Setting an Assassin's Creed game in feudal Japan has been the Holy Grail of sequels for a long, long time – combining stealth assassinations and ninjas seems like a no-brainer. Ubisoft has finally obliged and we couldn’t be happier, both in its release and in the fact they waited this long to pull it off, because quite simply, Shadows is the best the series has ever looked with some of the most visceral and satisfying combat out there.
There’s more to the story obviously, and it’s by no means a flawless experience thanks to a few pacing choices.
There's also some of the usual Assassin's Creed jank here and there, which we see as a fun part of the experience and not unlike the comical errors you might find in, say, a Bethesda release – but others may find it a little off-putting.
Set in 1500s Japan, you play as both trained shinobi Naoe – who’s perfect for stealth players as she nimbly backflips off tight ropes and slides into tall grass with aplomb – and Yasuke, a more tank-like samurai who fights much more aggressively and runs straight through doors for good measure.
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The telling of this particular Assassin's Creed story is almost experimental compared to the series' usual narrative structure.
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For starters, it’s a slow-burn affair. Outside of an initial tutorial battle, it takes some time before the game switches over to Yasuke. Instead, you spend quite some time in Naoe’s prologue, bouncing from past to present as the game fleshes out her character and sets the scene for the game's big targets – in this case, 12 mask-wearing warlords, the Shinbakufu, who step forward with an almost Tarantino-esque flair.
It’s a nice change of pace and feels like a natural progression for a series that has been slowly pushing towards a more cinematic narrative since Assassin's Creed Unity began its MCU-ification.
The downside is the storytelling can feel somewhat splintered. While there are moments where Naoe and Yasuke's paths cross, their personal stories as well as the stories about the targets you're hunting down are largely kept separate. The parts feel a little disconnected from each other as a result, narratively speaking.
The structure benefits the gameplay, though. You can tackle dismantling the organisation you're up against almost however you like, with the group broken into chunks that you can tackle at your leisure and with whichever character you choose. This design pairs well with the dual characters, which push and progress the dual-character approach seen in 2015’s Assassin's Creed Syndicate.
Each character offers a completely unique approach to missions, which you’ll need to take into account.
While Yasuke can mow through enemies with more gusto, don’t attempt rope-walking across the rooftops as it’ll snap under the weight of his armour, for example. Naoe is nimble and happy to scale heights at speed, but get caught and you may find she struggles to stay afloat in fights with more than a couple of foes.
Since the series took a big pivot into RPG territory, you could argue it’s struggled in some senses to unite the two audiences drawn to the franchise – those craving the ‘old-school’ stealth action and those who enjoy the RPG-era combat. Shadows gives you both and the ability to switch between them at will.
Exploration is a more thoughtful process now, too. Instead of following objective markers and fast travelling to key points as soon as they’re ready, you are instead given clues as to where you need to go next, which will have you studying your map and feeling empowered to explore the world in a deeper way.
There’s a bit of help should you feel stumped, as you can send scouts ahead to check areas for you – but at a cost. The scouts can instead be out gathering resources required to upgrade your gear or hideout, so is it worth the sacrifice of their time? It’s an interesting idea.
While it's quicker to ask the scouts to find your next objective, it must be said that some of our favourite moments in Shadows came from enjoying the journey of discovery ourselves and taking in the surroundings.
Levelling up is also now baked into the explorational experience, as you’ll slowly gain knowledge points for all manner of tasks littered across the map from Kuji-Kiri meditation to finding lost texts in shrines and martial arts practice. Doing so helps you gradually unearth more of your skill tree and the possibilities within it.
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From powerful adrenaline moves that see you rushing forward to cut down waves of enemies to parries and brutal finishing moves, combat in Shadows is a real highlight and an improvement on previous entries. Every element has been refined, leading to satisfying assassinations and swordfights.
And with a varied array of weapons, some more suited to either Yasuke or Naoe, we had a lot of fun experimenting. From the kusarigama (think nunchuck but with a rounded blade at the end), which is devilishly great at keeping crowds at bay, to katanas, naganitas and teppō.
As with previous RPG entries, there’s a lot of weapons and armour to scour through as you progress through the game, with incremental changes to adrenaline, strength, and so on. If that’s not quite your bag, this can be a little off-putting but thankfully doesn't feel too forced or bloated.
The game is also visually impressive. From the first battle at night as fire flickers around you to the first synchronisation point that displays the map's lush surroundings, the world looks huge and is ripe for exploration.
Fans of photo mode will have plenty to play around with, especially as the seasons change. Not just for the vibes, seasonal changes alter the terrain around you – for example, snow-covered areas are slower to trudge through, but water frozen over can make for quicker access to certain areas. It’s the small details that really make for a engaging world and experience.
Assassin's Creed Shadows takes ideas from previous entries as well as some bold experimental swings to create a defining entry in the franchise – perhaps as series-defining as Black Flag.
We personally think it’s the best the series has ever been, and despite some parts of the narrative not quite sticking the landing, we had an absolute blast with Ubisoft's latest.
Platform reviewed on: Xbox Series X
Assassin's Creed Shadows is out March 20, 2025 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.
