After numerous delays from Ubisoft due to various flavours of backlash on a number of issues the developers did “wrong” Assassin’s Creed Shadows was finally released on 20th of March 2025. It was originally supposed to be released in November of last year but was delayed to February of this year until the final date of March was chosen.
The Modern Assassin’s Creed
It is clear and has been since the release of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey what the modern assassin’s creed is. The significant change in the overall tone of the game emphasizes more on quantity over quality.
There are essentially two camps to land on when playing this title, those who long for the franchise to return to its root from Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood or Revelations or Black Flag and those who enjoy the modern change with Odyssey, Valhalla and now Shadows.
As such this title is building on the modern system and this time featuring two protagonists for players to enjoy. Naoe who embodies the stealth shinobi assassin fantasy while Yasuke who satisfies the warrior samurai fantasy.
The Writing
Despite two delays which Ubisoft said they would use the extra time to “polish” the game unfortunately missed the acting department, almost every voice delivery feels half baked and done in a rushed manner.
The terrible writing is also a culprit as there are “choices” being offered to the player that ultimately don’t matter as there is really only one ending anyway. One of the most surprising scenes is the non existent tension that should supposedly be there between Yasuke and Naoe.
Yasuke working under Oda Nobunaga had led a siege against Ega which is Naoe’s home, Naoe effectively lost everything that day, her entire family. Yet what should be irreconcilable differences between these two appear to be reconciled in the first few moments of the game and are never referenced again.
Jaw Dropping Visuals
What the game lacks in terms of story as previous ubisoft titles consistently have, it makes up for in its visuals, the game is always looking absolutely beautiful almost in every environment just like it did in Valhalla. Every season looks beautifully rendered almost as if they took a page out of Ghost of Tsushima.
Another worthwhile mention is that the game runs really smoothly on pc which is surprising when knowing the track record of their previous releases. At Least here one can see where the extra time was spent from the delays.
Moreover several people are genuinely surprised that even on a day 1 release of a Ubisoft title there were no crashes and a miniscule amount of bugs present. This has been observed across all available platforms, not just PC.
Two Sides Of Combat
Modern AC titles have gotten tons of criticism thrown at them for abandoning the stealth combat that was present for much of the earlier games opting for a more open action style is a stark contradiction to the word “Assassin”.
AC Mirage has received praise for finally going back into the stealth style but it’s clear they have built on that system for gameplay with Naoe. Naoe has the hidden blade, can sneak around, throw kunais or distract guards, just beautifully embodying the Assassin fantasy. Naoe also has a more stylish fighting style, a mixture of sword swings and kicks.
Yasuke on the other hand can sneak but ultimately his kit just feels geared towards open combat and full frontal assault over stealth again it being a contradiction to the very meaning of an Assassin. Yasuke doesn’t have a hidden blade meaning his “assassinations” are him screaming as he shoves his entire sword into the target.
Conclusion
As mentioned before the modern Assassin’s Creed titles will be a hit or miss depending on who is playing it. If the player is someone who enjoyed the previous recent AC titles then they are likely to enjoy this too but those who long for the first few will keep asking the question, “Why is Yasuke even here?”.
That is not to discredit Yasuke’s character or story, it’s more to do with his mechanical limitations compared to Naoe’s. The game has felt way too many times as being designed with Naoe in mind and the character of Yasuke being shoehorned in.
This ultimately makes it feel like the actual historical account of Yasuke has been undermined even if the intention was good. While it is a step forward in the right direction for Ubisoft in terms of bringing back stealth they still have a long way to go.
