It’s been eight years since Ubisoft began this new era of Assassin’s Creed, taking players into different eras of history while creating original standalone stories. Players have jumped into ancient Egypt in Assassin’s Creed Origins (2017), mythological Greece in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (2018), Viking-infested Europe in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla (2020), and the early Middle East in Assassin’s Creed Mirage (2023). Throughout these last few years, though, a particular fervor was being shaped as fans longed for Ubisoft to take the video game franchise into one of the most popular eras of history, feudal Japan. Introducing Assassin’s Creed Shadows (2025), a dual-protagonist game that mixes Japanese culture, creative combat, hip-hop beats, and a beautiful open world waiting to be explored.
Set in 16th-century Japan, around the end of the Sengoku period, Assassin’s Creed Shadows introduces us to two protagonists who have different styles but also complement each other to help simplify objectives for players. Up first is Yasuke, a character inspired by the real-life historical figure of the same name who is famously known for being the first Black samurai and serving under the feudal lord Oda Nobunaga. Then, we are introduced to Fujibayashi Naoe, a female shinobi, or ninja, who rises on a thrilling path of revenge during a time when males dominated all spy work and tasks related to espionage.
Yasuke’s gameplay is very much like what recent Assassin’s Creed games have felt like from Ubisoft, throwing stealth to the side and focusing on empowering the player to let loose and wreak havoc. While this isn’t the “classic style,” it can still be fun to run around breaking wooden walls and knocking back smaller enemies. Having the ability to “Sparta kick” an enemy off a ledge into the water to give you space to fight another opponent is just one of the many examples of how Yasuke’s brute mechanics can still have players be strategic. Though there are some basic stealth upgrades in his skill tree, for the most part, you won’t need those when playing primarily as Yasuke.
Naoe’s gameplay, on the other hand, doesn’t exactly feel like the first few Assassin’s Creed entries; it’s more of an evolution. The game encourages you to use Naoe in every stealth situation possible. However, there were many moments when I was able to clear a camp of enemies by simply dodging quickly and using the parry system. There are even moves that can be learned in Naoe’s skill tree that assist in boosting the character’s non-stealth abilities. But the most fun I had with the character was clearing a castle from the shadows, breaking objects with kunai to get a specific enemy to move so that I could assassinate a different foe.
As fun as the stealth and combat gameplay of Assassin’s Creed Shadows can be, some moments gave me a huge headache. The movement of the characters when trying to be stealthy can be very tricky, like climbing onto a roof to hide but then immediately climbing back down by accident and subsequently being eliminated. There were also moments with the attacking system that felt clunky, as a single click of the attack button would lead to an unnecessary combo, leaving yourself open to the enemy’s attack. In terms of the issues that are easy to adapt to, they could be fine-tuned in early patches. For the other complex headaches, Ubisoft might have trouble keeping players invested in this story.
Ubisoft has implemented a new feature in Assassin’s Creed Shadows called the “dynamic weather and seasonal system.” The studio outdid themselves with this feature, as it’s quite beautiful watching the world around you change during stretches of play. Seeing the powerful winds during a thunderstorm or the different plants appearing during a specific season makes it worthwhile to have longer gaming sessions. During heavy weather, specifically, you see animals looking for places to take cover. One nitpick, though, is that the change of environment should lead to a more challenging gaming experience as well. For example, players should be slow in rain, similar to snow. The increased difficulty in landing all your attacks would only spice up the gameplay.
I personally love to spend lots of time on the create-a-character screen. So, when I could start customizing both Yasuke and Naoe, I immediately started going in-depth. Assassin’s Creed Shadows appeals to a variety of players, from those who just want the highest-ranked items to compete against bosses to others who just want to look fashionable while committing war crimes. The cosmetics can be easily found on the world map and must be earned through a simple objective, but they are mostly recolors. Ubisoft seems to be saving the most creative cosmetics for micro-transactions; it’s yet to be determined if these will impact gameplay.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows is not the best game in the series, as nostalgia could be a factor, especially when discussing the characters. However, it’s one of the best games in this current era of the Assassin’s Creed franchise, starting with Assassin’s Creed Origins in 2017. Having this entry star Yasuke, four years after the animated Netflix series, rekindled the strong connection I formed with the character in 2021. Voice actor Tongayi Chirisa amazingly puts his stamp on the historical figure, and Masumi Tsunoda impressively holds her own as Naoe in her voice-acting debut as well. But if there’s anything Ubisoft should learn from Assassin’s Creed Shadows, it’s that stealth will always be the best way to play these games.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows releases on March 20!
Available on PlayStation 5 & Xbox Series X|S, Ubisoft+, Amazon Luna, Windows PC through the Ubisoft Store, Steam, the Epic Games Store, and Macs with Apple silicon via the Mac App Store.
Release Date: March 20, 2025 (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows PC, MAC).
Developed by Ubisoft Quebec.
Published by Ubisoft.
Game Director: Charles Benoit.
Creative Director: Jonathan Dumont.
Narrative Director: Ryan Galletta.
Producer: Karl Onnée.
Composers: The Flight & TEKE::TEKE.
