Assassin's Creed Shadows Review: Delivers On Spectacle And Storytelling

Assassin's Creed (AC) Shadows might not have the seismic hype of Grand Theft Auto 6 but make no mistake—it’s the heavyweight contender open-world fans have been waiting for. Ubisoft’s long-running historical action-adventure series returns, this time on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Without spoiling much, the plot for AC Shadows is its strongest suite. Set in feudal Japan, what starts off as a quest for revenge snowballs into a grander conspiracy that threatens the entire nation. Naturally, it’s up to you to put away the sinister organisation behind it all.

The game lets you swap between Naoe, a stealthy ninja, and Yasuke, a powerful samurai. Both characters’ play styles complement each other. Playing as Naoe harkens back to past entries in the series such as Assassin’s Creed Syndicate or Unity. You can sneak past enemies, create distractions and swiftly assassinate your targets. As Yasuke, you can break down doors, behead your foes with a giant sword, or simply use primitive flintlocks to gun down those in your way.

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I played as Naoe through most of my 40-plus hours in-game. Playing as Yasuke is enjoyable too. Swapping subterfuge for direct confrontation has its merits against some of the game’s more brutish opponents, but I prefer the tools available as a ninja such as shurikens and smoke bombs over Yasuke’s raw power.

Regardless of what you prefer, you will have fun. From scaling large castles with a grappling hook as Naoe to lining up headshots as Yasuke, both characters felt responsive. It feels fresh when you consider the novelty of Japan’s forests, cities and shrines serving as the backdrop.

While the game’s storyline is a treat, how it is delivered is just as special. Cut scenes between missions are expertly directed, filled with subtle facial gestures and political intrigue. It almost felt like I was watching an episode from Shogun.

Where AC Shadows falls short is in how you earn the many cool skills honed by its protagonists. Want to assassinate two targets at once with Naoe’s hidden blades? You will have to complete a bunch of meaningless tasks first—like finding missing scriptures from temples or meditate to max out your knowledge rank—just to upgrade your character’s skillset.

It’s the same if you want to use explosive rounds in Yasuke’s flintlock or some of Naoe’s flashier area of effect attacks. If you don’t have a high enough knowledge rank you can’t add these to your arsenal. All this does is pad out the gameplay length artificially, which was the case in recent entries like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Valhalla. You’d think Ubisoft would consider a less friction-fuelled way to experience some of the game’s better parts. Evidently not.

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Thankfully, the game runs smoothly on the PS5 and is a joy to look at. There were no crashes or glitches and it can be visually arresting with the right TV or monitor. Availability is straightforward too with disc versions and digital copies at ₹4,999.

AC Shadows is worth checking out if you can deal with how obstinate its progression systems can be. The setting, characters and story make it worth the grind.

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