Assassin's Creed: Shadows
Review
In 1579,
Japan is divided between powerful daimyo, each trying to seize power for
themselves. Chief among them is Oda Nobunaga of Owari Province, who is at the
height of his power. His influence is so great that Jesuits who come to Japan
seek his approval. During one of these visits, the Jesuits introduce Yasuke,
then known as Daigo, a slave bodyguard. He quickly attracts the attention of a
powerful daimyo, which sets the stage for the story of Assassin's Creed:
Shadows . This prologue introduces us to the historical period and key
events that the game's protagonists will experience.
I've been
playing Assassin's Creed games for over 15 years now, and as you can imagine,
my experiences with the franchise have been mixed. There have been moments of
pure delight and deep disappointment, but the franchise has always managed to
evoke at least some emotion. This time around, those feelings are mixed, but I
still found something interesting in the game. On the one hand, the game offers
good stealth mechanics and a great combat system. On the other, it suffers from
an average story and repetitive, formulaic exploration and side activities.
Scenario "in the shadows"
Assassin's
Creed: Shadows follows the adventures of samurai Yasuke and shinobi Naoe from
the Iga province, a region in conflict with the Oda clan. Following the
prologue described earlier, the game plunges us into the thick of the battle
between Oda Nobunaga's soldiers and the Iga shinobi. Initially, we play as
Yasuke. We are soon introduced to Naoe, who is tasked by her father to find and
protect a small box. At this point, he also hands her the now iconic Hidden
Blade. However, what seemed like a simple task quickly becomes a much more
complex mission, as Naoe finds herself embroiled in events that will change her
life forever.
I don’t want
to give away too much about the game’s prologue. However, from the start,
players are treated to a lengthy introduction to the story, delivered through
lengthy conversations and character introductions. In terms of the quality of
the story and dialogue, the first hour of the game is solid. It builds intrigue
for us and presents key historical events from a new perspective – something
the Assassin’s Creed series has always done well. Unfortunately, the plot soon
becomes overly cautious, giving the impression of a story that lacks boldness
and bite. This feeling persists throughout most of the game, with a few moments
where genuinely interesting things happen. However, these moments are fleeting
and are often undermined by predictable dialogue and a formulaic approach to
storytelling.
Shadows
introduces a familiar theme – a big secret hidden in a mysterious box. This
secret becomes the driving force behind Naoe’s vengeance, leading her to seek
out those who harmed her and stole something valuable. Of course, these people
belong to a powerful organization that is hungry for control and influence. If,
like me, you’ve played previous Assassin’s Creed games, this setup will feel
all too familiar, and the organization is actually the same. It’s a story
structure we’ve seen many times, only now it’s been reworked in a new setting
with different characters. While the plot has potential, it’s not fully
realized. On paper, the story of a shinobi caught up in the machinations of the
Assassins and a former slave turned samurai sounds compelling.
Yasuke and
Naoe each have their own arcs, but while the shinobi's story feels a bit
uninspired, the African samurai's is much more engaging - albeit very slowly.
It's only towards the end of the game that we finally get a deeper
understanding of Yasuke's past, and his true motives. This part of the story
was the most exciting for me, but it wasn't enough to raise the bar for the
plot to a high level. Unfortunately, the plot is too simple and unmemorable. It
lacks that "wow!" factor.
Shinobi and Samurai
Let's get
away from the negatives and focus on the real strengths of the latest
installment in the Assassin's Creed series. If you've played the franchise's
recent RPGs, you'll already be familiar with the formula. However, Assassin's
Creed: Shadows expands on many of the game's elements, adding new mechanics
that improve both the difficulty and freedom of missions.
Let's start
with the combat system, which will be different for the two main characters. Naoe
is a nimble shinobi with acrobatic moves. She doesn't do much damage and is
more vulnerable in direct confrontations, but she excels in stealth mode. She
also has access to various shinobi tools and an arsenal of weapons designed for
assassins. During my playthrough, I mainly relied on the katana and tanto, with
the latter being necessary for performing double kills. However, in addition to
these weapons, players can also use the kusarigama, a powerful weapon that is
effective even in the early stages of the game. When I used it, I often pressed
the heavy attack button, which allowed me to control the fight. I found the
weapon too overpowered, so I switched to other types.
In combat,
we can use light, heavy, charged light and charged heavy attacks. As in
previous installments of the series, dodging and parrying play a key role. In
addition, we have access to special attacks that can be unlocked through the
skill tree and improved over time. Fights allow you to perform smooth attack
combinations with animations that vary depending on the weapon and character
used. Many enemies wear armor that must first be destroyed before real damage
can be done. I was particularly impressed by the level of detail in this
mechanic - watching parts of the samurai armor break off during combat is a
real pleasure. This adds a sense of realism to the game. Particular attention
should be paid to the finishing animations, which change depending on the type
of weapon. One of the interesting design decisions is that almost every fight
ends with a finishing move, which is organically integrated into the fight and
does not disrupt its flow. The animations themselves are brutal, cinematic and
visually impressive.
Positioning
is very important during combat, as the game allows you to not only throw
enemies off cliffs, but also push them into walls or even other enemies,
causing additional damage. Another great detail is the destruction physics in
the game - it is easy to accidentally cut plants or paper doors during combat,
which adds to the atmosphere. The game also offers weapon engravings, which,
when combined with skills and equipment, allow players to create their own
builds. For example, some builds are based on knocking down enemies and
finishing them off. I played the game on the Expert difficulty level, which
allowed me to fully enjoy the challenge of combat battles. The difficulty was
well balanced - when I died, I knew it was due to my own mistakes and not
unfair mechanics.
A key aspect
of the game is the different playstyles of the two main characters. Naoe, with
her shinobi skills, is very good at stealth, making her movements unnoticeable.
Exploring the world is also more fun with her, thanks to her grappling hook,
which improves her mobility and climbing ability.
On the other
hand, Yasuke is a tall, strong samurai. He is disciplined, follows strict
etiquette, and is guided by honor. Unlike Naoe, his strength lies in direct
combat. Yasuke's fighting style focuses on brutal, fast attacks. His arsenal of
weapons includes a long katana, a naganata, a kanabo, a bow, and a teppo, with
each weapon having its own skill tree and special abilities. While I did enjoy
the melee weapons, especially the naganata and kanabo, I felt that the bow and
teppo were underpowered, causing me to rarely use them.
Yasuke
wasn't built for climbing and stealth. Sure, you can try to do that with him,
but it will feel unnatural and difficult, especially when Naoe is so much
better at those types of tasks. I bring this up because there were a few times
when I wanted to 100% an area and started clearing it as a samurai, only to be
blocked by an object hidden high up in a castle or tower. In order to get the
item without getting too frustrated, I had to leave the area, switch to Naoe,
and climb up to get it. It was times like that that the dual-hero concept
didn't feel fully thought out. Sometimes, especially during the main and side
quests early in the game, it felt like the game was punishing me for choosing a
certain character.
During main
and side missions, we are often given the opportunity to choose which character
to play as, which leads to some funny situations. In cutscenes, Yasuke and Naoe
talk to each other, but after you choose the samurai or shinobi, one of them
simply disappears. This creates some dissonance and takes some getting used to.
The game also has dialogue choices (if you haven't chosen canon mode), which
sometimes have consequences, but most often don't. There is some inconsistency
here - while the game pays attention to detail in some areas, in other cases it
takes a more relaxed approach to things.
One thing I
particularly liked was the stealth mechanics, which have been greatly expanded
compared to previous games in the series. First, in addition to crouching, we
can now lie on our stomachs, giving us more options for approaching a target. A
visibility indicator has appeared at the top of the screen, which helps us
assess our detection level - this is especially useful on the Expert difficulty
level, where enemy perception is at its maximum, and they quickly notice us and
do not lose sight of us once they have spotted us. However, the enemy AI still
leaves much to be desired, as they often forget that they have seen us after
waiting long enough after detection. Despite this, the whole system is saved by
the use of shadows, which now work like bushes - if we stay in them, enemies
will not notice us unless they get too close. The mechanics of hiding in the
shadows require us to extinguish or destroy light sources, and shurikens are
useful for this. Our visibility also depends on the weather - during a storm or
blizzard, it is more difficult for enemies to detect us. By default, the hidden
blade doesn't kill powerful enemies in one hit, but we can change that in a few
ways. One option is to buy the necessary skills, and another is to enable the
one-hit kill feature in the game's difficulty settings. After testing the
second option, I felt like I was cheating a little, but it also made taking out
targets ten times more satisfying.
I played
Assassin's Creed: Shadows on the PS5 console in Performance mode. The game
maintained a steady 60 frames per second in the open world. The only
performance issue I had was when I visited a freely expandable hideout, where
for some reason the frame rate dropped to 30. Overall, I didn't encounter any
major bugs, although every now and then Yasuke or Naoe's clothes would act
weird in cutscenes, or a shinobi would lose the katana sheath on their back.
The game also never crashed to the title screen. Occasionally, facial animations
wouldn't work properly, making it seem like they were from a previous
generation.
Visually,
the world in Shadows is stunning, with typical landscapes of central Japan,
including mountains and forests. The fauna is incredibly diverse and
ubiquitous. You will constantly encounter various animals, including insects,
wild boars, foxes, dogs, cats and many others. The architecture of this period
is also beautifully recreated. We can visit locations such as Enryaku-ji, Kyoto
or Osaka, which look very impressive. These cities are full of life, the
inhabitants react to changes in the weather or to the chaos on the streets.
Yasuke's armor and Naoe's outfits are carefully designed, and we can often find
them in chests or earn them by completing missions.
A new feature
introduced in Shadows is the seasonal system, which allows you to explore Japan
in spring, summer, autumn and winter. It is a very interesting addition,
integrated into the world of the game. For example, in winter, icicles hanging
from the roofs of buildings can fall due to our actions, causing a stir among
the guards who notice it. In spring and summer, it is easier to move stealthily
through dense vegetation. Some side quests require you to complete them in a
certain season. Although I did not come across many such tasks, it is still a
nice addition. The game has a seasonal system, but unfortunately we cannot
freely change the time of day. I consider the lack of the ability to choose the
moment to carry out a certain mission a big minus - especially because heists
at night have their own unique charm and are simply easier to carry out.
Exploration
in Assassin's Creed: Shadows is one of the elements that disappointed me. We
are presented with a huge open world consisting of 9 provinces, but we cannot
start exploring them right away. They are locked with level requirements,
meaning that we need to reach certain levels to travel through them without the
fear of being destroyed by every enemy we meet. At the beginning, the open
world seems huge, but as we progress, we realize that it is filled with
mountains and dense forests that make it difficult to move around. This is
where the path option comes in handy, showing us the way to the goal. Overall,
exploration in AC: Shadows is designed with roads in mind, making the presented
world much smaller than it seems. This would not bother me so much if it were
not for the monotonous side quests and activities that quickly become boring.
Although there are exclusive activities for Yasuke and Naoe to add variety, they
too become monotonous over time.
Many
contracts also require long journeys. In Shadows, we mainly use a horse for
transportation, but traveling on a horse does not always go as expected. The
animal often behaves strangely on a straight path, turns on its own, and does
not always respond to commands. As for the parkour (which, of course, Naoe
does), it has become quite spectacular. Shinobi performs impressive tricks,
jumping from one building to another, and can use a grappling hook from the
very beginning. During parkour, we generally need to hold a combination of two
buttons depending on whether we want to go up or down. In the game world, I
found places - such as cliffs - that I could climb, but there were also some
that I could not. The game can be quite vague about where you can and cannot
climb.
Earlier I
mentioned the hideout, which plays an important role in AC: Shadows. It is a
meeting place for our allies, and also a minigame. In the hideout we can build
structures, almost like in a construction game. We can even create our own zoo!
Building buildings makes sense in terms of gameplay, as the forge, for example,
allows us to hire a blacksmith to improve our weapons and armor, as well as
dismantle piles of katanas, naginatas and bows. However, building requires some
effort, as you need to collect resources to expand your settlement. The best
way to collect them is to complete contracts that are updated with each new
season.
Assassin's
Creed: Shadows is a game full of contrasts. On one hand, it offers great
stealth mechanics and a great combat system, but on the other, it has a dull
story and mediocre exploration. If you're a fan of the series, there's probably
something here that you'll like, but if you weren't convinced from the start,
the combat and stealth may not be enough to convince you.
Assassin's
Creed: Shadows is a game full of contrasts. On one hand, it offers great
stealth mechanics and a great combat system, but on the other, it has a dull
story and mediocre exploration. If you're a fan of the series, there's probably
something here that you'll like, but if you weren't convinced from the start,
the combat and stealth may not be enough to convince you. I've spent almost 50
hours with the new Assassin's Creed, and while there were moments I really
enjoyed, there were also times when I felt overwhelmed by the repetitive
content and poorly written dialogue. What impressed me most was the setting,
which was beautifully crafted and immersed me in a fascinating period of
Japanese history, although it ultimately failed to live up to its full
potential.
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