Assassins Creed Shadows - Before You Buy

Assassin's Creed Shadows - Before You Buy: Summary

Storyline & Setting:

• Set in a richly detailed and vibrant Japan, featuring diverse environments such as big cities, castle towns, fishing villages, and forests.
• The story focuses on two main playable characters with distinct narratives: Naoe, a fast and stealthy Shinobi assassin, and Yasuke, a powerful but slower Samurai.
• Naoe’s story is somewhat generic, while Yasuke’s has more interesting flavor.
• The game attempts to deliver a strong narrative with lengthy dialogue and cutscenes but suffers from corny writing and awkward voice acting, making it hard to connect with characters or care about the story.
• Story pacing and mission structure often feel repetitive and muddled, with many side and main quests revolving around simple objectives like killing targets or collecting items.

Gameplay Highlights:

• Two fully fleshed-out playable characters with starkly different play styles:
  • Naoe: Fast, agile, excels in stealth, parkour, grappling, and assassination.
  • Yasuke: Strong, slow, excels in brute force combat, breaking doors, and heavy damage, but limited in climbing and stealth.
• Stealth mechanics are improved and considered the best in recent AC games since Origins, featuring:
  • Useful stealth tools without filler.
  • New mechanics like crawling prone (similar to "Last of Us") and Shinobi-proof floors/traps.
  • Some fiddly controls in tight interior spaces.
• Combat is straightforward and satisfying with light/heavy attacks, dodges, perfect parries, and special abilities.
• Gore and decapitations are notably well-done, adding to combat immersion.
• Allies can be called in for assists during combat, reminiscent of "Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood."

Progression & Exploration:

• Skill trees divided into weapon types, tools, and assassin skills with useful unlocks.
• Unlocking advanced skills requires "knowledge ranks," earned through exploration and completing mini-games in temples and shrines.
• These mini-games and exploration tasks can feel like grindy busywork, detracting from fun.
• Players build and customize a home base/hideout, adding workshops, rooms, and decorative items like statues and pets.
• The world is large and beautiful with dynamic seasons affecting gameplay (e.g., snow slows movement).
• Wanted status and enemy chases add challenge and excitement.

Key Tips & Strategies:

• Playing on higher difficulty enhances the experience, especially stealth sections.
• Use Yasuke mainly for story missions or when brute force is needed; rely on Naoe for exploration and stealth.
• Explore thoroughly to find hidden collectibles and temples for skill progression, but be prepared for some tedious tasks.
• Utilize stealth tools and environmental traps to stay undetected.
• Customize your hideout for bonuses and personal enjoyment.

Pros:

• Gorgeous, immersive, and varied Japanese world.
• Two distinct and well-designed playable characters.
• Improved stealth mechanics, arguably the best in recent AC titles.
• Smooth, satisfying combat with impressive gore effects.
• Stable performance on PS5 with minimal bugs or glitches.
• Dynamic seasonal changes enhance visual variety and pacing.

Cons:

• Story and characters are bland with poor voice acting and writing.
• Repetitive and rinse-repeat mission design.
• Exploration mini-games and knowledge rank progression feel like grindy busywork.
• Yasuke’s limited mobility hampers exploration and some gameplay aspects.
• Some control and camera issues in tight interior spaces.
• Loot and rewards can be sparse or underwhelming outside of hideout decorations.

Overall Impression:

"Assassin’s Creed Shadows" is a technically solid and visually stunning game with distinct characters and improved stealth, but it suffers from a weak story, repetitive missions, and some design choices that may frustrate players.

The game may appeal more to fans who enjoy deep exploration and stealth, while those seeking a compelling narrative or varied gameplay might find it lacking.

Estimated main story length is about 35-45 hours, with potential for 70+ hours if fully completing side content.

Featured Gamer/Source:

• Jake from Gameranx (reviewer and presenter)