Assassin's Creed Shadows Review
- Yash Choudhary
- Mar 19
- 5 min read
Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Shadows comes at a time when the franchise was starting to lose its identity. For years, fans have discussed whether Assassin's Creed should stick to its stealth roots or develop into massive RPGs. Shadows addresses that question with a confident mix of the two.
Shadows, set during the late Sengoku period, is more than just a long-awaited setting. It's a smart, stylish, and story-rich entry that finally restores balance to the franchise's too ambitious formula. While not without flaws, Shadows boldly carves a new path—literally and metaphorically—with a hidden blade.
Assassin's Creed Shadows Review
Setting and Narrative: A Blade in the Mist
The choice to put Assassin's Creed Shadows in feudal Japan feels long overdue, yet it's executed with care. The game depicts the chaos and beauty of the Sengoku Jidai era, which was characterized by shattered alliances, violent uprisings, and samurai honor rules. Ubisoft's Japan is both violent and beautiful, with cherry blossoms frequently serving as a backdrop for slaughter.
The story follows two protagonists:
Naoe, a teenage shinobi from the nearly extinct Iga clan, is motivated by revenge and bound by duty. Her path is one of secrecy, deception, and internal strife.
Yasuke, a historical figure and the first African samurai, is portrayed as a loving warrior seeking peace in a world marked by conflict.
Their paths begin in conflict but eventually converge in a partnership rich in dialogue, tension, and mutual respect. While not every story beat has the power of Brotherhood or Black Flag, Shadows does provide multiple moments of reflection, surprise turns, and gratifying character development.
“Like a hidden blade in a silk sheath, the conspiracy at the center of Shadows fits snugly within the political chaos of the Sengoku period.”
Fans of Shogun, Kurosawa, and Japanese historical drama will find familiar tropes here—corrupt shoguns, power-hungry daimyōs, and suffering peasants—but Shadows puts its own Assassin’s Creed spin on them, grounding them in moral ambiguity and hidden agendas.
Dual Gameplay: Light and Shadow
The real genius of Assassin’s Creed Shadows lies in its gameplay split. This isn’t just two characters with different skins—it’s two fundamentally different approaches to the same world.
Naoe – The Blade in the Dark
Naoe is Shadows' stealth experience distilled to its finest. She embodies what longtime fans have craved: precise, clean, satisfying stealth gameplay. Whether it’s scaling pagodas, dropping onto unsuspecting targets from rooftops, or ghosting through a fortress without alerting a soul, Naoe’s sections are peak Assassin’s Creed.
Her toolset includes:
Grappling hook for vertical navigation.
Shuriken and blow darts for silent takedowns.
Smoke bombs and firecrackers to manipulate enemies.
Her animations are smooth and fluid, evoking the feeling of being a true shinobi.
Yasuke – The Blade That Roars
In contrast, Yasuke is all about power. His missions are action-oriented, and he is a towering samurai with a noble heart. Yasuke is a one-man army capable of storming gates, slicing through warriors, and holding territory against waves of opponents.
His combat style includes:
Heavy blade and polearm attacks.
Samurai armor customization that boosts defense and stamina.
Standoff duels reminiscent of Ghost of Tsushima.
While Yasuke’s segments are less mechanically exciting than Naoe’s, they add weight and contrast to the game’s themes—honor vs survival, war vs peace.
World Design & Progression: Back to Basics, with Brains
Odyssey and Valhalla's bloated checklists are gone. Shadows features a streamlined mission structure that values your time and intelligence.
Investigation Board > Quest Log
Missions now begin with a solidified objective board that clearly represents suspects, allies, and targets. It feels more like putting together a case file than a to-do list. Clue-gathering replaces generic imagery, and discovering a target's identity before defeating them is greatly rewarding.
You’ll:
Interrogate enemies for leads.
Scout towns for whispers and rumors.
Deduce locations using landmarks and context clues.
It’s reminiscent of the Hitman games or The Witcher 3's investigation segments—deliberate and rewarding.
Exploration Feels Earned
The map is covered in fog of war, and exposing regions involves either physical exploration or the use of limited scouts—a strategic decision, as scouts are a consumable resource. This increases the value of discovery while discouraging mindless quick transit.
The map itself is a treat to explore, with riverside shrines, destroyed villages, snowy mountain passes, and ancient temples full of secrets. It isn't the largest map in the series, but it could be the most useful.
⚔️ Combat: Focused, Fierce, and Finally Fun
Combat in Shadows incorporates the best aspects of Mirage—parrying is important, stealth is dangerous, and button-mashing is punished.
Naoe can kill most foes in one blow, but he must escape discovery.
Yasuke can sustain longer disputes, but if he is not careful, he risks being overrun.
Enemy AI is much improved: patrols behave more realistically, search tactics make sense, and detection doesn’t always lead to instant combat—giving you a chance to retreat and replan.
Graphics, Art Direction & Sound
Let's be honest: Assassin's Creed Shadows is breathtaking.
In night missions, lighting and fog provide natural tension.
Weather influences visibility and movement (yes, rain leaves footprints).
The particle effects, foliage physics, and textile animations are world-class.
The sound design is also worthy of mention. The shakuhachi flute, taiko drums, and ambient wind bring each location to life. Even assassinations are given auditory weight, complete with hindered gasps and blade whispering.
RPG and Progression Systems: Trimmed and Tuned
Ubisoft has certainly taken past products' criticisms seriously. Skill trees are concise and meaningful. Weapon and armor upgrades are straightforward. You still have gear rarity tiers, but loot no longer fills your inventory.
Hideout upgrades and ally development both offer RPG flavor without slowing down the pace. Want to recruit better scouts? Invest in the intelligence network. Do you want stronger tools? Support your blacksmith.
Everything seems earned, rather than spammed.
Flaws and Missed Opportunities
Despite its brilliance, Shadows makes a few missteps:
While Yasuke's portions are rich in narrative, they can feel mechanically slow and repetitive.
Some plots are underdeveloped or finish abruptly.
In between important moments, the game occasionally returns to the "go here, kill that" mission system.
Nonetheless, these are minor flaws on an otherwise well-made canvas.
Final Verdict: The Creed Reclaimed
Assassin's Creed Shadows marks a significant return to form, maybe the most well-balanced title since Black Flag. It's more than just the setting; it's about preserving what makes the franchise unique while transforming it into something fresh. Shadows is a must-play, featuring unforgettable characters, thrilling stealth gameplay, and one of the series' most wonderfully portrayed landscapes.
If this is the future of Assassin’s Creed, then the shadows have never looked brighter.
⭐ Final Score: 9/10
✅ Pros:
Dual protagonists offer rich gameplay variety
Best stealth mechanics in the series to date
Beautifully realized feudal Japan
Streamlined RPG and mission structure
Compelling, emotionally grounded story
❌ Cons:
Yasuke’s gameplay less engaging than Naoe’s
Some filler side content
Occasional narrative shortcuts
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