Assassins Creed Shadowsboasts many strengths, and high on that list is how crammed full of details it is, and how effectively those details help bring its world to life. A heightened sense of immersion is whatAssassins Creedgames tend to go for with their open world settings more often than now, andShadowsachieves that with an almost obsessive level of attention to detail. Here, were going to shine the spotlight on a few that have stood out to us. Tiny details that many may never notice (or, if they do, give too much thought to) are often the ones that many players end up obsessing over the most, and we have plenty of those to talk about here.CUTTING BAMBOOPretty early on inAssassins Creed Shadows,the game tells you you can slice through bamboo, and from that point forward, its difficult to stop yourself from slicing all the bamboo you can lay your eyes on. Whether youre running through thickets in a forest or tearing through thin walls in an enemy encampment, it never stops being unreasonably fun to slash through bamboo and watch it dynamically react to your hits and fall apart in the most satisfying fashion.(LIMITED) ENVIRONMENTAL DESTRUCTIONIts not just bamboo that you can destroy inShadowsworld. The game features limited environmental destruction-verylimited, actually, but effective nonetheless. Crates, barrels, some trees and fences, boxes and what have you can be destroyed in a variety of ways, and watching the bits and pieces fly around never loses its charm.DESTRUCTIBLE BOATSAssassins Creedhas often made naval gameplay its centerpiece, but inShadows,its a tertiary element at best. Case in point: pilot a boat through water at max speed for too long without a break, and eventually, the boat will simply crumble under the pressure and shatter, requiring you to abandon ship and swim your way to shore (or, you know, another boat).CHANGING SEASONSChanging seasons are one ofShadowsheadlining gameplay features, and watching the tiny little details in how the world changes each time remains a highlight of the experience from start to finish. The brilliantly vibrant fields of flowers when its spring, the breathtaking blankets of snow that cover the entire landscape in the middle of winter, how gorgeous a waterfall in the middle of a forest looks in summertime as it catches the sunlight-Shadowsknows how to convincingly sell its seasons mechanic, especially because it also affects gameplay in everything from stealth and exploration to even moment-to-moment movement. Try moving through a thick field of snow, and youll instantly feel the difference.SNOW DEFORMATIONSpeaking of moving through snow,Shadowssnow deformation also stands out. This is, of course, one of the weirdly satisfying details that gaming audiences have been collectively obsessing over for as long as anyone can remember, andAssassins Creedhas been flexing its snow deformation muscles going as far back asAssassins Creed 3.Shadowsdoes the same, to the extent that simply walking around in a fresh and untouched field of snow to draw patterns may very well end up taking an inordinate amount of your time.SLIDING ON ICEHeres another example of how winter environments will impact gameplay in small but noticeable ways. For starters, lakes or ponds that youd be swimming through at other times become frozen over, allowing you to walk over them. If you try tosprintwhile youre on the ice, however, youll find yourself slipping and trying to regain your balance every now and then.MELTING SNOWIf you have the patience to stand around in one single spot and keep watching it while doing absolutely nothing else, youll notice that the snow around you is melting in real time. Youll watch the world around you dynamically accumulating snow, and then losing it all bit by bit as it melts and seeps into the ground.ICICLESIn another example of changing seasons impactingShadowsworld in both visual and gameplay ways, winter will also bring with it icicles of varying shapes and sizes hanging off of roofs pretty much everywhere you look. And theyre not just there as set dressing- you can also break them off, and the ice that shatters can serve as a way to distract enemies during stealth.THE DANGERS OF ICICLESAs you may have put together, icicles arent just good as distractions- they can also damage enemies. You can, for instance, make sure that youre breaking off an icicle at the exact moment that a guard passes beneath it. Its yet another way the game lets you use your surroundings to your advantage in stealth.FLAMES IN THE WINDMoving on from winter, lets jump from cold to hot. Playing around with flames and watching them interact with the environment has been a thing inAssassins Creedfor several years now, but Shadowsvirtual arson has some additional flair to it.Shadowsfeudal Japan is particularly windy, and watching flames dance in and react to the wind is oddly captivating.NPCs DAILY CHORESNPCs are often spotted doing a variety of day to day chores inShadowsvast world, especially in towns and villages, but whats particularly impressive is watching the tiny details tied to those actions- like an NPC at a well filling up buckets of water.NPCs FOOTWEARSomething else of note that you can catch withAssassins Creed ShadowsNPCs is their footwear- specifically, when they wear it and when they dont. In a nutshell, anytime they are indoors, youll see that they are moving around without any footwear, in keeping with the etiquette of the time.FEARFUL ENEMIESYasuke, as a renowned and formidable samurai, has a reputation that clearly precedes him in the world ofAssassins Creed Shadows.NPCs will often bow to him as he passes them by, for instance, while some enemies will also be blatantly fearful of him in specific circumstances. For example, if a guard catches you standing near a dead body and you confess to having killed them, the guard will fearfully back away and leave. If you are playing as Naoe, however, in that same scenario, guards will be much more willing to attack you- though of course, Naoe has plenty of tricks up her sleeve to brutally dispatch her enemies as well.ANIMALS EYESAssassins Creed Shadowsopen world is full of an impressive amount (and variety) of wildlife, which contributes significantly to the open worlds immersion. Even the simple act of watching different animals in the wild has an undeniable appeal to it- which, of course, means youll notice some interesting details as well. When its dark out, for instance, youll notice animals eyes glowing, just as they would in real life.CAMPFIRESYoull come across a number of campfires as you make your way throughAssassins Creed Shadowsvast and gorgeous open world, and chances are, youll often find yourself stopping at them for once reason or another, from conversing with NPCs to simply looking around to take in the view. While youre doing so, if you pay attention, you will also notice that when Naoe or Yasuke are standing next to a campfire, every now and then, they will bring their hands up to warm them against the flames.