Assassin’s Creed is one of those series where you kind of always know what you’re going to get with every entry. You go into an Assassin’s Creed game usually wanting a handful of experiences, and the success of the game is more about how well they make you feel you’ve earned those experiences.

Yet, with Assassin’s Creed Shadows, I can’t help but feel there’s that little bit of extra thrown into it, and well it should be. While it excels at the usual Assassin’s Creed fair, it feels like there’s quite a bit to Shadows that makes it all that much more enjoyable than “Just another Assassin’s Creed game”.

Title: Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Developer: Ubisoft Quebec

Publisher: Ubisoft

Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5

A World Through Two Sets Of Eyes

I really don’t envy the people in charge of setting an Assassin’s Creed game in Japan. I can’t think of a single country that’s as prevalent in pop culture across genres- while everyone recognizes New York, it’s always urban. With Japan, you have people who romanticize the fantasy aspects, the cultural and the historical. It’s like trying to flex your Star Wars knowledge when you’re in a room full of Expanded Universe nerds- that is to say, it’s an ambitious undertaking.

And to its credit, Assassin’s Creed Shadows delivers on a solid experience. The story is pretty standard Assassin’s Creed fair with a fun twist- you’re now playing as two people out to avenge a tragedy that’s befallen them.

Naoe the Shinobi and Yasuke the Samurai are a genuinely fun pair of characters specifically because of how different they are- Yasuke is the straight man, honest and upfront while Naoe is a little more dry, a little more mean.

It helps that they actually interact with each other- in one quest, Naoe pops up from the shadows to taunt poor Yasuke’s puppy dog eyes when he’s talking to a quest relevant NPC. In another, the pair get wasted and wake up hung over with Naoe passed out on the roof while Yasuke’s in a wagon. It’s not story important, it just helps you feel like you’re playing as characters, not movesets.

The game constantly feels like its trying to press on you just how important it is to treat these characters differently, and it culminates in one of my favorite things about the game: the music. Assassin’s Creed Shadows has probably the best music in the series, from character moments to even boss themes.

One of the major bosses earlier on has a downright gorgeous theme, as does Yasuke in one of his introductory missions. I just don’t go into Assassin’s Creed games expecting bangers outside of a stray homage to Ezio’s Family, so it’s nice to be surprised by something I’d genuinely listen to on the way to work.

Combine that with the game’s cut to inky art for your characters’ special moves and you have a game that really puts its weight into presentation- an effort that doesn’t go to waste.

Two Distinct Definitions of “Assassinate”

Of course, all of this has to serve the actual gameplay. It helps that Yasuke and Naoe feel so unique because even gameplay wise, they’re meant to be. Yasuke works great as the great Objective-Clearer- his aggressive kit and lack of ability to parkour means he’s good for when a room needs to become void of life very quickly. Meanwhile, Naoe feels like the Assassin’s Creed gameplay I’ve come to love over the years- a heavy emphasis on stealth, staying in the dark and sneaking up on targets before giving them the shank.

Don’t expect to get too far if you think you’re going to only play as one of them, ever, though. I can’t even imagine trying to get Yasuke to any of the game’s vantage points to synchronize, and some of the game’s quests are addressed to specific characters.

As a result you’re constantly priming yourself to change gears based on who you’re playing as. There’s definitely some levels where I wish I’d infiltrated as Yasuke The Great Deleter, as he greatly reduces the population of various Japanese castles in the name of his backstory. Similarly, there’s times as Yasuke I curse the gravity weighing down my soul, as my path to the next Daisho is blocked by something I could have just vaulted over as Naoe instead.

While it’s excellent by Assassin’s Creed standards, the combat is a microcosm of one of my biggest nitpicks with the games, which is that continued double down that a stealth action series needs RPG elements. Gear collection just isn’t fun. That’s not to say clearing outposts of Samurai Daisho isn’t exhilarating- that’s great. It’s just the words “Common Katana” or “Legendary Talisman” continue to be a reward disproportionately less interesting than the things I had to do to get them.

The Immersive Experience Of Being Lost In Japan Without The Convenience Of A Subway

Still, it feels like the implementation of these features are where Assassin’s Creed Shadows really shines. The game has opted for a much more immersive approach to its quests. Constantly ringing quest markers now have to be earned, as you suss out locations based on clues and the game’s Scout system.

Basically, you get three scouts at the start of a season, and these scouts can be spent to search an area. If your target is in the area, you get the blue quest marker to guide you there.

Considering how long a season is it does a good job of encouraging you to mess with side content- stray travelers can refill your scouts, giving you a much more pragmatic reason to be nice to defenseless farmers.

Combine that with the game’s incredibly cool Quest Board which sorts all activities into their themes and you see the game really trying to make this feel like an interconnected net of systems at play. I really like that it helps sidequests feel less random- there are entire storylines tied to various assasination targets, as Naoe and Yasuke adjust the membership of certain groups by ambushing them in various towns.

It does come with its own downsides, though. As a result of all these systems, the game feels dense. Knowledge Points, which are used to unlock new tiers of skills for our dynamic duo, are unlocked entirely separately from the Skillpoints that lets you buy said skills. They’re locked behind more menial side content, like visiting shrines or experiencing flashbacks as Naoe.

Even if you’re not sidequesting, single missions can involve steep pilgrimages- each in game region feels massive, and the game’s not shy about telling you you’ll need to scour extreme edges of the map to get to your next objective. It makes unlocking viewpoints and hideouts all the more important since they’re invaluable fast travel- but that means tacking on mroe time away from the main story as you clear these out.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows In A Nutshell

If you’re hoping for something radically different in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, I wouldn’t get my hopes up. It’s not looking to reinvent the formula, rather play with the blocks it already has in more fun and interesting ways. I think the focus on presentation goes a long way in particular- its soundtrack has genuine attitude to it, and elevates some of its story’s already good moments to something great.

Still, as a fun tweak to the formula its a bold experiment. The game is just oozing with cool, from its protagonists to even its masked villains. Rather than be a showcase of feudal Japan, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is a fascinating story that just so happens to be set there.

Admittedly part of the problem with a lack of radical change is that the series biggest problems are still around- having the side content play a more central role doesn’t make it feel any less of a chore, it just feels like I’m not getting dinner until I’ve cleaned my room.

But given how dense it is, I can totally see a gamer who wants something to lock in on for 3 months being able to clear Shadows at an easy pace. There’s just so much to do, and I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t fun to just roam the country side and occasionally shank a guy. Just like the olden times.

Final Score: 8/10

Game reviewed on PS5. Review code provided by Ubisoft.