Finally, Japan!

Ubisoft has finally answered a long-standing fan request—an Assassin’s Creed game set in feudal Japan. Assassin’s Creed Shadows brings this vision to life, immersing players in a world of samurai, shinobi, and political upheaval during the late 16th century—a period marked by intense power struggles that would reshape Japan’s future. If you know anything about this period, you’ll know it’s a stage set for shifting alliances, betrayals, and all the political chaos you’d expect from the tail end of the warring states era. But what makes Ubisoft’s timeline choice even more interesting is how these events don’t just shape this era—they lay the foundation for centuries of political and social change, paving the way for the strict rule of the Tokugawa shogunate before the Meiji Restoration finally ushered Japan into the modern era.

Pace

When Ubisoft said Shadows was a massive game, claiming it would take at least 40 hours to complete if you focused solely on key missions—I thought they were exaggerating. I mean, we’ve heard this before. And honestly? Assassin’s Creed games have had a tendency to overstay their welcome, stuffing in side content that feels more like filler than meaningful experiences. I’ll be upfront with you—Shadows is no different in that regard. I remember checking my playtime while I was still several key story events away from completing the main narrative, and I was already sitting at 46 hours. And that’s without even scratching the surface of all the extra stuff the game throws at you.

Story & historical accuracies

The game started well at first, providing an interesting insight into how Yasuke ended up serving the Oda clan but it wasn’t long before it switched me over to playing as Naoe and at the start of the game, players don’t have immediate control over which character they play. The story dictates progression, first introducing Yasuke in a brief opening segment before shifting to Naoe’s perspective. It’s through Naoe that players experience the vast open world of Shadows, exploring, grinding, raiding, and taking on side quests at their own pace.

The moment players gain the ability to freely switch between Yasuke and Naoe depends on how they choose to play. A critical story event acts as the trigger for this freedom, but given the game’s size and open-ended design, reaching this point will vary from player to player. In my case, it took around 12 hours before I reached this milestone—not because of a forced progression wall, but because I found myself lost in the world, immersing myself in exploration and questing. I could have reached the switching point much earlier by skipping all the side content, but honestly, who rushes through an open-world RPG without savouring its offerings?

By the time I finally unlocked character switching, I had already grown attached to Naoe, fully accustomed to her slick shinobi playstyle. In fact, at that point, it felt as though Shadows could have been entirely told from her perspective alone. Her backstory, her personal struggles, and the way the game unfolded in its early hours made her the clear focus. This is where Ubisoft’s claim that Yasuke’s perspective was meant to give players an outsider’s view of Japan feels somewhat inconsistent—the game doesn’t make his perspective the primary lens through which the world is introduced. Instead, the bulk of the early experience is seen through Naoe’s eyes, making her the more natural protagonist from a narrative standpoint.

The game’s main storyline is actually pretty solid and believable. One of the things I really appreciated is how the developers managed to turn the historical textbook of that era into a playable script—it genuinely feels like you’re stepping into history rather than just watching it unfold. It’s not perfect, of course, but the imperfections aren’t deal-breakers. The way they’ve woven real events and figures into the narrative works surprisingly well, and while some liberties are taken, the overall experience feels authentic. Before the game starts, it’ll give the player options if they want the canon experience – which essentially means the game would steer all of the key choices in the game towards a single canonical outcome. Opting for the other option gives them the freedom to choose how they want certain things to play out, which is cool for those who want a more tailored experience.

That said, if you’re someone who values strict historical accuracy in your games, Shadows might have a few moments that’ll make you want to pull your hair out. For example, there’s a particular person in history—who, by all accounts, should have met his demise very soon after betraying a certain prominent figure—but because of how the game is structured, you can actually drag his fate out for several years. This kind of deviation, while understandable from a gameplay perspective, might create a disconnect if you’re deeply invested in the historical narrative the game is trying to tell. It’s one of those situations where gameplay freedom clashes with historical storytelling, and depending on what kind of player you are, it’ll either be a minor annoyance or a major immersion breaker.

Sub-par side activities

But unfortunately, the quality of the main story doesn’t carry over into the game’s many side quests and activities—and there are a lot of them in Shadows. The side quests feel shallow and weakly written, almost as if they only exist to give players the illusion that there’s plenty to do. At first, they seem like an exciting addition to the world, but it doesn’t take long before they turn into a repetitive bore-fest. No matter how optimistic I tried to be about them, they eventually started to feel like chores rather than meaningful experiences.

One of the most annoying aspects of the game is how it forces you to engage with these side activities just to progress. Completing them earns you Mastery Points, and you need 15 of these points to raise your Mastery Rank, which then unlocks new tiers of skills to invest your skill points in. Sounds harmless at first, right? That’s what I thought—until later in the game when I had saved up a bunch of skill points from levelling up, only to realize I couldn’t use them on the skills I actually wanted because I didn’t have enough Mastery Points.

This system turns what should have been optional content into a mandatory grind. It’s frustrating to work hard for skill points, only to have them locked behind artificial progression gates. Instead of letting players grow their characters naturally through experience and exploration, Shadows forces them to jump through hoops, making skill progression feel like a task rather than a reward.

Fighting and Killing

Thankfully, the thing players will be doing the most—killing—is something Shadows absolutely nails. The game gives you plenty of weapons to choose from, each with its own unique moveset and brutal finishing animations. Yasuke’s executions, in particular, are some of the most satisfying—slicing off both arms before delivering a clean neck cut to send a head flying? Brutal, no doubt, but it feels amazing. The combat is smooth, weighty, and rewarding, making every fight an experience rather than just a button-mashing chore.

Naoe and Yasuke are like yin and yang—complete opposites in background, personality, and combat style, yet bound together by a common goal. On one side, here’s Naoe—the shinobi we’ve been dreaming of in an Assassin’s Creed game. Ubisoft finally gave us the true ninja assassin experience we’ve been asking for and she does not disappoint. Raised in a hidden shinobi village with a mysterious background, she’s been trained since childhood to be patient, precise, and meticulous. Her movement is fluid, her attacks are deadly, and she plays exactly how you’d expect a shinobi in Assassin’s Creed to feel.

Compared to the bulky and sometimes clumsy Yasuke, Naoe is light on her feet. Her agile parkour and rope dart make traversal across Japan’s towering castles, shrines, and rooftops feel seamless. She can scale buildings with ease, swing between structures, and move like an actual shadow. In a world filled with verticality, secret pathways, and tall fortresses, Naoe’s movement tools make her my ideal choice of character most of the time.

Her arsenal is just as slick. She’s got the Tanto (a short katana) for fast, silent takedowns, a standard katana for when things get dicey, and the Kusarigama—a weapon that every ninja fan will love. This deadly chain weapon, with a scythe on one end and a metal weight on the other, allows for some seriously stylish kills, making her one of the most satisfying Assassin’s Creed protagonists to date. And of course, she carries the iconic Assassin Hidden Blade – can’t be an AC game without one, eh? But it doesn’t stop there—Naoe is stacked with shinobi tools. She’s got Kunai for quick ranged kills, Shuriken for distraction or rapid strikes, Smoke Bombs for instant getaways, and even bells to lure enemies into perfect stealth assassinations. Everything about her toolkit screams classic Assassin’s Creed, and honestly? I couldn’t have asked for more in a character. She’s the full package, and for longtime fans of the franchise who have been begging for a true ninja assassin, Naoe delivers big time.

And then there’s Yasuke—a towering, heavily armoured samurai and a foreigner in feudal Japan, inspired by the real-life African man who served under Oda Nobunaga. His gameplay is all about power—wielding weapons that hit hard and leave a lasting impact. He’s got long katanas for clean, devastating strikes, a teppo (a type of arquebus) for that old-school firepower, a glaive for sweeping through groups, a heavy bow for precise ranged destruction, and, of course, the kanabo club when he just wants to obliterate anything in his way.

But Yasuke isn’t just some brute swinging weapons around—bro got style. He’s a samurai, after all, which means everything he does, from his stance to his finishing moves, carries an air of precision and grace. Every swing of his blade, every timed parry, and every crushing kanabo strike feels good and satisfying. His combat animations are refined, his counters are sharp, and when he delivers a finishing blow, you know it’s the end for his opponent.

The game also doesn’t hold back when it comes to targets—if anything, it might overdo it a little. There’s no shortage of bad people to hunt down, covering just about every social class. Corrupt nobles, shady civil servants, pirates, samurai, rogue shinobi—you name it, you get to do it. On top of that, there are regional questlines that actually reward you for taking out a certain number of enemies from specific groups. So whether you’re in the middle of a mission or just wandering the world, rest assured—you’ll be doing a lot of killing – be it in the raw form of Yasuke’s direct confrontational style, or Naoe’s silent assassin approach.

My favourite thing to do in this game, without a doubt, is raiding castles. In AC Shadows, castles are the dungeon equivalent, and they’re designed with insane attention to detail, mirroring their real-life historical counterparts. They’re massive, layered with defenses, and packed with enemy patrols, making each raid feel like a carefully orchestrated siege—or a high-stakes infiltration, depending on your approach.

At the heart of each castle is a legendary chest, but it’s locked behind a challenge—you can only loot it after taking down a set number of elite samurai guarding the compound. On top of that, there are smaller chests scattered around, offering decent rewards, along with various resources that can be tagged for your scouts to smuggle back to base. These resources are essential for upgrading your hideout, adding an extra layer of strategy to castle raids. Whether you’re storming the gates like Yasuke or slipping through the shadows as Naoe, every castle raid feels like a major event, making them some of the most rewarding moments in the game.

The combat experience is also enriched by the addition of allies—specific NPCs that players can meet and recruit throughout the game. These characters aren’t just background fillers; they come with their own personalities, skill sets, and even the potential for romance if you make the right dialogue choices. That said, don’t expect any steamy scenes—Ubisoft keeps things pretty tame in that department. Bringing an ally into battle is a game-changer. They can throw enemy ranks into chaos, creating distractions that give you room to breathe or exploit openings. Whether you need backup in a tough fight or just want to see your companions in action, summoning an ally adds another layer of strategy to combat, making fights feel even more dynamic and unpredictable.

Hideout

The hideout in AC Shadows serves as the player’s base of operations, where you manage your resistance group and expand your influence. You can build structures like a forge, a dojo, and other facilities, each offering perks that enhance your gameplay experience. On paper, it’s a great idea—having a central hub where you upgrade gear, train recruits, and prepare for missions adds depth to the game.

But in practice, something feels off. The hideout is populated with NPCs, including the allies you’ve recruited, but it lacks a sense of life. There’s barely any meaningful interaction, and most of the time, the place just feels like a glorified upgrade menu rather than a living, breathing headquarters. Ubisoft clearly put a lot of effort into designing this system, but it ultimately feels underutilized. With a bit more interactivity—maybe some dynamic events or actual conversations that evolve over time—the hideout could have been a much stronger feature. As it stands, it’s functional but underwhelming.

The Open World

The open world in Shadows is tiringly huge, packed with points of interest for players to visit. At times, I found myself stopping just to take in the beautiful scenery and appreciate this era of Japan. But moments like these were far rarer compared to when I played Ghost of Tsushima. The world is visually stunning, but it lacks that immersive pull that makes exploration feel rewarding.

To keep players engaged, the map is littered with side quests and activities—though, as I’ve mentioned before, they don’t come close to the quality of the main story quests. There are also plenty of tourist-worthy locations, from famous shrines and towering castles to bustling towns. But much like the hideout, these places rarely feel alive. Sure, there are plenty of NPCs walking around, but they mostly exist to fill space rather than to interact with the world in a meaningful way. Unlike AC Origins, where you could follow an NPC and see them go about their daily life, the NPCs in Shadows feel like a downgrade—just aimlessly wandering instead of truly living in the world.

Shrines are another example of a good idea that loses its charm quickly. At first, they’re visually impressive, but their appeal fades fast due to repetitive designs and the lack of anything to actually do in these locations. And since Mastery Points are locked behind shrine visits (as I mentioned earlier), you’ll be forced to visit a lot of them, making them feel more like mandatory checkpoints than exciting discoveries.

But despite these issues, there’s one thing I absolutely adore about Shadows’ version of feudal Japan—the way the developers balanced the beauty of the land with the scars of war. Some areas are thriving, full of life and activity, but there’s always an undercurrent of tension, with people worried about what’s yet to come. Then you have regions that have been devastated by war—burnt-down buildings, arrows lodged in rooftops, landscapes marked by destruction. This contrast between peace and chaos is one of the strongest elements of the open world, making feudal Japan feel like a place on the brink of massive change, which suits the game’s overall narrative.

Performance-wise

I played AC Shadows on a base PS5, and while the game is definitely playable, I couldn’t fully enjoy it in Quality Mode due to the massive drop in frame rates. The game’s combat is medium-paced, but it can be punishing when you don’t react in time, so having a stable frame rate is crucial. Because of that, I ended up switching to Performance Mode, which gave me smoother gameplay at the cost of downgraded visuals. It wasn’t ideal, but between responsiveness and graphical fidelity, I had to prioritize gameplay fluidity.

Being a Ubisoft game, Shadows has its fair share of bugs and glitches, but nothing game-breaking. Most of the issues I encountered were hilarious rather than frustrating—like the time I was perfectly hidden in a haystack while three soldiers walked right past me without a second thought, yet some random dude 10 meters away took one look and immediately sounded the alarm. It was a one-time thing, though, and didn’t really affect my overall judgment of the game. It’s the usual Ubisoft experience—some rough edges here and there, but nothing that ruins the fun. Not in Shadow’s case, at least.

With all that’s been said and done;

What I Liked About Assassin’s Creed Shadows

• Dual Protagonists – Yasuke & Naoe: The contrast between the brutal samurai and the stealthy shinobi makes for a dynamic and engaging experience. Naoe, in particular, delivers the ninja fantasy fans have wanted for years.
• Combat & Assassinations Feel Amazing: Whether Yasuke is slicing through enemies with raw power or Naoe is eliminating targets from the shadows, every fight feels cinematic, satisfying, and impactful.
• Castle Raiding is a Blast: Castles act as dungeons, providing some of the most intense and rewarding moments in the game, with legendary chests, elite samurai battles, and strategic infiltration opportunities.
• A Beautifully Crafted Feudal Japan: The world is visually stunning, rich in historical detail, and successfully captures the contrast between war-torn devastation and thriving settlements.
• Turning History into a Playable Script: This era of Japan is probably one of the most if not the most, complicated period. To be able to play through it is something I thoroughly enjoyed.

What I Wish Was Better

• Side Quests & Open World Feel Hollow: The side content lacks depth and NPCs feel lifeless, making exploration less engaging compared to games like Ghost of Tsushima or AC Origins.
• The Mastery System is Too Grind-Heavy: Instead of unlocking skills naturally, progression is locked behind Mastery Points, forcing players to grind side activities just to access core upgrades.
• The Hideout Feels Underutilized: A cool concept that lacks interaction, making it feel more like a glorified upgrade menu than a living, breathing headquarters.
• Performance Issues on PS5: Frame drops in Quality Mode made Performance Mode the only viable option but at the cost of graphical fidelity.
• The Game Drags On Unnecessarily: Shadows starts strong but feels stretched out, with artificial padding that makes progression and pacing sluggish. The story could have been tighter, and some forced engagement with side activities makes the experience feel longer than it needs to be.

Verdict

Assassin’s Creed Shadows delivers strong core gameplay, with satisfying combat, an engaging dual-protagonist system, and thrilling castle raids. Naoe’s stealth gameplay is a highlight, and the world beautifully captures the contrast between war-torn devastation and thriving settlements.

However, forced grinding, weak side content, lifeless NPCs, and a bloated open world prevent it from reaching its full potential. The Mastery System makes progression feel like a chore, the story drags unnecessarily, and while the hideout concept is great, it ultimately feels underdeveloped.

It’s a good Assassin’s Creed game, but it falls short of greatness. If Ubisoft had refined its open-world design, progression system, and side activities, Shadows could have been something truly special.

Final Score: 7/10