The Assassin’s Creed franchise has been in an odd spot for quite a while. Originally, the series was meant to be a spiritual successor to the Prince of Persia franchise. Using the power of a device known as the Animus, you explored several periods throughout history, such as the American Revolution, Ancient Rome, the French Revolution, and countless others. You, as a member of the Assassin Brotherhood, assassinate key targets, parkour around cities, and fight to save the course of history from the Templar Order.
However, after nine games of the same formula repeated over and over again, the series needed a change. Assassin’s Creed Origins marked the beginning of a new formula, where stealth is optional, combat is far more incentivized, and RPG mechanics such as leveled enemies and weapons litter the entire experience. Even the Animus and the stories that take place in the real world aren’t as key to the story as they were in previous entries. Soon enough, after three games of it, even this formula would get tiresome.
This is where Assassin’s Creed Shadows comes in. Unlike Assassin’s Creed Mirage, which returned the series to its roots, Shadows seeks to blend the modern RPG and combat-focused style with the franchise’s more recognizable stealth gameplay. Further, it finally takes the series to Feudal Japan, something fans have been asking for since the beginning. How does Assassin’s Creed Shadows compare to other entries in the series and to other games that have managed to blend the stealth and combat styles to great effect? While there are some major issues that frequently ruin the experience, Shadows is a small step in the right direction for the series.
An Era of Shinobi and Samurai
At its core, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is two stories wrapped into one. The first is the story of Yasuke, the real-life samurai of African origin who faithfully served Lord Oda Nobunaga faithfully until his death. In Shadows, we get to see his story unfold before and after his service to Nobunaga, as he’s wrapped in a conspiracy tied to the mysterious organization named the Shinbakufu. There are also more details about his past and how it ties into the broader Assassin’s Creed universe.
Then there’s the second protagonist, the shinobi named Naoe. She’s a member of the Igan village and the daughter of a member of the Japanese chapter of the Assassin’s Brotherhood. After a traumatic incident, she embarks on a journey to kill every last member of the Shibakufu organization. Along the way, she forms an alliance and a new brotherhood with Yasuke and certain other characters. Together, they seek to take back Japan from this hidden evil and unravel the mysteries of their past.
Both of the characters are written fairly well. They each have their own personalities, supporting characters, and quests. Yasuke is a bit more optimistic, yet more keen to stay on the path laid before him by Lord Nobunaga. Whereas Naoe is constantly struggling not to let the trauma she has experienced define her actions and turn her into a monster. I enjoyed seeing the journeys of both Yasuke and Naoe play out.
Personally, though, I think Naoe’s character arc was better developed. She actually feels like she goes through a drastic change from the beginning of the story to the end. She starts out seeking nothing more than revenge against the people who destroyed her world, but soon, she learns how to be a leader and is more willing to be part of a “creed” by the story’s end. Yasuke feels a lot more static as a character and doesn’t really go through as much of a substantial change as Naoe.
As for the supporting characters, they’re also pretty well written. I especially liked the young Junjiro, who serves as the emotional center of the league formed by Yasuke and Naoe. There are even romances for both Yasuke and Naoe, both of which with their own quests and special dialogue options that leads to them joining your brotherhood.
On a visual level, Assassin’s Creed Shadows mostly delivers. Certainly, a lot of the actual visuals you’ll see in the overall world look stunning, and the series’ trademark viewpoints really cement the beauty of the world that Ubisoft has created. That said, a lot of the cutscenes and the facial animations in particular are fairly lacking in comparison to other games available today.
In general, if you’re looking for a game that pushes your console to its limits and surpasses your expectations on a graphical level, Shadows may not be the game for you. While the visuals aren’t too spectacular, I did really enjoy the soundtrack, composed by The Flight. It does a great job of blending the music you would expect to hear from the era with some modern instruments that allude to the influence of the Animus.
The strangest thing about Assassin’s Creed Shadows is how little it relates to the overall franchise. Until the end of the game, there aren’t many mentions about the Assassin’s Brotherhood or the Templar Order. Even the Animus and the story going on in the real world are non-existent, which is a massive departure from the rest of the series. While I didn’t mind this departure for the most part, it may be jarring for long-time fans of the Assassin’s Creed series.
There’s also another elephant in the room that’s worth at least mentioning: with the Feudal Japan setting and the story focused on the dichotomy between a shinobi and a samurai, it’s hard not to draw comparisons to Ghost of Tsushima. The similarities are certainly there, and the concept of a protagonist targeting a group of individuals that ruined their life seems to be similar to the story of its sequel, Ghost of Yōtei. These comparisons are inevitable and impossible to ignore.
While I did enjoy the story and visuals of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, it does not reach the same heights that Ghost of Tsushima does. The characters are well-written, yes, but they are not developed enough throughout the 30-hour runtime. Their arcs are left unfinished, with the ending hitting right as Naoe and Yasuke’s stories are truly beginning outside of their revenge quest. It obviously feels like a setup for a future expansion or sequel, which makes the base story feel frustratingly incomplete.
Does this inconclusive feeling apply to the gameplay? Thankfully, no, as there are some great systems and mechanics that will continue to keep you engaged. Unfortunately, the gameplay isn’t immune to its own major problems that frequently get in the way of that engagement.
Duality, For Better and For Worse
That duality that is at the heart of the narrative of Assassin’s Creed Shadows also applies to the gameplay. It has two playable characters, two styles of gameplay (combat and stealth), two sets of missions and quests, and so on. Sometimes this duality works to its benefit, and sometimes it works to its detriment.
The base gameplay with the two playable characters is one case where it works to its benefit. Naoe and Yasuke have two very different play styles that are filled with potential for experimentation. Starting with Naoe, her gameplay is, of course, based around assassination and stealth. She has a wide variety of tools to use, such as a grappling hook, throwing knives, smoke bombs, and others that allow her to get the drop on enemies.
There are also various weapons for when Naoe is forced into combat. Namely, a tanto that has some stealth perks, a katana, and a kusarigama. There are a lot of opportunities for players to create their own playstyle and loadout that will vary depending on the situation that Naoe may find herself in. I really enjoyed her playstyle, but the most surprising character gameplay-wise was easily Yasuke.
If Naoe is a delicate scalpel, then Yasuke is a brutal hammer. There is no subtlety to Yasuke’s attacks as he is designed to be a blunt instrument against enemies. He can run through doors, attack with brutal ferocity, and rip apart enemies with ease. It was a blast getting to experiment with his unique toolkit, which trades gadgets for brutal weapons like the teppo (which is basically a rifle), a bow and arrow, a naginata, and a massive kanabo.
With the fact that you can switch playable characters on the fly, you’d think that Naoe would be perfect if you want to go into an encounter with an emphasis on stealth, while Yasuke is better for a more combat-oriented playstyle. However, what’s slightly frustrating is how you’ll often be forced into combat scenarios with Naoe.
Sure, it makes sense that the developers would give Naoe tools that allow her to hold her own in combat. That said, there will frequently be moments where you’re forced into a boss fight as Naoe, which sort of beats the point of her playstyle being more focused on assassinations. It feels less like you’re being given the ability to pick and choose your own playstyle if you prefer pure stealth or combat, and more like you’re being forced to only prioritize combat.
Another issue I had was with the upgrade system. Similarly to most other RPGs, players have unique skill trees for both Yasuke and Naoe. While most games would have it so that once you reach a level milestone, whether it’s level 10 or level 20 or so on, you would get access to more skills that you can purchase. Instead, Shadows opts to lock skill progression behind points that you acquire by doing specific tasks around the map, including flashback quests, clearing out enemy fortresses, or praying at a shrine.
The problem with this system is that a lot of the side quests are quite boring. I never had any desire to explore the map and interact with NPCs, do any of the extra activities, or even improve the hideout that’s given to players after the prologue. There are very few incentives to doing these quests, nor are there any interesting moments that help to expand the story and world of Shadows compared to other games in the genre. Even the hideout missions feel like padding, since you’re required to look everywhere to get enough resources to further upgrade the buildings you’ve created.
By far and away, the biggest issue with Assassin’s Creed Shadows is the continued emphasis on the action RPG style from the last few games. Every enemy has a level and an HP bar. If you are even a few levels below them, they will kill you after just a few attacks. Unlike other RPGs that appropriately balance XP rewards so that you can progress at a normal rate, Shadows will frequently block progression and force you to grind to be at the right level.
I was frequently forced to tweak the difficulty so I could progress without being forced to do quests I didn’t enjoy. This shouldn’t be something that all players have to do. The action RPG style was exhausting when it first debuted in Origins, and it continues to be tiresome after eight years. That exhaustion isn’t helped by the numerous technical glitches. Whether it’s physics bugs or Naoe flying into the sky, which forced me to restart a difficult boss fight, these added even more hindrances to the overall gameplay experience.
As mentioned previously, it’s hard not to draw a connection to Ghost of Tsushima. If you’ve played it and end up playing Shadows, you will definitely be frustrated at some of its gameplay faults and find yourself wanting to return to the PlayStation hit. This leads us to the biggest disappointment of Assassin’s Creed Shadows. While it is a great step in the right direction for the franchise, it still pales in comparison to similar games that you can purchase today.
A Change is Needed
I’ve had a soft spot for the Assassin’s Creed franchise since I was a kid. I always thought it was a series that had infinite potential and could realistically go anywhere. Using the lens of the Animus, you could take it to the Wild West, the two World Wars, the Indus Valley, the Civil War, and so much more. I wanted Shadows to be a step in the right direction, to allow the series to evolve past the original Prince of Persia style and the recent action RPG formula. While it does make some great leaps forward, it also takes several steps backward.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows gets a lot right, don’t get me wrong. The main and side characters are great, the narrative is intriguing, the in-game visuals are stunning, the main gameplay mechanics are very fun, and the music is fantastic. However, there are just as many things it gets wrong.
You will often be forced to emphasize combat as Naoe, even if you want to focus on stealth; the skill progression is weirdly obtuse, the side quests lack any depth, and the action RPG style is a continued hindrance to the overall gameplay. Additionally, there is a lack of any meaningful development for the main characters, and the narrative ends on an extremely abrupt note.
As a whole, yes, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is a good step in the right direction for the franchise. Yet it still pales in comparison to other action RPGs or other games that have a focus on stealth. Ghost of Tsushima is the most obvious comparison, but there have been dozens of games released over the last decade that have taken the Assassin’s Creed formula and evolved it meaningfully. Even Prince of Persia recently had a radical revision in the form of The Lost Crown, which managed to spark new interest in the series.
However, Assassin’s Creed hasn’t yet found a way to innovate past its previous formulas. The series needs a massive change in order to stay relevant in the modern gaming landscape. Maybe it needs to drift closer and closer to modern settings, perhaps in the 1800s/1900s instead of the 1500s. Perhaps it needs to try a completely different gameplay style.
While Shadows is a good start, more work needs to be done to keep evolving the franchise. Needless to say, I will be watching Assassin’s Creed Codename Hexe with great interest, since it seeks to bring the series to the 1600s witch trials and deviate from the established action RPG formula. For now, though, if you’re a fan of the recent Assassin’s Creed games, then you will definitely enjoy Shadows. Otherwise, you may be better off playing something else instead.
