There is a reason why, after the November 12th, 2024 release date was returned to February and then pushed again in March 2025, the shadow of Assassin’s beliefs could have gained a bit of heat as far as expectations are concerned. After all, it’s strange that it took so long for the series to reach feudal Japan in the first place. But here we are.
That being said, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is one of the more interesting and refined experiences the series has produced for quite some time. It focuses on choices between punchy combat, gorgeous visuals and structured narrative and freedom to tackle things in order to make you look right.
It works a little safer in terms of delivery, but it’s clear that developer Ubisoft has learned some valuable lessons in terms of what works and what doesn’t.
The story of two warriors
Rather than choosing between the female or male version of Valhalla’s Aver, or between Alexios or Cassandra in Odyssey, players control two unique and independent protagonists, Yasuke and Nae. Shadows does an amazing job of splitting the story between two characters and having two intersections at a particular point.
Players will initially spend more time with NAOE. Initially, after his father is murdered, he is sucked into a plot of vengeance and discovery through intense introductions. When she knows the true origins of the clan, we join her as we eliminate members of the Sinbakuhu tribe who are responsible for turning her world over.
Yasuke’s story is instantly familiar to anyone who read or watches the repetition of James Crabel’s General, as our protagonist leaves a Japanese clan as collateral.
Without ruining anything more than a basic premise, I say that the main story has some memorable sequences and set fragments highlighted by the moments that bring these two protagonists together. These “intersection” moments are the true highlights, bringing true depth to the moral dilemma that are generally unintentionally nurtured by each character.
Japanese-American actress Masumi Tsunoda and Zimbabwean actor Tongai Chilisais are just as great as Naoe and Yasuke, respectively, bringing real depth and emotion to almost every scene.
The story is relatively linear and well-paced, but if you want to follow that route, you can also use Assassin’s Creed Shadows to take your own path and explore hidden corners. Side quests will appear on the map as you explore new regions, and most of these missions do an amazing job of shaking the formula while introducing some unique and sometimes hilarious NPCs in the process. NAOE can even use scouts to help track certain critical areas during missions.
Voice acting dives a bit here on these missions, but I encourage players to explore occasionally to take advantage of the pure variety of the game.
It is also worth noting here that this game can be played in Canon and Immersive modes, each of which has its meaning. In the game’s Canon mode, the dialogue choice is essentially removed, and the main character cannot romance a particular NPC. This essentially leads you to the story that Ubisoft intended. Once it’s on, you can’t turn it off.
However, immersive mode essentially replaces dialogue with Japanese dialogue. It’s as good as the English voice acting, but it’s also great. Unlike Canon mode, this can be turned off at any time.
The only real problem here is that the game first switches between characters. Only if the story thinks it is necessary. So, if you haven’t progressed through the story first, you may stick to a particular character until you decide to continue that particular journey. In this game you can freely switch characters after a specific point in the story, but it takes time to get there.
In any case, most of the major missions are based on checking out specific tasks to complete the assassination and participating in several series action sets, but some sincere and emotional moments add a significant amount of interest and weight to the main story, making it a centerpiece worthy of this experience.
The Samurai’s Road
Assassin’s Creed Shadows mostly unfolds like its older brother. As far as mechanics are concerned, shadows play similarly to Origins, Odyssey and Valhalla. However, shadows are not statistically dependent.
The overall battle mixes a light and intense attack with dodges and parries, making it incredibly punchy and responsive. Holding each attack button also allows you to launch a posture attack. This will disrupt the enemy’s balance and destroy the guards, allowing them to open up to a surge in attacks.
The enemy doesn’t feel overly difficult, but they do a great job of mixing attacks and strategies to make the battle feel consistently fresh.
Beyond the general combat, Naoe and Yasuke have their own playstyle and approach, with Naoe relying on her agility and stealth, while Yasuke relies more on the strength of the brute. They control the same way, but feel almost completely different. Although each character has access to exclusive weapons, the playstyle still offers some flexibility.
Although combat feels a little more satisfying than Yasuke, as it relies on heavy-range weapons, Naoe’s more agile approach means that Yasuke always has movements that he normally breaks.
Upgrading your abilities and weapons is also much easier and rewarding this time. Depending on which clothing, armor, and weapons are equipped, there will be slight statistical boosts to things like health and damage, but if you have a preference that is not entirely statistical based, it will never be harmful to your experience. Currently, players can earn skill points and unlock new abilities such as special moves and attacks.
Leveling characters is relatively important to being able to access certain areas and take on certain enemies, but I feel that their progression is woven into progress based on the game’s traditional narrative, as opposed to gusts of numbers that do not match the number of opponents at all.
Most of Shadows’ main missions do an amazing job of bending the range of mechanics offered, including stealth, action, and even traversal. Assassinating a target is the overall goal, but you may need to sneak into the realm to eavesdrop on the conversation, or simply read their overall defense and base.
You may need to get into their good books by tracking items of interest like gifts. The game then goes along with the fit, hitting the crowd in a bold showdown and sneaking up through the back door with just minimal friction.
When you can’t sneak around the thickness of the battle or the amazingly built castle and get its complete assassination, the Shadows can build and customize a hideaway similar to the Raventhorpe settlement from Valhalla. Collecting resources in the wild, such as wood, minerals, and crops, will allow you to build new areas and buildings in your hideout, and access new equipment, cosmetics and more.
It’s not necessarily the center of experience, but there’s a considerable depth here. If you are trying to crush a new asset truck, this can offer a considerable opportunity.
Please look at the parts
From a visual standpoint, the shadow of the Assassin’s beliefs is simply gorgeous. Here you can understand many comparisons with Tsushima’s Ghost, but the shadows are filled with vibrant colors, impressive lighting effects, and some gorgeous views for you to pop out.
Players can choose between high quality modes that prioritize 30 fps resolution and detail, or performance modes that prioritize smoother 60 fps at the expense of visual fidelity. I’m a smooth frame rate sucker, but I still have to say that the shadows are very useful visually.
It definitely looks good when in quality mode, but it feels like it’s telling you whether the game already looks good. It is also worth noting that PS5 Pro users can take advantage of a balanced mode. This allows you to provide 40 fps with an emphasis on visual fidelity.
Framerate drops pop up from time to time, but they are not often often enough to undermine the overall experience.
Finally, the game’s soundtrack is also worth mentioning here. The game is thrown into a track infused with some unique rocks that sometimes feel out of place, but generally deals with atmosphere and reliability that should not be noticed.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the shadow of Assassin’s beliefs may weave together all the webs that came before it, but it does so with grace and confidence. Ubisoft is learning from past mistakes, and while doing things a little more safely, it is bringing things back in the right direction.
Thanks to its fascinating story, satisfying combat and gorgeous visuals, the shadow of Assassin’s beliefs creates one of the most interesting and fascinating action titles of the year, and a clear indication that there is still some life left in this franchise.
4 stars (out of 5)
Highlights: A fascinating story. Great combat; Feelings of choice and freedom; Gorgeous visuals
Low Light: It takes a while to be able to switch freely between both protagonists. It does not necessarily reinvent the formula of Assassin’s beliefs
Developer: Ubisoft
Publisher: Ubisoft
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows PC
Available: Now
Reviews conducted on PlayStation 5 are conducted using pre-release code provided by the publisher.
