Hands up if you’ve spent more time than you’d like to admit in Assassin’s Creed: Shadows trying to take shortcuts through dense forests, only to end up sliding halfway down a mountain and somehow ending up even further from your destination. Just me, then? Okay, moving on…
I’ve already sunk around 60 hours into the newest instalment of the Assassin’s Creed series, and while it took me a while to get used to the vast, heavily wooded landscape and the focus on dual protagonists, I feel like I’ve spent enough time with the game now to share my thoughts. And I certainly have several!
Naoe vs Yasuke
I have to confess, when I heard there would be not one but two protagonists in Shadows, I wondered how Ubisoft would make it work organically and seamlessly. The game starts with our introduction to Yasuke, and I have to say, I loved the character’s backstory. It was a great way to begin the game, giving you a sense of what shaped the ruthless samurai beneath Yasuke’s initial calm and obedient presence.
But then we move on to Naoe, who arguably gets far more playtime in the opening hours. Her segments quickly build up to what will drive her for the rest of the game: revenge. Revenge upon her father, who dies trying to get his hands on some box that, if I’m being honest, I’ve already forgotten the significance of (or if I’ve even been told yet). “What’s in the boooox?” automatically springs to mind here.
Both characters have completely different playstyles, and the way the two come together just works. But by then, I’d grown so attached to Naoe that she’s become my protagonist of choice for most of the game. I do enjoy using Yasuke for the big fights—he’s a legitimate badass, and I love his combat style—but for me, Naoe embodies what Assassin’s Creed is all about. There’s something incredibly satisfying about sneaking through the shadows, spending 45 minutes meticulously clearing out a castle, and tactically working out the best routes to avoid being caught. And, let’s be honest, this is her story. By the time the two protagonists meet, Yasuke kind of just feels like he’s along for the ride because his master died.
In it for the long game
I’m going to be really honest here: I didn’t immediately love this game as much as I’d hoped to. Don’t get me wrong—nothing will ever live up to Odyssey for me. But I put a lot of hours into Valhalla and maxed it out for achievements (until those pesky mastery quests I couldn’t be bothered with), despite never feeling as drawn into Eivor’s story as I was Kassandra’s (best Assassin’s Creed protagonist, by the way… fight me).
One thing I adore about Ubisoft’s open-world games is the sheer amount of things to do. And when I play, I aim to do everything. But Shadows initially overwhelmed me, and even after 60 hours, I’ve still not cleared the entire map. In fact, I barely even know where I am in the story (Act II, maybe?) because I’ve mostly just been exploring, meditating and slaughtering Samurai Daisho. You know how it is.
But at this point, I’ve embraced it. I’m in no rush to finish the story, and I’m not being methodical with my exploration either. I’m just kind of going where the wind takes me. And honestly? As soon as I stopped worrying about how much there was to do and quit trying to rush through it all, I started enjoying the game a whole lot more.
Seemingly random romance options
One thing I really enjoyed about Odyssey and Valhalla was the romance options. In the former, it was Ancient Greece, so of course, I was seducing anyone and everyone—because that’s just what they did, right? Or so I’ve heard. And in Valhalla, it all felt a little more personal. I’ll always have a special place in my heart for Petra, who taught me to hunt, but the fact that you could romance your brother’s wife? That brought a whole new dynamic to the story. And if you must know—of course, I went ahead with it. The terrible sibling that I am.
But in Shadows, the romance options for both characters kind of hit me out of nowhere. I’ve already encountered a samurai and a non-binary companion as Yasuke, plus a drunk thief as Naoe, who’s now tagging along on my travels. These romance options feel pretty random and lack the emotional weight of the previous games. But if you’re wondering—hell yeah, I still seduced all these characters as both Yasuke and Naoe. Who am I to stand in the way of true love… or lust… or whatever?
Base building—you either love it or hate it
I’m just going to say it—I detest base building in games. I’ve still got PTSD from Fallout 4’s Benevolent Leader achievement, and honestly, I feel like base building in open-world RPGs adds an entirely unnecessary layer to what is already a huge commitment. And Shadows is no different. Sure, you get some decent buffs for installing additional rooms like a tearoom, but if I hadn’t been tackling contracts and castles early on, there’s no way I’d have had enough resources to upgrade my base the way I have. And I’ve still had to do a bit of grinding to level everything all the way up.
Probably the best thing about the base in Shadows is the fact that you can let all your pets roam it. And if there’s one thing I love in games, it’s pets. So, of course, I’ve got an entire field of various dog and bobtail cat variants running around. Does it benefit me in any way? Absolutely not. But petting animals makes everything more fun, both in real life and the virtual one.
It’s the little details
One of my favourite aspects of Shadows is the seasonal changes. At first, I thought it was kind of unnecessary, but it’s actually a super cool feature. In winter, ponds and moats freeze over, and you can slip and slide across them. Running through the snow feels slower and more effortful. From the cherry blossoms in spring to the torrential rain of summer, the detail put into each season is seriously impressive. There are even legendary animals you can only track during certain times of year, which I think is a great touch.
Image courtesy of Ubisoft.
Final thoughts
I feel like Shadows got a lot of unnecessary hate before it was even released. The delays probably didn’t help, but I know a lot of the backlash stemmed from its diverse range of characters. But in-game? None of this feels forced to me. Ubisoft has done a fantastic job crafting a story and cast that keep me engaged and genuinely curious about how it will all end.
Is Shadows as good as Odyssey? Hell no. Not even close. But I’d argue it’s better than Valhalla. I’m more attached to the protagonists, and the feudal Japan setting is way more exciting than the English countryside. (I’ve seen enough of that, thanks.) Any game set in this era is naturally going to be compared to Ghost of Tsushima—and to be fair, that game set the bar ridiculously high. But even though Shadows is fighting an uphill battle, I’m all in. If you’ve been on the fence about playing it, I’d say give it a go. At the very least, you can fill your base with cats.