Assassin's Creed Shadows is a fantastic game in the series, and a wonderful RPG in its own right that blends excellent stealth and combat with a staggering open worldTech17:00, 18 Mar 2025Shadows is frequently stunningIts perhaps fitting that, after years of fan requests, the most important entry in the Assassins Creed franchise yet finally turns the series' attention to Japan.Assassins Creed Shadows feels like a long list of community demands made manifest, doing its best to be all things to all fans. Looking for the best RPG in the series since Origins? Youll find it. Looking to focus on stealth a la Mirage? Thats here, too. Fancy managing your own personal army like Brotherhood? You got it.Article continues belowDespite arriving amid a wave of controversy, then, Assassins Creed Shadows is the most ambitious game in the series almost two decade history and marks the new high water mark for the series' modern era.Each protagonist feels great and has an interesting storyMuch of what makes Shadows feel so impressive are its leading duo. Yasuke and Naoe are two drastically different characters in every way, from their origins to their gameplay, and while some missions are exclusive to each, players can switch between them regularly.Yasuke is a mountain of a man searching for his place in a world that feels alien to him, looking to improve the fractious Japan setting for the commonfolk while bearing his own burdens of guilt, while Naoes quest for vengeance feels ripped straight from Kurosawa movies.The two dovetail in a staggeringly-detailed world, packed with secrets to discover and people to help, and one that somehow feels personal and much bigger than our protagonists' own journeys at once. Suffice it to say Ill leave spoilers out of this review, but it didnt take long to feel something for each of our protagonists. And, when the talking is done, both are equally fun to control.Naoe can climb higher thanks to a grappling hookNaoe slides between enemy attacks, retorting with deadly prescision from her katana, but is something of a glass cannon shes not fragile, but she cant withstand too much damage before needing to vanish into the shadows to plan her next move.Yasuke, on the other hand, feels closer to the weighty, RPG era of the series' combat. He swings huge weapons and can charge through doors, but hes also slower and can snap ropes by trying to scurry across them.That means that experimenting is not only fun but necessary, letting you decide whether to knock down the front door of an enemy encampment or grapple hook over it.There are always more towers to climbAfter so many years of fans asking for the series to go to Japan, Ubisoft has absolutely knocked it out of the park with its recreation in Shadows.In the first few hours, theres a moment where Naoe needs to head down from a sort of mountain on horseback. No combat, no set piece, just riding down the terrain as the climate gets warmer. Wildlife roams the area, shrines are dotted along the pathway, and theres a mist that hangs in the air.On PS5 Pro, it looks incredible, and while Assassins Creed Valhalla may have kicked off the current generation, at times Shadows looks like another generational leap beyond. Theres an incredible amount of detail in every frame, backed up by a fantastic photo mode thatll likely keep me busy for hours.The change in seasons is a nice touchStitching on clothing, blood on blades, and the stylised black and white combat abilities look great, while a new Seasons system means that areas change regularly. In Summer, grass grows longer, letting you slip through long grass to get the drop on opponents, while colder months see snowfall that muffles footsteps.None of it leads to a drastic change in how each character plays, but add extra considerations for missions. Ubisofts traditional array of map icons have also been trimmed down, leaning more into the magic of discovery by just moving around its world and seeing where your virtual feet take you.That extends to objectives, which will now give you a series of prompts that give you the rough idea of where you need to go or you can narrow it down by sending spies.You can customise your hideout with new buildings and NPCsThat leads into the sheer mass of things to do in Assassins Creed Shadows. Scouts can be recruited, safehouses founded, and contracts taken out, but Naoe and Yasuke can also recruit civilians to their cause.These can then help out at a homestead which can be customised, with new buildings helping store weapons and more, while also bringing in additional resources and offering a hand in combat. Its not quite Animal Crossing, but I spent more than a few hours messing with its systems.Then there are open world activities like hunting legendary animals, experiencing Naoes flashbacks, and a gear system that feels like itll lead to the best kind of gameplay customisation for both protagonists.In short, Assassins Creed Shadows is absolutely gargantuan, and to its credit the seams are hard to spot. There are some sections where youll slay an entire room of well-meaning security guards only for the NPC you were guarding (and supposed to sneak up to) to act as if theyre not stood atop a mountain of corpses.But these instances are few and far between, with Shadows offering possibly the most cohesive blend of gameplay styles and volume of activities in the series thus far.Article continues belowSimply put, Assassins Creed: Shadows is the biggest game in the long-running series, but also one of the finest. From its gameplay variety to its gorgeous open world, its the first game in the franchise to truly grab me in its vice grip since Origins.And, like Bayeks adventure, I think I'll find myself thinking about it for a long, long time afterward.Reviewed on PS5 Pro. Review code provided by the publisher.