Assassins Creed Shadows is one ofAssassins Creedsstrongest outings in years, and arrives as a big win for Ubisoft at a time that the company desperately needed one. Theres a lot to love about the action RPG, from its surprisingly excellent combat to the renewed emphasis it places on stealth, from how fun its parkour mechanics are to how much of a blast it is to play as both protagonists. On that list, though, something that ranks high and shines particularly bright is its open world design. Open worlds are, of course, what this series has always been known for, but withShadows,it has outdone itself.Its only appropriate that this is the game whereAssassins Creeddecides to finally hit its stride again in the world design department after some frustrating issues with bloat and excess in recent years, because this is finally theAssassins Creedgame in Japan we all waited for for so long. If, by sheer rotten luck, Ubisoft had somehow managed to waste a feudal Japan setting in a disappointing entry that didnt utilize its setting to its fullest, the disappointment would have been as loud as it would have been widespread. Thankfully, that isnt the case.On the contrary,Assassins Creed Shadowsopen world Japan is one of the best, most immersive maps this series has ever delivered, and there are several major factors that contribute to its resounding success in that department. For starters, theres the plain and simple fact that Shadowsworld is absolutely gorgeous, something thats abundantly evident right from the games very first second. Every inch of the world is characterized by beautiful sights. Dense forests, bamboo thickets, rolling hills of tall grass swaying in the wind, fields of vibrant and colourful flowers, charming villages and towns with distinct Japanese architecture, a smattering of stunning vistas- around every corner inAssassins Creed Shadows,theres something beautiful to see, something thatll make you pause in your tracks so you can take in your surroundings.The variety is particularly impressive, because of how much more intentional and deliberate the look and design of virtually every location in the games world feel. The bloated size of previousAssassins Creedaction RPGs meant different parts of their world would often blend together, with little to distinguish between areas thatshouldbe quite different on paper.Shadowsavoids that pitfall by ensuring that its map is littered with areas, settlements, and points of interest that feel unique and distinct, rather than looking like slightly different variants of copy-pasted locations scattered throughout the world ad nauseum.And thats not the only way the game injects variety into its world. Dynamically changing seasons are amongAssassins Creed Shadowsmost significant and interesting new systems. Among the many ways changing seasons elevate the experience is how they keep changing the world in drastic ways so that monotony never sets in. Whether youre looking at thick blankets of snow or vibrant fields of vegetation, at a completely frozen lake or a gushing waterfall, at icicles hanging off roofs or grasslands glistening in the raid,Assassins Creed Shadowsis always gorgeous to look at- and it usually has something new and fresh to show.But thats not all, because the beauty of Shadowsworld isnt skin deep- far from it. As soon as the game is done with its prologue and it lets you loose into its world, it becomes instantly evident that its one of the series better designed maps in years. Hugely responsible for that is the games relative restraint when compared to something likeAssassins Creed ValhallaorOdyssey,not just in size, but also in how it doles out content throughout its open world. The sizeis, of course, a significant factor, because after a couple of notoriously bloated open world behemoths that clearly ended up sacrificing notably in the design department so they could tout gargantuan play spaces instead,Shadowsmap which is obviously still huge, but not nearly as unreasonably scoped asValhallasmap was feels like a refreshing change of pace.How that space is used feels like an even bigger strength though, as I touched on. Very rarely hasAssassins Creedas a franchise succeeded at getting players to explore organically and diegetically, but Shadows comes closer than most of its predecessors, getting you to explore simply because you spotted something intriguing in the distance, or by organically leading you to some point of interest, rather than relying on checklists or markers or what have you. Dont get me wrong, this is noElden RingorBreath of the Wildin that sense- butShadowsdoes a better job of grounding you in its world thanAssassins Creedhas been able to in quite some time.And it doesnt just cram that all of that real estate full of side quests or optional activities. There obviously is an abundance of things to do throughout its map, but in simple terms,Shadowssmartly spaces that content out, letting its world breathe. There are plenty of stretches where there are no question marks on the map, no forts to clear, no collectibles to hunt down- nothing to do except just look around and take in the scenery, which is usually breathtaking in some way or the other.Assassins Creed Shadowsknows that it touts a good looking open world, and it insists on highlighting its beauty whenever possible. Meanwhile, when youaredoing the side activities, theres usually plenty of fun to be had. Theres a good variety to the activities available, from the mundane and predictable strongholds, contracts, what have you to the more unique, like kuji-kiri or kata spots for Naoe and Yasuke respectively, or spots where you can sneak up on wildlife to paint sketches of them. In more ways than one,Assassins Creed Shadowsknows how to make exploration fun and rewarding.Getting around its world is also consistently a joy, even from a moment to moment perspective. Strong traversal is something that Assassins Creedas a franchise has always prided itself on, but like in other ways,Shadowsfeels more restrained than the series other action RPG outings with how it lets you navigate the world- and its for the better. Not every surface is climbable, unlikeOrigins, Odyssey,andValhalla,which makes the parkour feel more deliberate and much more in line with classicAssassins Creedgames. Meanwhile, playing as Naoe is particularly enjoyable, thanks not only to her nimble and agile movements, but also the fact that she has a grappling hook. A grappling hook in anAssassins Creedgame is exactly as cool as youd think it would be.As a franchise,Assassins Creedhas approached world design and exploration in different ways over the years, from single-city settings to giant open world maps, from classic parkour to you can climb anything and the laws of physics dont exist traversal.Shadowsfeels like it takes the greatest strengths of all of the series past styles, mixes them with a sprinkling of fresh ideas of its own, and balls it all up together to deliver a shockingly well designed map that is as rewarding to explore as it is stunning to behold.Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.