You’ve probably been waiting for this one for a decade. Maybe longer. Ever since the first Assassin’s Creed dropped in 2007, fans have been screaming for a game set in Feudal Japan. It’s the ultimate "no-brainer" setting for a series about stealthy killers. Now that it’s finally here, the internet is doing what the internet does best—fighting about it. Everyone wants to know the same thing: is Assassin’s Creed Shadows good or is it just another massive, bloated map filled with chores?
It’s complicated. Honestly, Ubisoft is trying to do two things at once here, and whether you like the game depends entirely on which part of the "Assassin's Creed" identity you actually care about. If you miss the social stealth and the "hidden in plain sight" vibes of the Ezio era, there’s something for you. If you loved the massive, RPG-style leveling of Odyssey, there’s plenty of that too.
The Dual Protagonist Gamble
Let's talk about Naoe and Yasuke. This isn't like Valhalla or Odyssey where you just pick a gender for the same character. These two play completely differently. Naoe is a shinobi from the Iga province. She’s fast. She’s fragile. She uses a grappling hook and a hidden blade. When you play as her, the game feels like a proper stealth title. You’re blowing out candles to create shadows—a mechanic that feels like a love letter to the old Splinter Cell days—and crawling through tall grass.
Then there’s Yasuke. He’s the legendary African samurai who served Oda Nobunaga. If Naoe is a scalpel, Yasuke is a sledgehammer. He doesn't hide. He can't even parkour the way she does. Instead, he smashes through gates and parries heavy attacks with a club or a katana. It’s a jarring shift. Switching between them changes the entire rhythm of the game.
Is this duality a good thing? Kinda. It prevents the 80-hour fatigue that usually sets in with these games. If you’re bored of sneaking, you go find a fort and start a riot as Yasuke. But it also means the level design has to accommodate both, which sometimes leads to environments that feel a bit "jack of all trades, master of none." You can tell some outposts were clearly designed for Naoe's verticality, while others are just open arenas for Yasuke to swing his sword.
Why People Are Asking if Assassin’s Creed Shadows is Good
The controversy hasn't been quiet. You’ve seen the videos. There have been massive debates about historical accuracy, specifically regarding Yasuke’s status as a samurai. While historians like Thomas Lockley have documented Yasuke’s life, the creative liberties Ubisoft took have sparked a firestorm. But let’s look past the Twitter discourse. From a pure gameplay perspective, the world-building is actually some of Ubisoft’s best work.
The seasons change. This isn't just a visual trick. In the winter, ponds freeze over, meaning you can’t dive into them to hide from guards. In the summer, the grass is tall and lush, providing perfect cover. When autumn hits, the leaves thin out, and suddenly your favorite hiding spot is gone. This dynamic environment makes the world feel alive in a way that Mirage or Valhalla didn't quite manage. It forces you to actually look at the world instead of just following a waypoint on a compass.
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The Stealth Revamp
Stealth has been a bit of a joke in recent AC games. In Valhalla, you could basically just walk into a camp, get spotted, and kill everyone without much trouble. Shadows tries to fix this by introducing a light and shadow system.
- You can go prone. Finally.
- The hidden blade is back to being a one-hit kill (mostly).
- Sound matters. Running on wood makes noise; walking on tatami mats is silent.
- You can take out lights to create dark paths.
It feels more like Tenchu than the recent AC titles. For a lot of old-school fans, this is the answer to the question of whether the game is worth their time. It’s the closest we’ve gotten to "classic" Assassin’s Creed stealth since Unity, but with modern polish.
The Problem With the Ubisoft Formula
Look, we have to be real. This is still a Ubisoft game. That means there are icons. So many icons. The map is huge, covering central Japan, and while it's beautiful, it can feel overwhelming. If you’re the kind of player who gets "map fatigue," Shadows might feel like more of the same.
The quest structure often falls into the familiar pattern: go here, talk to this person, kill these three guys, return for a reward. While the writing has improved—the tension between the collapsing Sengoku period and the arrival of the Jesuits is genuinely interesting—the "filler" content is still there. You’ll find yourself clearing out bandit camps for the hundredth time just to get a slightly better piece of gear.
Technical Performance and Visuals
On a high-end PC or the latest consoles, the game is a stunner. The Anvil engine has been upgraded to support global illumination, and it shows. The way sunlight filters through the bamboo forests of Kyoto is breathtaking. However, launch periods for Ubisoft games are notoriously buggy. We’ve seen NPCs walking through walls and some weird physics glitches with the grappling hook.
Is it "game-breaking"? No. But it can take you out of the immersion. If you’re a stickler for a flawless technical experience, you might want to wait for a few patches before diving in.
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Combat: Impact vs. Fluidity
Yasuke’s combat feels heavy. There’s a "weight" to it that was missing from the floaty combat of Odyssey. When you hit someone with a kanabo, they fly. It’s satisfying. Naoe’s combat is more about parrying and finding openings. It’s faster, but less forgiving.
One thing that really stands out is the gore. This is easily the most violent Assassin's Creed to date. Decapitations and limb removals are frequent when playing as Yasuke. It fits the brutal reality of the Sengoku period, but it might be a bit much for those used to the cleaner combat of the earlier games.
Is Assassin’s Creed Shadows Good for Newcomers?
If you’ve never played an AC game, this is actually a decent starting point. It doesn't lean too heavily on the "Modern Day" Abstergo plot, which has become an incomprehensible mess for most casual players anyway. It focuses on the historical drama.
The game does a good job of teaching you the ropes. You start in the Iga mountains, learning the basics of movement and stealth, before the world opens up. The UI is cleaner than it used to be, and you can customize almost everything—from how much damage you take to how quickly guards detect you. This accessibility is one of the game's strongest points.
Comparing it to Ghost of Tsushima
The elephant in the room. Everyone compares these two. Ghost of Tsushima set an incredibly high bar for "Samurai games."
Honestly? Shadows doesn't quite hit the poetic beauty of Sucker Punch's masterpiece. Tsushima felt like a Kurosawa movie. Shadows feels like a high-budget historical action blockbuster. It's more chaotic, more systems-heavy, and more focused on the "Assassin" fantasy than the "Samurai" honor code. They are different beasts. If you want a tight, focused story, go with Tsushima. If you want a massive world to lose yourself in for 100 hours with deep RPG mechanics, Shadows wins.
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The Verdict on Value
Is it worth 70 dollars? That depends on your "dollars per hour" metric. You are getting a massive amount of content. Between the base building (yes, there is a hideout system you can customize) and the dual-character progression, there is a lot to do.
If you like:
- Deep stealth mechanics.
- Japanese history (even with the "Ubisoft twist").
- Massive open worlds.
- Choice in playstyle.
Then yes, is Assassin’s Creed Shadows good is answered with a resounding yes. It’s a solid entry that rights some of the wrongs of the past few games while doubling down on the scale that modern fans expect.
However, if you are tired of the "open world" formula, or if you were hoping for a complete reinvention of the series, you might be disappointed. It’s an evolution, not a revolution. It’s a very polished, very expensive evolution, but it still has the DNA of every AC game that came before it.
How to Get the Most Out of the Game
If you decide to pick it up, don't just rush the main story. The best moments in Shadows happen when you’re just wandering. Find a high peak in the winter, watch the snow fall, and then use Naoe’s grappling hook to move through a village without ever touching the ground.
- Turn off most of the HUD. The game is much more immersive when you aren't staring at a mini-map. Use the natural landmarks and the wind (a subtle nod to Tsushima) to navigate.
- Switch characters often. Don't just main Yasuke because he’s strong. The variety is what keeps the game fresh.
- Experiment with the weather. Try taking on a difficult mission during a storm. The rain muffles your footsteps and reduces guard vision, making you a literal ghost.
Ultimately, Ubisoft has delivered exactly what they promised: a massive, beautiful, slightly messy, and deeply engaging Shinobi and Samurai simulator. It isn't perfect, but it's the most ambitious the series has been in years. It’s a game that respects the player's time by giving them plenty of ways to play, even if it sometimes gets bogged down in its own scale.
The next step is simple. If the setting appeals to you, dive in. Just don’t expect it to change your life—just expect it to take over your free time for a month.