Assassin’s Creed Shadows Review - A Tale of Two Stories

Written by Brandon Hofer  on March 18, 2025

Reviews: A stunning open world game that features different experiences with two characters from different backgrounds but similar ideals.

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It won’t be long until we are celebrating the 20th anniversary of Assassin’s Creed. For a good majority of that time fans have clamored for Assassin’s Creed to take place in Feudal Japan and Ubisoft finally granted that wish with Assassin’s Creed Shadows. This latest entry into the popular Assassin’s Creed franchise features two main protagonists, Naoe and Yasuke. Naoe plays more like your traditional assassin, something longtime fans know all about. Naoe’s gameplay is that of a shinobi, more agile and stealth focused. She can perform all of the parkour moves and, of course, utilizes the hidden blade so she can quietly assassinate her targets. Yasuke is more of a brute force character, being more of a combat-oriented samurai. Whenever I was surrounded by a large group of enemies, I came to prefer utilizing Yasuke since it was easier to cut through that group and do some serious damage. Yasuke has different ways to approach combat, being able to do straight up melee or ranged using either a bow or a teppo (gun). The development team over at Ubisoft did a great job balancing both Naoe and Yasuke and I had a lot of fun using their different skills for the many situations I encountered on my journey.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows takes place in Japan in 1579. The time period is the late Sengoku period and daimyo Oda Nobunaga is trying to shape Japan in his vision. Resistance groups pop up to try and stop this from happening, which sets in motion a sequence of events that change everything forever for both Yasuke and Naoe. I won’t go into specific story details for spoiler reasons but there is a lot going on here, much more than you think when you initially boot the game and see the giant world of Assassin’s Creed Shadows.



Speaking of the world, you won’t really appreciate the size and scope of it until you make some progress in the game. Once you see all of the different objectives pop up and all of the icons appear on the map, you begin to get a sense of the scale of the adventure in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. The objectives board is similar to recent entries in the franchise and is broken up into groups. At the center of the board is the main group that Naoe and Yasuke are going after. That is only the beginning though as there are a lot of other smaller groups that you will encounter. Each major town has a small group of people that are in need of your help. There are also small groups out there with big ambitions, which means you must investigate and, if it gets to that point, eliminate them to make sure they can’t cause any more chaos. The members of each respective group will initially be represented with a question mark. After completing some investigations you will eventually see a picture of your target and then it is your job to take care of them. In a lot of instances that means finding and eliminating them to make sure they won't cause any more trouble. In some cases though you have the option of whether you can take someone out or spare their life. In this story things aren’t always what they seem so you might want to consider your options carefully.

The world of Assassin’s Creed Shadows is broken up into many different regions and provinces. Once you get through the opening segment of the game the entire world will be available to you. With that said though, that doesn’t mean you should immediately go everywhere. For example, if your character is level five, you might not want to go to territory meant for level 40 characters. You can but if you run into an enemy he will take you out instantaneously with one blow. You will easily be able to tell when an enemy is out of your league by a skull icon next to their health. If you see that, you might want to make a hasty retreat until you are at the appropriate level. In this sense, the game kind of guides you and tells you what it would like you to experience first. Since Assassin’s Creed Shadows is a massive open world game though, the decision is ultimately up to you.



There is a lot to do in Assassin’s Creed Shadows and part of it is simply finding all of the different locations in the game. It wouldn’t be an Assassin’s Creed game without viewpoints to synchronize and they are in abundance here. One interesting mechanic about them is after you synchronize a viewpoint, you can hold down the “LT” button and scan the surrounding environment for other viewpoints and for undiscovered locations, represented by a white question mark on the map. In addition to viewpoints, you will want to search these areas for Kakurega locations. These will function as your home away from home. They are small bases that you will need to utilize to refill your rations and tools, manage your allies, accept contracts for the local area, and more. As you explore the world there will be times when you see someone in need of help. Whether or not you offer help is completely up to you but it is usually advantageous to do so. If some guards are harassing a merchant, for example, helping him out will get you some new information. You can select either a “world rumor” which will give you a new icon on your map to investigate, or scout intel for the area. I almost always picked the “world rumor” option because it gave me a new task or at the very least, something new to look at that might potentially get me some nice loot.

One useful feature that I utilized quite a bit was the scout system. As you progress in the game you will earn scouts. They can be used to help locate objectives utilizing their spy network. They can also help you secure stockpiles of material for your hideout, providing resources for you at the end of each season. You only have a limited number of scouts per season so be sure to use them wisely, however, if you find that you have used your allotted number and need more, you can use in-game currency to use them again. If you are using your scouts, the number you use will also help determine their effectiveness. For example, I was looking for a specific target in one of the cities. I could use one scout that might cover a few blocks. If I used two scouts, the search area would be wider. The maximum number of scouts you can use at once is three, which can cover a good amount of space. If they find the target in the selected area, the target will be represented with a blue icon. This saved me a lot of time just wandering around and searching for someone. I can’t imagine not having this available to me with the size of this world.




Earlier I made reference to your hideout in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. This is your main base of operations and once you get some new allies, this is where they will go. This is also where you will use the stockpiles that you find in the world, as well as what your scouts bring back to you. This is also where you can build and expand your base. There is the Hiroma (main building) in the beginning. Then you can buy and build buildings like the Kakurega, Forge, Study, Dojo, and more. Once you construct a building you can also upgrade it. One good example here is the Forge. By upgrading your Forge, that means you can upgrade your equipment to higher levels. The higher level your Forge is, the more you can do with your equipment, including using engravings that can give you an additional boost in battle.



Throughout the world you find different and unique weapons and outfits for Naoe and Yasuke. For Naoe, I found an outfit that I really liked and so, instead of switching her out in new outfits that I would find in the world, I simply used the Forge to upgrade my current outfit. That way my equipment would still level up appropriately and I could keep the outfit I like. Perhaps the most important part of your base building for some people will be that you can have animals on your base as well. Animals on your base can range from deer, boar, rabbits, monkeys, pheasants, foxes, and more. Additionally, you can also have dogs and cats on your base. Throughout the game you will see different animals roaming the landscape, including cats and dogs. You can go up to a dog or cat, pet them, and then that breed will become available for your base. So, for example, if you see a Black Akita walking around a city, be sure to go up and pet them. Once you do, you will then be able to have a Black Akita roaming around your base. While there is a finite number of animals you can have, the number is fairly high so you can have your own stable of animals. For me I have quite a few dogs and cats roaming my base, in addition to the aforementioned animals like deer, rabbits, and more. Gamers always want to pet a dog or cat when they see one in a game. The development team over at Ubisoft took it to the next level by not only allowing you to pet them, but also being able to have them at your base. It is a tremendous idea that a lot of people will love. It isn’t important to the overall game but is a nice feature that fans will enjoy.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows does feature a number of RPG mechanics, similar to other entries in the series like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. You will gain experience with almost everything that you do, which in turn will level up your character. Your weapons behave in a similar fashion. As you are traversing the world, be sure to search for treasure chests and other items that might contain loot. An easy way to do this is to hold down the “LT” button so you can scan the environment. If you see a yellow dot somewhere that usually means there is some kind of treasure there that you might want to collect. This mechanic also works in temples where you have to find altars to pray at or track down lost pages. During missions you can also hold down this button and if you see a blue orb glowing in the distance, that is usually where you should be heading to advance the mission. Additionally, if you are out exploring the world and you want more of a guided journey to your destination, you can turn on the “Pathfinder” to guide you. When this is on you will see a white line in front of you telling you where you need to go. Keep in mind that this takes you the “correct” route, not necessarily the most efficient route. If your destination is the viewpoint at the top of a mountain, the “correct” route might be going around the base of the mountain until you find a path to the top. If you want to go off the beaten path a bit you can forgo that and simply try to scale the mountain, as an example. That isn’t always possible but I’m sure you understand what I’m saying.



Another part of the RPG mechanics is the Mastery system. These are different skill trees you can use depending on the play style you are going for. Naoe, for example, has six different skill trees ranging from “Assassin,” to “ Tanto,” “Tools,” “Katana,” and more. I initially concentrated a lot on the Assassin skill tree so I could unlock abilities such as Eagle Vision, using my hidden blade, being able to double assassinate targets, and more. Tools are also an important one since that can unlock different items to use throughout your journey, such as smoke bombs, kunai (throwing dagger), and more. It is completely your decision how you want to do this and what you want to prioritize. Yasuke has a similar setup as well, although he has skill trees that pertain to being a samurai, not an assassin. These skill trees also tie into world exploration since you will need to increase your knowledge rank to get some of the more desirable unlocks. For example, Knowledge Rank 1 features the ability to unlock the Hidden Blade but if you want to unlock “Reinforced Blade” which will allow you to assassinate larger enemies, you will need to be at Knowledge Rank 3. You can raise your rank by exploring the world and earning Knowledge Points. Outside of missions, this is usually achieved by visiting temples and praying to certain altars or finding lost pages. There are also times when Yasuke will learn new combat moves or when Naoe finds different locations to reflect on her past, which will also earn you knowledge points. Then within some missions you can earn points as well by completing an objective. All of these systems tie in really well together to give you the complete package in Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

Ubisoft has also put in a photo mode in this game and for good reason. Feudal Japan looks absolutely gorgeous and I spent a good amount of time taking pictures of a breathtaking vista or a location that seemed like it was really important. You can also see the pictures some of your friends are taking. On the world map you will see some small icons that indicate a picture was taken there, whether it is a picture you took or something one of your friends did. You can vote on whether or not you like the picture. It gives a bit of an extra incentive to find the perfect shot. Assassin’s Creed Shadows also features different seasons. One of the most beautiful seasons for me was fall when the trees were changing colors and you could see a canvas of multicolored trees dotting the horizon. Then during the winter you could see the world covered in snow and hearing the crunch of snow as you walked across it helps add to the immersion. There are also “legendary animals” that you can find in the environment. When that happens if you approach quietly and don’t spook them, Naoe will draw them and you will be treated to a really cute cinematic showcasing those animals. I also used these instances to get some really nice pictures.



The different locations in the game look amazing, and the cinematics look incredible. You can tell the development team spent a lot of time and care in bringing this world to life. The soundtrack is also really well done, helping to set the mood for whatever situation you might find yourself in. Whether it is the howling wind, the pouring rain, the majestic sound of you syncing a viewpoint, or the clang of steel hitting steel in combat, the audio is a delight, especially for those wearing headphones.

Throughout the game you are given decisions about whether you want to play as Naoe or Yasuke. It is completely your decision who you play as around 90-95% of the time. There are some missions that might require one or the other but the vast majority of the time the choice is yours. This can lead to different experiences in the game. For my review playthrough, I mainly stuck with Naoe because I wanted the assassin experience. During my second playthrough I am going to choose mainly Yasuke to get another experience of going through the game as a samurai, using more brute force than stealth. Assassin’s Creed Shadows also features a “canon mode” where all of the choices are taken out, and players can simply enjoy a more narrative version of the story. This will most likely be what I utilize during my third playthrough as I think it is a fantastic idea by the development team. Fans can truly play Assassin’s Creed Shadows however they want and that level of freedom is amazing.



In addition to everything I have mentioned, there is also the Animus Hub. When you first boot up the game this is where you will be and I’m excited to see how this evolves in the future. There is the “Memories” section, which is basically where you will launch different Assassin’s Creed games. You will see the memory “1579 CE Shadows” which is Assassin’s Creed Shadows. If you scroll up you will see the memory of “872 CE Valhalla,” which is Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. If you scroll up even more you will see the memory of “431 BCE Odyssey” which is Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. They don’t have every Assassin’s Creed game on here yet but I assume that will come over time. There are also three other things of interest in the Animus Hub with “Projects,” “Exchange,” and “Vault”. In “Projects” regularly released missions will become available that can unlock exclusive rewards and keys, the in-game currency for the Animus Hub. “Exchange” is where you will exchange those keys for rewards. The “Vault” is where you will find archived data files, videos, and some key parts of the franchise’s ongoing modern day story. This is another way to keep fans invested in Assassin’s Creed once they finish the overall game and it has a lot of potential.

My playthrough of Assassin’s Creed Shadows came in two sections. At first I played using the GeForce Now streaming platform. Playing using this platform was similar to playing on a PC with a Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 16GB card. This is a situation where your mileage will vary depending on how strong your internet connection is, however, I had a flawless experience. The game ran exceptionally well with no lag for me and it is the best experience I have ever had streaming a game. The visuals were crisp and clean and everything seemed to run as if I was playing it natively on my machine. Then about halfway through the process I was sent a code for the Xbox Series X version. I spent the remainder of my time on that platform and it runs amazingly well on this console. The gameplay is so incredibly fluid and everything seemed to run really smoothly. There is no doubt that the couple of delays were more than worth it for Assassin’s Creed Shadows. My experience playing on both platforms was absolutely fantastic and I can highly recommend both.



As I reflect on my time with Naoe and Yasuke, there isn’t much I can complain about. I mentioned the pathfinder mode earlier in this review. It is a great feature that would have been made better if you could have put your horse on auto pilot, similar to earlier games in the franchise. That way I could have spent the time admiring the environment more. There were a few times when icons didn’t seem to pop up like they were supposed to, but that might just be because of the pre-release environment I was playing in. There were a few instances where my horse seemed to randomly get caught on a piece of the environment but in my 80+ hours of playing so far, it only happened a handful of times. There were a few instances where the scout system seemed like it could work better but I’m also nitpicking now. Giant open world games will always have their quirks, whether it is Assassin’s Creed Shadows or the next Grand Theft Auto game.

There is so much to do and see in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. I can’t possibly cover it all in this review. The amount of time and care that the development team put into this project over the years is evident. The different ways you can play and experience the game will result in me going through the game multiple times, as I mentioned earlier. The world looks amazing and is full of cool moments to come across as you explore the environment. For those who prefer a more assassin and stealth oriented game, you can play as Naoe. For those who like to play with more brute force, Yasuke is the way to go. You can also swap in between the two to get the best of both worlds. Whatever your playstyle is, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is a really fun experience and it was worth the wait.

Please Note: Ubisoft provided us with a code for Assassin's Creed Shadows for review.