I honestly cannot remember the last time a game made me feel like this.
For the past few days, I found myself waiting for work to end just so I could jump back into Assassin’s Creed Shadows and play for five to seven hours straight. That alone says a lot.
Before we start, I want to thank Ubisoft for providing me with a review code for the game. That said, this review is based entirely on my own experience after spending more than 55 hours with the game — and I am still only in Act One.
That is not because the main story is extremely long. In fact, you can probably finish it in around 40 hours if you focus mainly on the story. But Assassin’s Creed Shadows constantly gives you reasons to slow down, explore, and enjoy the world instead of rushing through it.
And that is where the game shines the most.
A Beautiful and Immersive Japan
The decision to finally bring Assassin’s Creed to Japan was absolutely the right one.
This is easily one of the most beautiful games Ubisoft has ever created. The world feels alive thanks to dynamic weather, seasons, wind, rain, snow, and constantly changing landscapes.
Walking through the same location in summer and then returning during winter can almost feel like visiting a completely different place. Heavy rain, snowstorms, wet clothes, dripping rooftops, falling leaves, and changing atmosphere all add a huge layer of realism.
The setting is not just visually stunning — it feels carefully built.
Shrines, castles, pagodas, villages, forest paths, lanterns, and small mountain routes all help recreate the feeling of travelling through Japan. The interiors are also impressively detailed, especially when exploring castles or climbing toward shrines.
The new observation system also adds to the immersion. Instead of simply following markers, you often observe your surroundings, identify something interesting, and then naturally move toward it. It makes exploration feel more grounded and rewarding.
Naoe and Yasuke Work Better Than Expected
One of the biggest talking points before release was obviously Yasuke.
If you were worried that he would completely take over the game, do not be. In my playthrough, I did not even see him until around 15 hours in, while playing as Naoe. Of course, that depends on how much you explore before continuing the story.
Once both characters become available, you can freely switch between them, and their stories are deeply connected.
Naoe is incredible. In my opinion, she may be the best Assassin the series has ever had from a gameplay perspective. Being both a shinobi and an Assassin gives her so many advantages. She can hide in shadows, crawl while prone, use a grappling hook, climb quickly, hide on ceilings, and move through the world with amazing speed.
Her stealth gameplay feels fantastic.
Yasuke, on the other hand, brings a completely different energy. After spending a lot of time with Naoe, switching to Yasuke feels like bringing in the big brother to finish the job. He is slower, stronger, and much more direct. Once you build him properly, he becomes an unstoppable force.
The best part is that both characters feel useful. Some locations and missions naturally feel better suited for one character over the other, but the game still allows you to approach things your own way.
Gear, Builds and Progression Are Excellent
The gear system is one of the strongest parts of Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
If you enjoy exploring, the game rewards you constantly. Towns, castles, enemy camps, hideouts, and hidden locations often contain something useful — a weapon, outfit, trinket, or upgrade material.
Gear is not just cosmetic either. Different items can support different playstyles, including poison, bleed, daze, stealth, or aggressive combat. You can also engrave perks onto your gear at the Hideout, which allows you to create proper builds.
After upgrading your Hideout, you can even switch between loadouts. That means you can have one setup for stealth-focused Naoe and another for aggressive Yasuke gameplay.
For players who love experimenting with builds, this system is a huge win.
The Hideout Adds Real Gameplay Value
The Hideout is not just there for decoration.
As you explore the world and gather resources, you can upgrade your base and unlock important advantages. These include more Scouts, better Intel, new allies, weapon upgrades, XP boosts, and improved rations for tougher fights.
Legendary Contracts also return, giving you repeatable missions that reward materials for Hideout and weapon upgrades.
It is a smart system because it gives exploration more purpose. You are not just clearing the map for the sake of it — you are constantly feeding your progression.
Small World Interactions Make Japan Feel Alive
Some of my favourite moments were not massive story missions or big fights.
They were the smaller interactions.
Helping villagers, talking with children, giving food or money to people, or solving small problems often leads to rumours, clues, or new information about gear, allies, or activities.
These moments do not always affect the main story, but they make the world feel more human.
They help Assassin’s Creed Shadows feel less like a checklist and more like a living place.
Animus Hub Has Potential
The Animus Hub is still in an early stage, but I actually like the concept.
It gives you extra projects, rewards, Animus data, hidden lore, and keys that can be used for exclusive items. Right now, it feels like Ubisoft is setting the foundation for something much bigger in future updates and future games.
It is not the main reason to play, but it adds another layer of progression beyond the main story.
If Ubisoft keeps expanding it, the Animus Hub could become an important part of the franchise moving forward.
What Could Be Better
As much as I enjoyed the game, not everything is perfect.
The biggest weakness for me is the side content. After Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, where many activities had puzzles, mysteries, or strange little stories, Shadows feels more serious and sometimes less creative in that area.
Many side objectives are simple combat tasks, such as defeating bandits or clearing targets. Some side quests tell interesting stories, but others are harder to connect with.
The mini-games are much better, though. Activities like kakurega-related content, Naoe’s training, and Yasuke’s horse archery add nice variety.
Castles and pagodas are also very exciting at first, but after a while they can start to feel repetitive. The structure is often similar: defeat key enemies, collect rewards, unlock a legendary chest. It works, but I wish there were more unique challenges or special objectives inside them.
I also missed legendary animal fights. Previous games gave us massive crocodiles, bears, and other memorable encounters. Japan could have been a great setting for something similar, so the absence of that type of content was a little disappointing.
And finally, the modern-day story is almost completely missing. As someone who genuinely enjoys the modern storyline in Assassin’s Creed, this was probably my biggest personal disappointment. After playing as Layla and Basim in previous entries, having almost no modern-day gameplay here feels like a step back.
Final Verdict
Assassin’s Creed Shadows is the best RPG-style Assassin’s Creed game Ubisoft has made so far.
It feels polished, immersive, beautiful, and full of meaningful systems. The dynamic weather and seasons are fantastic additions, and I really hope they remain part of the franchise in future games.
Naoe and Yasuke both bring something unique to the experience, and switching between them keeps the gameplay fresh. The gear system, Hideout progression, exploration, and world design all work together extremely well.
There are areas that can improve — especially side activities, modern-day story content, and more varied castle objectives — but the foundation here is excellent.
At launch, I would give Assassin’s Creed Shadows:
Score: 87/100
With future updates, New Game Plus, and additional improvements, I can easily see this game reaching a solid 90.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows is a huge success for Ubisoft, and for me personally, it is one of the most enjoyable games in the entire franchise.
Assassin's Creed Shadows: Assassin’s Creed Shadows is the best RPG-style Assassin’s Creed game Ubisoft has made so far. It feels polished, immersive, beautiful, and full of meaningful systems. The dynamic weather and seasons are fantastic additions, and I really hope they remain part of the franchise in future games. – OverHypedG
