fresh perspective—something the Assassin’s Creed series has always done well. Unfortunately, the narrative soon starts to play it too safe, giving the impression of a story that lacks boldness. This feeling persists for most of the game, with only a few exceptions where genuinely interesting moments happen. However, these moments are fleeting and often undermined by predictable dialogue and a formulaic approach to storytelling.

Shadows presents a familiar theme—a big secret hidden within the mysterious box. This secret serves as the driving force behind Naoe’s quest for revenge, pushing her to track down those who wronged her and stole something of great value. Of course, these people belong to a powerful organization hungry for control and influence. If, like me, you’ve played previous Assassin’s Creed games, this setup will feel all too familiar. It’s a story structure we’ve seen time and time again, only repackaged with a new setting and different characters. While the plot has potential, it never fully capitalizes on its premise, which is a shame. As a story about a shinobi caught up in the Assassins’ schemes and a former slave rising to become a samurai sounds compelling—at least on paper.

Both Yasuke and Naoe have their own narrative arcs, but while the shinobi’s storyline feels somewhat uninspired, the tale of the African samurai is far more engaging—though it unfolds at a very slow pace. It’s only near the end of the game that we finally get a deeper look into Yasuke’s past and his true motivations. This part of the story was by far the most compelling for me, but it wasn’t enough to elevate the overall narrative. Unfortunately, the plot is too safe and fails to leave a lasting impression.

PROS:

  1. responsive and complex combat;
  2. expanded stealth mechanics;
  3. audiovisual setting;
  4. the game is well-optimized on PS5;
  5. flora and fauna;
  6. destruction physics;
  7. living cities;
  8. a seasons system;
  9. expanding the hideout.

CONS:

  1. poorly written story and dialogues;
  2. repetitive side content;
  3. easy-to-predict plot twists;
  4. horse riding;
  5. big empty open world;
  6. the concept of having two protagonists wasn’t fully thought out;
  7. we can’t freely change the time of day.

Shinobi and Samurai

Instead of dwelling on criticisms, let’s shift our attention to the true merits of the latest addition to the Assassin’s Creed series – Assassin’s Creed: Shadows. If you’ve been a part of the recent RPG journeys within this franchise, you’re already acquainted with its fundamental structure. Yet, this new title doesn’t just rehash what we know; it builds upon various gameplay aspects, introducing innovative mechanics that enhance both the depth and flexibility in accomplishing tasks.

Let’s start with combat, which differs between the two protagonists. Naoe is a nimble shinobi with acrobatic movements. She doesn’t deal much damage and is more vulnerable in direct combat, but she excels at stealth. She also has access to a variety of shinobi tools and an arsenal of weapons designed for assassins who work in the shadows. During my playthrough, I relied mostly on the katana and tanto, the latter being essential for doing double kills. However, instead of these, players can also wield the kusarigama—a strong weapon even early in the game. While using it, I found myself frequently spamming the heavy attack button, which allowed me to control fights with ease. This made the kusarigama feel a bit overpowered, so I experimented with other weapon combinations.

In combat, we can use light attacks, heavy attacks, charged light attacks, and charged heavy attacks. As is tradition in the series, dodging and parrying also play a key role. Besides, we have access to special attacks, which can be unlocked through the skill tree and upgraded over time. Combat allows for fluid attack combinations, with animations that vary depending on the weapon and character being used. Many enemies wear armor that must first be broken before dealing true damage. I was particularly impressed by the level of detail in this mechanic—watching specific pieces of samurai armor break off mid-fight adds a satisfying sense of realism. A special mention goes to the finisher animations, which change depending on the weapon type. One interesting design choice is that nearly every fight ends with a finishing move, seamlessly integrated into the combat without disrupting the flow. The animations themselves are brutal, cinematic, and visually striking.

During combat, positioning is very important, as the game allows us to throw enemies not only off cliffs but also into walls or even other opponents, dealing extra damage in the process. Another great detail is the game’s destruction physics—during fights, it’s easy to accidentally slice through plants or paper doors, adding to the immersion. The game also features weapon engravings, which, along with skills and equipment, allow players to make builds. For instance, some builds are based on undercutting enemies and finishing them off. I played most of the game on the Expert difficulty level, which let me fully experience the challenge of combat. The difficulty felt well-balanced—whenever I died, I knew it was due to my own mistakes rather than unfair mechanics.

A key aspect of the game is the distinct playstyles of its two protagonists. Naoe, with her shinobi skills, is very good at stealth, making it easy for her to move undetected. Exploring the world is also more fun when playing as her, thanks to her grappling hook, which improves mobility and climbing.

Yasuke, on the other hand, is a tall, strong samurai. He embodies discipline, follows strict etiquette, and is guided by honor. Unlike Naoe, his strength lies in direct combat. Yasuke’s fighting style focuses on brutal, swift attacks. His weapon arsenal includes a long katana, naginata, kanabo, bow, and teppo, with each weapon having its own skill tree and special abilities. While I really enjoyed the melee weapons, especially the naginata and kanabo, I felt that the bow and teppo lacked power, which made me rarely want to use them.

Yasuke wasn’t made for climbing and sneaking. Of course, you can try to do it with him, but it feels very unimmersive and difficult, especially when Naoe is far better at those challenges. I bring this up because several times, when I wanted to complete a location 100% and started clearing it as a samurai, I would hit a wall in the form of an object hidden high up in a castle or tower. To get the item without getting too frustrated, I had to leave the area, switch to Naoe, and climb up to grab it. In those moments, I felt like the concept of having two protagonists wasn’t fully thought out. Sometimes, especially during the main and side quests early on, it seemed like the game was punishing me for choosing a specific character.

During both main and side missions, we often have the option to choose which character to play, which leads to some funny situations. In cutscenes, Yasuke and Naoe will talk to each other, but after you choose either samurai or shinobi, one of them simply disappears. This creates a bit of dissonance and takes some getting used to. The game also features dialogue choices (if you haven’t selected canon mode), which sometimes have consequences, but most of the time, they don’t. There’s some inconsistency here—while the game pays attention to detail in certain areas, there are moments where it takes a more laid-back approach to other things.

One thing I particularly liked was the sneaking mechanic, which has been greatly expanded compared to previous installments in the series. For starters, in addition to crouching, we can now go prone, giving us more options for approaching our target. A detection indicator has been added at the top of the screen, which helps us assess our level of visibility—this is especially useful on Expert difficulty, where enemies’ perception is at its highest, and they spot us quickly and won’t easily lose track of us once detected. However, the enemy AI still leaves a lot to be desired, as they tend to forget they ever saw us after waiting long enough post-detection. Despite this, the whole system is saved by the use of shadows, which now work like bushes—when we stay in them, enemies won’t notice us unless they get very close. The mechanics of hiding in the shadows require us to extinguish or destroy light sources, and shurikens come in handy for that. Our visibility also depends on the weather—during a storm or snowstorm, it’s harder for enemies to detect us. By default, the hidden blade doesn’t one-shot stronger enemies, but we can address this in a few ways. One option is to purchase the right skills, while another is to enable the one-hit kill feature in the game’s difficulty settings. After testing the latter, I felt a bit like I was cheating, but it also made eliminating targets ten times more satisfying.

Japan, exploration and more

I played Assassin’s Creed: Shadows on a PS5 console in Performance mode. The game maintained a steady 60 frames per second in the open world. The only performance issue I had was when visiting a hideout that we can freely expand, where, for some reason, the frames dropped to 30. Overall, I didn’t run into any serious bugs, though occasionally Yasuke’s or Naoe’s clothes behaved oddly during cutscenes, or the shinobi lost the katana sheath on her back. The game also never crashed to the dashboard for me. Sometimes the facial animations failed, giving the impression of being from a previous generation.

Visually, the world in Shadows is stunning, featuring typical landscapes of central Japan with mountains and forests. The fauna is incredibly rich and ever-present. You’ll constantly see various animals, including insects, wild boars, foxes, dogs, cats, and more. The architecture of this period is also beautifully rendered. We can visit locations like Enryaku-ji, Kyoto, or Osaka Castle, all of which look very impressive. These cities are full of life, with inhabitants reacting to changes in the weather or to chaos in the streets. Yasuke’s samurai armor and Naoe’s shinobi outfits are meticulously designed, and we can often find them in chests or earn them by completing missions.

A new feature introduced in Shadows is the changing seasons system, which lets us explore Japan during spring, summer, autumn, and winter. This is a very interesting addition that is integrated into the game world. For instance, in winter, icicles hanging from the roofs of buildings can fall due to our actions, causing a stir among the guards who happen to notice it. In spring and summer, it’s easier to sneak through dense vegetation. Some side quests require you to complete them during a specific season. While I didn’t come across many of these missions, it was still a cool touch. The game includes a changing seasons system, but unfortunately, we can’t freely change the time of day. I consider the lack of ability to choose when we want to complete a specific quest a big disadvantage—especially since stealing at night has its own unique charm and is simply easier.

Exploration in Assassin’s Creed: Shadows is one element that disappointed me greatly. We’re given a large open world made up of 9 provinces, but we can’t just dive into exploring them. They’re locked behind level requirements, meaning we have to reach certain levels first in order to travel through them without fear of being slaughtered by every enemy we encounter. At first, the open world seems massive, but as we progress, we realize it’s filled with mountains and dense forests that make it difficult to get through. This is where the pathfinder option comes in, showing us the way to our destination. In general, the exploration in AC: Shadows is designed by the road, which means that the presented world is much smaller than it appears. This wouldn’t have bothered me as much if it weren’t for the repetitive side quests and activities, which quickly became dull. While there are exclusive activities designed for Yasuke and Naoe to add some variety, they too become repetitive over time.

Many contracts also require us to travel long distances. In Shadows, we mainly use a horse for transportation, but traveling by horse doesn’t always work as expected. The animal often behaves oddly on a straight path, turning on its own and not always responding to commands. As for parkour (which, of course, is performed by Naoe), it’s become quite spectacular. The shinobi performs impressive stunts while jumping from building to building, and she can use a hook line right from the start. When parkouring, we generally just need to hold a combination of two buttons, depending on whether we want to climb up or down. Throughout the game world, I’ve come across places—like cliffs—that I could climb, but there were also others that I couldn’t. The game can be very vague about where we can and can’t climb.

Earlier, I mentioned the hideout, which plays a very important role in AC: Shadows. It serves as a meeting place for our allies and also acts as a mini-game. In the hideout, we can build structures almost like in a city builder. We can even create our own zoo! Constructing buildings is meaningful within the gameplay, as the forge, for instance, lets us hire a blacksmith to upgrade our weapons and armor, as well as dismantle piles of katanas, naginatas, and bows. Building requires some grinding, though, as we need to gather resources to expand the settlement. The best way to collect them is by completing contracts, which are refreshed every new season.

Final thoughts

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. I spent nearly 50 hours with the new Assassin’s Creed, and while there were moments I genuinely enjoyed, there were also times when I felt bogged down by repetitive content and poorly written dialogue. What stood out most to me was the setting, which was well-crafted and immersed me in a fascinating historical period of Japan, though it ultimately failed to realize its full potential.

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2025-03-18 20:50