Assassin's Creed Shadows Reviews
There’s certainly room for improvement when it comes to its presentation and performance, but it’s hard to deny that Assassin’s Creed Shadows does so much so well. From its wonderfully realized world to its wealth of engaging quests and distractions, there’s plenty to enjoy here, regardless of whether you’ve fallen off the franchise in recent years.
Assassin's Creed Shadows feels like a rejuvenated new entry for the series: more polished, more streamlined, and more feasible in terms of completion than some of the recent games.
Assassin's Creed Shadows takes ideas from previous entries as well as some bold experimental swings to create a defining entry in the franchise – perhaps as series-defining as Black Flag.
After years of anticipation, the series finally ventures into feudal Japan. Combining stunning visuals with engaging gameplay, Assassin's Creed Shadows is hindered by an overly invasive live service model and an underwhelming plot. Nonetheless, its dense open world and rewarding combat system ensure that the experience remains enjoyable.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Assassin's Creed Shadows is one of the finest entries in the series, successfully bringing back stealth-oriented gameplay while retaining the RPG mechanics and refined combat mechanics seen in previous entries in the series, seamlessly integrating them with the dual protagonist setup and a well-paced story that doesn't overstay its welcome. While the game still features way more content and gameplay systems than necessary, its rendition of Feudal Japan is among the best ever seen in a video game, and it is well worth experiencing for the vast majority of players.
Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Shadows is easy on the eyes, but a generally basic simulation, scant upgrades, and bland side activities weaken the effect.
In the end, then, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is still an open-world RPG with an Assassin’s Creed skin placed over the top of it, and likely won’t change the minds of naysayers who aren't on board with what the series has become.
Shadows’ world and attention to Japanese history and culture are genuinely impressive. Naoe is not the ultimate assassin and Yesuke is not the most refined ARPG hero. However, their different strengths add creativity to combat and narrative complexity. I don’t think Assassin’s Creed Shadows will disappoint many fans, nor pull in the uninitiated in great numbers. It’s a solid AC game with just enough new ideas to make it stand apart from the recent titles.
While Assassin's Creed Shadows is unlikely to win over those who struggled to push through Odyssey or Valhalla, this is still one of the strongest overall entries in the series - and arguably the best of the open world RPG bunch. The storytelling is largely fantastic, the main characters are deeply likeable, and the open world itself is a thing of beauty.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows marks the best this series has ever been. With its destructible environments, fantastic story and excellent characters, Shadows has managed to dethrone Odyssey as my favorite Assassin’s Creed game. If I can give you any advice, it would be to ignore all the haters on the internet and play this game; as of now its definitely a contender for my 2025 GOTY.
Assassin's Creed has been fighting to find its identity for over a decade, and thanks to Shadows it's finally rediscovered it. Sure, its combat can be clunky and some story beats felt oddly placed (particularly Yasuke's backstory), but Shadows is exactly what Assassin's Creed needed to prove it still has a beating heart. Whether you’re looking to explore the stunning world of feudal Japan, storm the gates of an enemy castle, or fall in love with the many NPCs that populate its world, Assassin's Creed Shadows is an immersive treat that cements itself as the best Assassin's Creed game since Black Flag.
Shadows may not reinvent Assassin's Creed, but it's still a fun game and another great entry in the series. Exploration in this beautiful locale is great. But for those who are tired of the Assassin's Creed formula, this one isn't going to change your mind.
The vision of 16th-century Japan that Shadows presents is gorgeous and its ideas for how to bridge the gap between Assassin’s Creed’s distant and recent past are worthwhile, but everything that should enliven these successes is bland and disjointed, like two protagonists who never feel much like they have a reason for coming together in the first place.
While Assassin's Creed: Shadows won't be the salvation Ubisoft is hoping for, it's still a fun experience and one of the greatest games in the series in recent years, and that's what should matter at the end of the day. With nearly 60 hours of gameplay under my belt, I'm going to keep playing because this is an entertaining title that doesn't deserve to be the flop many expect, but it's not going to revolutionize the genre either.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
It's an excellent episode but clearly not without flaws. The new features are numerous and well thought out enough to crown it the best episode in terms of infiltration.
Review in French | Read full review
Fans of Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla can have a lot of fun in feudal Japan, and stealth enthusiasts will also get their money's worth thanks to Naoe. Either way, Shadows is a coherent overall package and thus a very worthy Japanese spin-off.
Review in German | Read full review
All of this takes place in a rich world, full of detail and life, resulting in an outstanding game. A very successful step forward for the series that dispels any doubts that might have arisen about it.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Whether Yasuke’s assassinations are your cup of tea or not (there’s a reason the game calls them “brutal”), it’s nice to see how this game breathes new life into a familiar formula.
Shadows may not reinvent the wheel for the action-RPG Assassin's Creed games, but it overall delivers on the Feudal Japan entry that fans have longed for.