Assassin’s Creed: Shadows

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Fans of the site won’t be surprised to hear that I’m something of a Japanophile. I’ve visited the Land of the Rising Sun before, will be heading that way again soon, and am not sure I’m ever going to get over my love affair with the Far East. The people! The sights! The food! I hate to gush, but…okay, I don’t hate to gush. Japan is great. Check it out sometime. Until then, you might want to put a few hours into Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, the Japanese entry in Ubisoft’s historical stealth action series that people have been waiting years for.

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When her home village of Iga is destroyed and her father killed by a mysterious militant group, young shinobi Naoe goes on a journey of revenge against the killers. Meanwhile, the foreigner Yasuke, a stranger in a strange land, serves at the side of Oda Nobunaga, the man responsible for the deed as a mere speed-bump in his plans to conquer Japan. Their paths are bound to cross, but the reality of the situation might go far beyond Nobunaga’s ambition (get it?); behind the scenes, a plan is hatching that might affect not just the fate of Japan, but the entire world. Naoe and Yasuke will have to overcome their differences and work together to deliver some old-fashioned assassin justice.

Shadows is another open-world adventure in the same vein as the modern line of Assassin’s Creed games like Origin, Odyssey, and Valhalla. You’ll control both Naoe and Yasuke as they roam feudal Japan getting things done, with the option of switching between them pretty much at will unlocking fairly early in the game. They offer significantly different playstyles. Naoe’s closer to a traditional Assassin’s Creed protagonist, focusing on stealth and mobility while struggling a little in direct conflict, while Yasuke is a gigantic warrior who’s a lot less subtle but a lot more capable of smashing entire groups of enemies at once.

While you’re able to pick your poison for many of Shadows’ activities, Naoe and Yasuke also have a variety of activities specific to one or the other, so there’s some incentive to use both characters from time to time.

Moment-to-moment gameplay in Shadows is fairly similar to recent entries, focusing on fast-paced action-RPG action where even stealthy takedowns can be planned and executed in seconds. The dynamic feel of modern Assassin’s Creed games is pretty tough to beat when you’re in the mood for some covert slaughter, and Shadows doesn’t disappoint on this front…well, when you’re playing Naoe, at least. Her grappling hook, a callback to Syndicate’s Frye twins, offers a lot of vertical mobility that’s appreciated and allows you to look at situations from a 3D perspective, while her agility and tool selection encourage a dynamic approach rather than brute force.

Yasuke’s more combat-focused style, meanwhile, feels a little incongruous with how Assassin’s Creed has normally played out. He’s plenty of fun to use, don’t get me wrong, but you can expect that he’ll spend a lot of time wanted by the authorities when yet another heist attempt turns into samurai mass murder.

Samurai mass murder, of course, is just one of many activities you’ll be able to get involved in as you roam glorious 16th century Nippon. You won’t be surprised to hear that a modern Ubisoft game has no shortage of content. You’ve got Naoe’s band of killers to hunt down, of course, but there’s several other rings of bad guys to track and take out if you’re interested, to say nothing of the many sidequests and collectibles scattered all over the land. Play as much or as little as you want – Shadows is happy to accommodate you, offering a variety of gear rewards that allow you to create interesting custom builds for both characters. You can even customize your own assassin hideout if you’re feeling a little cozy after your most recent killing spree. There’s no place like home, after all.

You’ll enjoy that coziness the most when you’re playing Shadows on a nice PC, of course. The console versions try, but they struggle a bit given Shadows’ incredibly detailed environments and character models. That’s not to say that this game is unplayable on consoles, but the difference in specs is rarely quite so defined as it is here, and if you have the option available you’ll be well-served playing Shadows on PC. I’ve heard there’s a much-improved version available on Sony’s PlayStation 5 Pro but I couldn’t verify in time for this review. Heck, there’s even cross-save functionality, plus the game is playable on the Ubisoft+ subscription service, so you aren’t out too much cash if you end up not being into the experience.

Several delays and plenty of the expected modern-gaming nontroversies later, Assassin’s Creed: Shadows turns out to be pretty much what most of us saw coming: a perfectly acceptable entry in one of the more reliable franchises in gaming. If historical stealth action is what you’re after, there’s really no other game in town, unless you count Ghost of Tsushima, which was pretty much a Japan-focused Assassin’s Creed game launched years earlier. But, yeah, that one’s very good too. Point is: Assassin’s Creed: Shadows is also pretty darn good, and whether your tastes lean toward stealthy slaughter or brutal carnage, this game has something to offer.