‘Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ Is Better Than You Think — Here’s Why It Deserves More Attention

I know the game launched months ago, and most have already moved on from Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Like many, I also ignored this one when it was initially released. However, I recently started playing the Ubisoft RPG, and I am genuinely surprised by how much I’m enjoying it. Unfortunately, I think many have written off the game because of online discourse and controversy.

A Game Defined By online Discourse

Let me get this out of the way. I understand that there are people critical of Assassin’s Creed Shadows because of its historical inaccuracies. There is also the online discourse that surrounded the game before it even launched. However, I am not going to dive into any of that, because I would be completely out of my depth. I am approaching this purely as a casual player who wanted to ask the question: is this game fun or not?

If you have zero interest in Assassin’s Creed Shadows for whatever personal reasons you have, that is okay. You do you. The only argument I would make is that I do think Shadows, purely as a game, is better than some think. Here are some of the reasons I believe Ubisoft’s RPG is one of the more enjoyable titles I’ve played so far this year.

‘Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ Gameplay Is Just Fun

As a big fan of Ghost of Tsushima and The Last Ronin, I have to say I really think Assassin’s Creed Shadows has better traversal mechanics. Whatever you want to say about the Ubisoft franchise, they really nailed the series’ parkour gameplay. It just feels great quickly scaling up buildings as Naoe. Something in my brain also gets scratched whenever she does front flips off structures. It not only looks epic, but it really adds to the fluidity of combat when chaining it with attacking enemies.

And for all the criticism Yasuke got as a second protagonist, his gameplay is awesome. There is nothing more satisfying than literally kicking an enemy across the level. I couldn’t stop laughing the first time I ragdolled an NPC off a mountainside after stomping him in the chest. In every sense of the word, Yasuke is a tank. I mean, the game has a mechanic that lets him smash through doors. While the game gives you the freedom to play whatever protagonist you want, I actually think it’s a blast to swap back and forth between them on the fly.

At least for me, my game really opened up once I realized I could have Yasuke barge down the front door and cause mayhem inside of a castle or enemy base, while then swapping to Naoe, who can sneak around in the shadows during the chaos. The two combat styles actually work perfectly together and give a lot of variety that has been missing from the Assassin’s Creed franchise. Is all of this a bit silly? Absolutely. But most importantly, it’s just fun. Also, I’ll never not enjoy slapping around groups of enemies with Naoe’s kusarigama weapon.

A Surprisingly Emotional Story

EDITOR’S NOTE: There will be some story spoilers for ‘Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ below.

Obviously, the revenge plotline central to Assassin’s Creed Shadows is a bit of an overdone trope in gaming. However, I was surprised when the story took an emotional turn early on and actually landed it. While most games will pull the predictable “revenge is actually bad” plot, Assassin’s Creed Shadows treats this with more complexity. No matter how much characters preach about “peace and forgiveness,” Naoe is a character full of rage and anger. And as the player, I want her to desperately hunt down the Onryo that killed her father.

However, there is a moment early on in Assassin’s Creed Shadows where it’s revealed that Naoe actually killed a loved one of Junjiro (the adorable child sidekick in your party). However, the real twist is that Junjiro had actually been plotting to kill the protagonist. But over time, he learned to let go of the anger after getting to know her. The game presents this idea that if Junjiro had continued to see Naoe as just a demon, then he would have never gotten the chance to view her as a beautiful person, a friend, or a family member. Something about that idea really stuck with me.

This moment is well done, as it asks Naoe to reconsider her bloodlust. Not just with empty words, but by someone leading by example. After all, how can Naoe ask for forgiveness when she’s not willing to forgive Yasuke? Despite this beautiful moment, Naoe still continues to wrestle with her feelings and dives head-first into a quest for revenge. This is a great example of how Assassin’s Creed Shadows actually has a pretty decent story that handles its characters with depth. Again, I won’t argue that the main plot itself is a masterpiece. But I do believe it somehow managed to nail the “cycle of violence” angle better than The Last of Us Part II did.

A Beautiful Open-World RPG

Assassin’s Creed Shadows has a gorgeous open world. In particular, I love the four seasons mechanic that has the map’s visuals drastically changing into winter, spring, autumn, and summer. Does the game match Ghost of Tsushima’s jaw-dropping graphics? Not entirely. I would still give my nod to Sucker Punch on that one. But it’s easily one of the best-looking Assassin’s Creed games to date.

If I had any complaint about Shadows, it’s that it still relies too heavily on towers to unlock map locations. At this point in the series, they really should be finding more unique ways to incorporate these into the story. The only saving grace is that Shadows’ world is so beautiful to explore that you kind of lose yourself in all the visuals while roaming from one tower to the next.

I genuinely think Assassin’s Creed Shadows is a really fun game. I have not been the biggest fan of the Ubisoft series in quite some time. Mostly because I’ve felt previous games, such as Odyssey and Valhalla, were extremely bloated. However, Assassin’s Creed Shadows has managed to grab me. I just feel a little crazy because Shadows’ divisive reputation doesn’t match up with the gameplay experience I’ve been having.