Assassin’s Creed Shadows Review: Japanese Setting Refreshes Series

Back in high school nearly 20 years ago (god, do I feel old right now), I remember hanging out at my friend’s house at the beginning of a new school year. At this point, I wasn’t as plugged in to the gaming scene, so my friend was catching me up on all the announcements and reveals from E3 2006. Seeing how it was the beginning of a new console generation, there was lots to go over, but I distinctly remember rambling on and on about one game in particular: Assassin’s Creed.

Admittedly, the hype was real — Ubisoft had made a name for itself with the Prince of Persia and Splinter Cell series, and their late 12th-century sneaky murder simulator seemed like a perfect mix of both. Stuart, my aforementioned friend, was also a bit of a history nerd, and his mind went to about 100 different places that Ubisoft could explore down the line. Needless to say, it didn’t take long for him to bring up Feudal Japan, ninjas, and samurai.

It might have taken two decades, but Stuart finally got his wish, and I’m sure he’s not the only one. Assassin’s Creed Shadows has finally brought the franchise to the Far East, and with it, a few changes to the tried-and-tested formula that fans have (more or less) come to expect.

As someone who’s dabbled with Assassin’s Creed on and off for the past decade, I can’t speak with the razor-sharp accuracy you’d expect from the most hardcore of fans, but what I can safely attest to is that Shadows is very much a refinement of the foundation laid down with 2017’s Origins, which served as a soft reboot for the series. Combat still centers on timing your attacks while blocking, parrying, or dodging, and parkouring up walls or across large gaps is key to traversing Shadows’ towns and densely-populated areas.

The biggest change comes with the game’s dual protagonists, each of which has their own set of unique skills, strengths, and weaknesses. As the rather tanky samurai, Yasuke shines when trying to bulldoze his way through legions of enemies. Not only can he ambush foes by ramming past doors and other minor obstacles, but his combat repertoire allows him to pull off unique moves like deflecting projectiles (it also helps that he can take more of a beating).

On the other hand, Naoe excels when taking the indirect approach. Sure, she can certainly excel in combat by taking advantage of her agility while parrying and dodging, but she’s also quite fragile. Dying from one hit is not uncommon, especially during Shadows’ opening hours. That being said, her stealth game is on point. Smoke bombs? Check. Grappling hook? You know it. Being able to stay completely hidden in dark enough environments? Yep. Though, admittedly, that one can feel a bit overpowered at times.

Combat feels satisfying regardless of who you choose to play as, though much like its predecessors, the warts begin to show once you try to tackle larger groups of enemies. One-on-one battles can be terrific fun, and some of these tougher encounters are real standout moments, but facing off against a few foes at a time feels sloppy. It’s often difficult to tell where attacks are coming from, and the precision and satisfaction of timing your attacks and parries can quickly devolve into an unfocused, inelegant fight.

The first several hours lock you into playing almost exclusively as Naoe, but you’ll be able to switch back and forth between the two as you see fit once the game opens up properly. With their controls and core movesets being virtually the same, there’s little reason to lock yourself into one particular playstyle.

While Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ approach to handling dual protagonists smooths over some of the rough spots we’ve seen in prior entries, it’s not without its flaws. Though Naoe boasts a more agile, stealth-focused approach to traversing and fighting, that fluidity isn’t always reflected in how she handles. I didn’t go into Shadows expecting Ryu Hayabusa-levels of nimbleness, but Naoe’s movement and momentum feel too weighty for a ninja. Switching directions and pivoting on the spot feels more sluggish than it should, and it can often feel like a game of contradictions when trying to leap between rooftops and zip up high walls with her grappling hook. You expect more responsive, fluid controls and movement, but in practice, you never really get that.

Thankfully, regardless of who you happen to prefer playing as, there’s a wealth of content to explore, and with it, the freedom to tackle questlines and plot threads as you see fit. While Yasuke and Naoe eventually join forces to eliminate a mysterious group of warlords that oppose the unification of Japan, they each have their unique storylines to dive into. Yasuke, as an outsider who was born abroad, often finds himself struggling to find his place in the land he now calls home, while Naoe grapples with living up to her family’s legacy and moving on from the tragedies that unfolded during her childhood. The franchise has featured dual protagonists in the past, but Shadows marks the first time that Ubisoft has truly differentiated between the two playable characters on offer.

Less welcome are the shortcomings of the game’s presentation. Given how titles such as Ghost of Tsushima and Insomniac’s Spider-Man games have raised the bar when it comes to cinematography, editing, and acting, Assassin’s Creed Shadows falls a bit short. With the truly bewildering amount of work that must have gone into building a vast, authentic recreation of 16th-century Japan, I was disheartened to see that the game’s cutscenes often rely on static shots with very little in the way of camera movement or interesting angles. Coupled with some uneven, stilted voice acting and awkward pauses between lines, Shadows’ critical story moments often lose their impact.

During the game’s opening hour, there’s a scene where Naoe races alongside her father is on horseback as their village is invaded. When she’s knocked off her steed, I fully expected the camera to push in on her as she tumbled to the ground. Instead, the screen cuts to black, and where you might expect Naoe to be knocked out, regaining consciousness a few hours later, the game cuts back into view a second or two later as she picks herself up off the floor. I can’t speak to whether this was done intentionally or as a result of a time or financial crunch, but Assassin’s Creed Shadows is full of odd presentation choices such as this. Compared to its contemporaries, it sticks out like a sore thumb.

I was equally disappointed to see frame rate drops, which were especially noticeable when navigating around parts of your hideout. These moments are not too common, but I’d have hoped the game would stick to the 40 frames per second target offered in its balanced mode, especially considering I was playing on a PlayStation 5 Pro.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows Review: Final Verdict

There’s certainly room for improvement when it comes to its presentation and performance, but it’s hard to deny that Assassin’s Creed Shadows does so much so well. From its wonderfully realized world to its wealth of engaging quests and distractions, there’s plenty to enjoy here, regardless of whether you’ve fallen off the franchise in recent years.

Disclosure: The publisher provided a PlayStation 5 copy for our Assassin’s Creed Shadows review. Reviewed on version 1.002.103.

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