Assassin’s Creed Shadows is one of the better games in the series and I am just going to say that from the get-go. It feels good taking down enemies as both Naoe Fujibayashi and Yasuke. Once you spend some time with the character, you start to feel like a pro. That gameplay loop is one of the game’s biggest positives.
It constantly gives you hints toward future activities which helps in upgrade and makes your characters more powerful. Such a gameplay loop keeps you going. The game does not overwhelm you since the generic task it gives you doesn’t take much time to complete. It does however help you make a better and stronger character.
The game focuses on player accessibility and does not encumber you with complicated stuff. Such an approach makes it a more relaxing experience. That does not mean that the game is free from all negative since there were glitches at launch most of which have been fixed. It lacks some of the stuff from the RPG Assassin’s Creed games while retaining others. All this makes you wonder, is Assassin’s Creed Shadows worth it? Let’s find out.
Some Amazing Stuff
Ubisoft made some promises regarding the game these promises have been kept, to some extent. The world of Assassin’s Creed Shadows looks stunning. In the previous Assassin’s Creed game, you knew what you were getting into because most of the map was quite similar. That is not the case here because Shadows entice you by constantly giving you new locations to look forward to. The map stays closer to the realistic version of the setting.
The new wind system is also pretty good. Leaves will fly around bushes and trees react to the wind. Forest is denser which obstructs your view from seeing too far like you would in real life. The wind system reminds me a lot about Ghost of Tsushima which had a similar system.
Weather
The weather system is another thing that should be appreciated. Instead of some parts of the map being covered in snow all the time, winter will span the whole map. So there is a seasonal system rather than a regional one in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Weather can impact the gameplay. You can’t run fast in an area that has snow even if that was not the case in summer. Icicles will alert enemies, and you cannot run on frozen water bodies.
Seasonal system also has a huge impact on the gameplay loop. After change of a season all the vendors will have new items. The wanted contracts you have on you will expire while new contracts and rumors will appear.
Hideout
On top of all that, you will also gain new resources which will help in expanding your base (Hideout). The gameplay does not revolve around the base like it was with the settlement of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. You will unlock most of what the hideout has to offer pretty quickly.
You can build rooms that will give you some major buffs in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Once you get the buffs that it offers, you can then just leave it be or you can go overboard with the new crafting system and go as far as making a village.
You will find different stuff for your hideout while exploring or you can buy it from vendors. Since hideout is not given that much importance, the idea of making your own league falls apart. Most of the characters that become part of your settlements are tied to side quests. So unless you are doing these side quests, your hideout will be a ghost town.
To me the only reason to visit the hideout after the upgrade was the Blacksmith. Blacksmith can improve your weapons and equipment which has a major impact on gameplay.
Combat
Targeting system has also been changed. You will be going after different faction not the order and Templar targets. It good to see getting your map filled with targets late into the game. Some of these quests go beyond then just go there, do that.
It’s not always just a defenseless target surrounded by guards. You will often need to fight against mini-bosses while taking on the targets. You will also be rewarded for completing these quests. It will also give you XP and skill points that you can use to unlock new skills. Taking down all of the enemies that are part of the ring is also required for some of the unlocks.
Some non-combat activities can also give you access to certain skills on the skill tree. It means that just fighting and leveling up is not the way to get all the upgrades in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. You now have to complete archery challenges, find shrines, and other activities if you want to max out on upgrades.
Weapons and Gear
The thing that makes Assassin’s Creed Shadows better than Valhalla is that every piece of equipment and weapon you find will have an impact on combat and gameplay. It gives you a reason to experiment with different builds, weapons, and gear. The build you make can completely change how you approach the game. You will not only be changing your gear but the way you look as well.
Legendary weapons or armor pieces can make a huge difference since the perk on them offers major advantages which range from giving you slow motion to instant bow charge among others. It is good that the game starts giving you legendary gear pretty early on. It feels rewarding to take on a castle full of enemies and then get a reward of legendary gear. And of course, you can find the legendary gear while exploring.
Characters
It is an Assassin’s Creed game so of course you will be fighting and sneaking most of the time. It is fun when you switch between Naoe and Yasuke in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Yasuke is powerful with heavy attacks while Naoe is light and fast.
There is also the issue of reaching a certain point in the map.
You might be doing a mission as a Yasuke only to realize that you can’t explore all of it since Yasuke can not reach the location that Naoe can. If you complete one part of the missions as one character and one part as another character then the characters won’t react to that change.
There is no point in the entire game where two characters fight side by side. You might see the other character in a cut scene only to disappear and then appear again in the cut scene after the fight. The change in character works in favor of the game because constant change in character keeps the game from being too repetitive. Even considering the two characters separately, there is depth to these characters which makes their combined output even better.
The Good and The Bad
Upgrading your characters and customizing them keeps the experience fresh. However, the game has limited finishers and you will see all of them in the first few hours. From then on, they become repetitive once you are deep in the game.
There is a limited variety of enemies which makes you wish for the unpredictable animals from the wild that were part of the previous Assassin’s Creed games. The map can feel empty between two different points of interest. However, there are a lot of human enemies to face. Later in the game, you will face different types of enemies which should be applauded.
The lack of human variety is especially evident during the boss fights. Most bosses share attack patterns with other enemies that you have faced throughout the game. They don’t offer new attacks that force you to change your playstyle. Even on higher difficulty, fights are still manageable. There is balance in making one attack stronger than another. The lack of surprising new attacks makes it easy to manage enemies.
You also see the glitch in the animus if you are near a target or a chest that you can loot. Assassin’s Creed Shadows is in much better shape so the developers don’t have to waste too much time to fix it. It gives them more time to make the game better with time.
The choices the game presents you do not amount to anything. You might choose to kill a character and that character will stay alive because the story is not designed to kill him. There is a choice of illusion similar to some other games.
Verdict
Assassin’s Creed Shadows is not a bad game by any means. In fact, it is among some of the better Assassin’s Creed games that Improve upon a lot of different ideas. It improves upon the ideas presented in the Valhalla to a great extent. The narrative is the weakest part of the game and there was room to improve it but developers just didn’t. It retains a good balance between the two characters when it comes to general gameplay. When the two characters are taken into consideration regarding narrative then it breaks apart.
The background story of the two characters is great which makes up for a good opening. Assassin’s Creed Shadows does not take it too far and stay close to just being good enough. It is not a bad game but it does not reach the highs that many would expect from it. Combat is good a lot of improvements have been made. The loot system not only improves upon previous game but makes the overall gameplay better. One should come at Assassin’s Creed Shadows while keeping their expectations in check.
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