Assassin’s Creed: Shadows Review — Worth a Stab?

For years, Assassin’s Creed fans have been fantasising about an AC game set in Feudel Japan, giving players a unique new setting a real ninja-esque experience within the Assassin’s Creed milieu. Well, their prayers have been answered, and while a few other games may have beaten Ubisoft to the punch, offering open-world stab-’em-up experiences with a Japanese setting, Assassin’s Creed: Shadows brings its unique combination of flair, drama, and familiar Ubisoft gameplay mechanics that deliver a compelling game that’ll appease longtime fans.

As mentioned, there’s no denying that Shadows will be compared to the likes of Ghost of Tsushima, Rise of the Ronin, and others, but while the architecture, blood-soaked cherry blossom trees, and general Japanese flavour do have a familiar visual thread, Shadows feels very unique having the AC universe imprinted onto the world. It’s easily one of the most emotional Assassin’s Creed entries by far in terms of story delivery; and a colourful cast of villains on your kill-list makes the narrative feel direct, intentional, and structured. AC needed to get back to the emphasis on easy-to-hate targets and a strong narrative hook, and Shadows delivers on those fronts.

One of the more interesting elements of Shadows is the implementation of two protagonists: Yasuke and Naoe, a samurai and shinobi respectively, each with their own playstyles, strengths, and abilities. Where Yasuke is better used to go in swords swinging, Naoe’s athleticism and speed make her the perfect stealth option. After two must-play segments of the game where you play prologue-esque scenarios with either character, you’re free to play as either one as you tackle each primary mission. You can go stealthy or loud with either option, but either one offers advantages in certain areas, such as Naoe having. a grappling hook that can help her scale out-of-reach places or swing over a wall; whereas Yasuke can take a lot more punishment and handle some of the more difficult guards head-on.

The general movement and ‘feel’ are closer to that of Assassin’s Creed: Mirage than of other older games in the series, so those who like that fluid, kinetic feel will enjoy Shadows‘ approach to character weight — with Naoe feeling like a cat and Yasuke playing like an armoured soldier.

In combat, the shoulder buttons and triggers deliver light and heavy attacks, with praying and dodging playing a key role in battles. Combat is fun and works really well, and jockeying between multiple enemies works for the most part. Some of the interior areas do cause some camera hiccups, but on the whole, it’s hard not to feel like a badass when you’re dispatching a handful of guards and delivering a slick face-stabbing finishing move to the final one. This is even more satisfying with Yasuke due to his brutal killing moves.

Stealth has also received a bit of an enhancement with the inclusion of a few new evasive tricks, with the ability to hide in shadows, lie down fully prone in shorter grass, remain submerged in water with a bamboo stick for breathing (ala Looney Toons), and the ability to assassinate enemies through softer materials, like sheets or shoji japanese sliding doors. You can also use Naoe’s grappling hook to get up to roofs quicker, and, like Splinter Cell, shoot out the lights (or in this case, use throwing knives) to create some shadows and make your route to the target easier.

There are a lot more ways to slink around and take out enemies than ever before which adds variation and makes each base clearout or stealth mission a whole lot more enjoyable. The level design of some towns or bases can feel a little same-y as the game progresses, but there is enough variety in the way you work through them to make each encounter feel unique.

Of course, no Ubisoft game is complete without a fleshed-out world, and amidst some really good side-missions where you play pivotal flashbacks of the two protagonists, Shadows also incorperates a base-building element into the game. This allows you to upgrade your homestead, which isn’t just aesthetic and lets you develop abilities via new resources and buildings.

Additionally, you can recruit scouts who you can send out to add important info to your map, such as narrowing down an investigation area or highlighting points of interest. Now, you could try and avoid using the scouts if you want to go full detective, but some of the places you need to find are admittedly quite obscure, so they’re helpful.

Another of Shadows‘ strengths is its strong visuals, with Ubisoft pulling out all the stops and incorporating the best character animations, gorgeous cut-scene cinematography, water, environmental, and particle effects. With trees swaying in the wind, fluid animations, and a pristine production value, the game really stands up in the visual department and is one of the most unique-looking AC games since Assassin’s Creed: Unity. Admittedly, there is a fair bit of open-space in the game that’ll have you trudging around with no action at points in the game, and many of the trees aren’t climbable like those in Assassin’s Creed 3, but what is there is gorgeous.

Assassin’s Creed: Shadows is like a love-child of all the best bits of Assassin’s Creed games of yesteryear, with some new Ubisoft mechanics introduced via the likes of Star Wars: Outlaws —with a bit of experimentation peppered in too. A strong story of revenge and redemption brings the narrative focus back to the series, and a compelling list of villains to eliminate and things to do will keep you hooked in the stunning, Japanese world for quite some time. Plus, if you simply need that itch of slinking across rooftops and stabbing unsuspecting guards in the neck satisfyingly scratched, Shadows will do that.

Assassin’s Creed: Shadows is available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on 20 March 2025.