‘Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ Is One of the Most Polished, Elegant, and All-Around Best Games the Franchise Has Ever Seen (Review)

The latest entry in the Assassin’s Creed franchise has had its fair share of shakeups. From an online culture war that has sprung to life, to countless delays that made the game feel as if it would never actually be released, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is finally here. And I’m here to say this: as someone who has not cared about the Assassin’s Creed franchise since the Xbox 360/PS3 era? Assassin’s Creed Shadows, without a doubt, proves that Ubisoft still has what it takes to make an astonishingly polished, exciting, and interesting game. I hope they take lessons from this release, and rather than continue to push out yearly installments in their greatest franchises, take the time to put together an adventure such as this.

A Stark Difference in Playstyles Makes ‘Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ Feel Much More Exciting

While Assassin’s Creed Mirage was touted as a “return to form” for the more classic stealth-laden gameplay, I didn’t walk away from that game feeling like it hit its full stride. Yes, it was meant to be played more like the adventures of Ezio or Altaïr. But the use of the Valhalla gameplay engine hamstrung it. It felt like a much more “traditional” Assassin’s Creed in the sense that you could be rewarded for sticking to the shadows. Here, Assassin’s Creed Shadows ironically feels like more of a return to that classic formula. At least, if you stick with Naoe.

With folks online trying to tell you that Yasuke is the main character of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, he plays more of the sidekick role to Naoe. Her focus on traditional stealth falls in line with her Iga and Shinobi lineage, making her much more of a lethal threat when hidden away in the dark. She functions like a glass cannon if she finds herself in a one-on-one fight; she’s got the power to back herself up, but a few hits may find her incapacitated. Yasuke, on the other hand, uses his massive frame and power to his advantage.

And this first point is what makes Assassin’s Creed Shadows feel more streamlined for both types of audiences. Yasuke is great for players yearning for experiences similar to Origins, Odyssey, or Valhalla. Alternatively, Naoe is a more agile version of Ezio, Altaïr, and even Edward. Combine this with a Parkour system that feels better than ever, and you’ve got the most agile Assassin’s Creed protagonist to date. And Yasuke, much like William Adams of Nioh fame, deserves his time to shine. Just as he did in Nobunaga’s Ambition, Samurai Warriors 5, and ironically enough? Nioh, too.

Regardless of Which Character You Choose, ‘Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ Has Plenty of Combos To Learn

The differences aren’t just visual here, either. Naoe, being a small and limber Shinobi, can use that to her advantage. With the addition of being able to go prone, Naoe can sneak through tall grass, eliminate light sources like she’s a historical Sam Fisher, and use the darkness to her advantage. Her small frame makes her more difficult to spot, and her lightweight armor makes her much more navigationally friendly. She’s also got a grappling hook to make swinging and climbing much easier than ever.

Yasuke? He’s big, and he knows it. He isn’t going to be the choice you want to bring on a stealthy mission unless you imagine all hell is going to break loose. He doesn’t even know how to do a proper leap of faith, hilariously flailing as he falls to his impending doom. Saved only at the last second by the suspiciously placed bale of hay that seemingly waits at the bottom of every jumping point. And these differences help players of all playstyles enjoy their time with Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

To be fair, as I was craving the more stealth-oriented gameplay of the past, the majority of my playtime was spent in the shoes of Naoe. However, when I took control of Yasuke, I questioned myself often, wondering why I wasn’t taking the more powerful character out for a spin more often than not. But that thought was immediately squelched after hitting a perfect assassination once again.

Expanded Exploration and Excellent Accessibility Options Allowed Me to fine-tune ‘Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ to My Exact Specifications

One of the biggest complaints players have had with more recent Ubisoft games is the tremendous amount of handholding they offer. Being guided directly to an objective can be nice at times. But when those objectives are repeated over and over again, like lighthouses and bases in Far Cry titles, they get redundant quickly. Assassin’s Creed Shadows does away with any sort of handholding if you’d like it to. Even before leaving the main menu and entering the world of Shadows for the first time, things were going to be different.

If I chose not to have any sort of guidance, I would need to search for objectives myself. Gone were the days of the glowing blue objective orb on the map screen. Instead, I had a few specific instructions, and I could either venture out to that specific location or use recruited scouts to search the area for a general idea of where my target was hiding. Throughout my playtime with Assassin’s Creed Shadows, I found myself switching between these options, just to see how much of a difference there was. And it was honestly astounding.

Needing to find the general area is one thing. But then needing to use either Yasuke or Naoe to find the specific target was extremely exciting. Even if at times, I could find myself getting frustrated because I couldn’t seem to find who I was looking for. Once I got close enough, however? I could see the general blue orb of guidance once again, letting me know I was in the correct spot.

Needing To Investigate, Rather Than Just Being Told Where To Go, Makes ‘Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ Feel Great To Play

Assassin’s Creed Shadows, ironically enough, makes you feel more like an assassin than any other game in the franchise. Especially if you’re playing with Guidance turned off. Needing to investigate these areas, scope out the surroundings, and plan before dropping in is exhilarating. Both Naoe and Yasuke have their apparent advantages in situations such as these, allowing me to change up my playstyle if things felt stale.

But that’s what I think surprised me the most. During my time with Assassin’s Creed Shadows, it never felt like it was growing stale. If I wasn’t pushing along through the main story, I was completing side missions. Side missions weren’t cutting it anymore? I could upgrade my hideout and make it the best base of operations on the globe. There’s a tremendous amount of things to do in AC, all without feeling cumbersome. The enhanced and overhauled Objectives board can be terrifying to browse at first. It’s both linear and non-linear — and can be slightly overwhelming to look at when you first encounter it. But learn it and study it; it will make much more sense.

Putting everything together? This is the most un-Ubisoft-feeling Ubisoft game I’ve played. And I mean that as a massive compliment. It has the polish of the best that Assassin’s Creed has to offer while doing away with the redundant parts that made previous games a slog. No matter what I was doing, or where I was going, Shadows looked and played the part.

Environmental Variety and Strong Character Building Make ‘Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ Feel More Real

Assassin’s Creed Shadows also puts its best foot forward regarding graphical variety. One look at the game, and you may understand why it took so long to create. It’s stunning, with realistic cloth and hair physics making the world come to life. But, graphics can only help a game so much. That’s what makes this even more of an impressive feat. Rather than just relying on being a pretty face, Assassin’s Creed Shadows makes enough fundamental gameplay changes to bring back even the most staunch of disbelievers. Myself included. I have to be honest: I went into Assassin’s Creed Shadows expecting another bloated, uncontained RPG. And Ubisoft has put quality over quantity with this one.

There’s still plenty to do here, don’t get me wrong. It’s just not Valhalla’s levels of repetition to extend playtime. And it’s a much better game for that. Rather than putting all of their eggs in one basket, Shadows separates those eggs, cooks them to near perfection, and places them down on a silver platter in front of us. The last Ubisoft game I enjoyed as much as this was Watch Dogs 2. And until today, I never thought Ubisoft would do something that would capture my heart in the same way. Especially with a franchise I had written off nearly a decade and countless spinoffs ago.

What’s shocking about Shadows, rather than its graphical presentation and reduced and ample scale, is its polish. I’ve played a lot of Ubisoft games at or shortly after release. And many times, there’s a fair number of issues that plague my experience. I mean, look back at the Ezio Collection when that first launched and the abysmal state that was in.

‘Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ Is the Most Polished Ubisoft Game I’ve Played in Years

You read that correctly. Assassin’s Creed Shadows is a genuinely polished video game in the year 2025. The typical “Ubisoft Jank”? Nowhere to be found. None of my characters randomly lost their faces in the middle of a conversation. NPCs weren’t prone to walking into the middle of chats. And yes, while I did experience a few small bugs during my pre-release gameplay session, none of them were game-breaking. Or even things that most folks would have noticed. I pixel-picked a few times and saw some fabric phasing into a building, or NPC clothing slightly jittering in the distance.

But beyond that? Assassin’s Creed Shadows was shockingly smooth to play. It controls well, and its expanded move list makes it feel smoother than ever before. Small details, such as learning how a traditional tea ceremony worked, or the removal of shoes before entering a building, also help keep the game feeling authentic. Meditation near shrines, practicing new moves to unlock them, and praying before temples are also available. You control the buttons you push, and that can lead to carnage or peace. Remember that when diving into this one.

Out of curiosity, I also swapped between dialogue options throughout my playthrough. Japanese and Portuguese are both delivered incredibly well, but the English voice casting was also phenomenally done. Regardless if you play “dubbed or subbed” in this situation, you’re in for a visual and audio treat.

Ubisoft Has Studied the Art of Kintsugi Well, Mending and Fixing a Broken Series, and Presenting Its Best Self

Assassin’s Creed was one of my favorite franchises growing up. Watching the series lose its identity, slowly becoming something unfitting of its name, was painful. To be upfront? Seeing the reveal trailer and initial gameplay footage of Assassin’s Creed Shadows did not inspire me with a sense of hope in the slightest. Rather, it filled me with dread, as it could have been the final nail in the coffin for the franchise.

Ubisoft has a lot riding on the line with Assassin’s Creed Shadows. And that pressure pushed them to release the game in its best possible form. Would I have likely written this review the same way if it had come out during its original November 2024 release window? I don’t believe so. But what they’ve delivered here is something special. It’s comparable to the glory days of the franchise, if not surpassing them in many ways. It is honestly that good.

I hope Ubisoft takes a lesson from its own playbook when addressing the future of its franchises. Assassin’s Creed Shadows is the perfect example. Mending the broken pieces together can make a work of art. But if those pieces continue to break and shatter, they may find themselves unable to fix what has been previously broken. And like any piece of art, this is a delicate and fragile thing. But from a distance, up close, and hands-on, its beauty shines through.

Verdict: Highly Recommended

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Assassin’s Creed Shadows will be available on March 20, 2025, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. A code was provided by the publisher for the sake of review. Reviewed on PlayStation 5 (Quality Mode).