Assassins Creed Shadows Review

Assassins Creed Shadows was released on March 20th, 2025. It's a PlayStation and Xbox-based game that focuses on role-playing and action-adventure. Of course, given the name, it's part of the iconic Assassins Creed video game series that began in 2007! Since then, countless Assassins Creed games have been released on a multitude of platforms, including DS, general consoles, and VR! Below we've listed only a few of the most popular releases:

• Assassin's Creed - 2007
• Assassin's Creed II - 2009
• Assassin's Creed Brotherhood - 2010
• Assassin's Creed Revelations - 2011
• Assassin's Creed III - 2012
• Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag - 2013
• Assassin's Creed Freedom Cry - 2014
• Assassin's Creed Rogue - 2014
• Assassin's Creed Unity - 2014
• Assassin's Creed Syndicate - 2015
• Assassin's Creed Chronicles Collection - 2016
• Assassin's Creed Origins - 2017
• Assassins Creed Odyssey - 2018
• Assassin's Creed Valhalla - 2020
• Assassin's Creed Mirage - 2023
• Assassin's Creed Shadows - 2025

Assassins Creed Shadows has been extremely anticipated... for good and bad reasons. So in this blog we look at the new game and see if it's worth playing despite all the bad, but also good, publicity.

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Will Assassin's Creed Shadows be good?

As mentioned, Assassins Creed Shadows has been highly anticipated for various reasons...

To begin with, it was announced over 3 years ago at the Ubisoft Forward (Ubisoft's annual gaming event) in September 2022! At the time, it wasn't given a specific release date, just that it's 'coming soon'. Over the years, as production developed and leaks were released about the game, we were told countlessly that the game would be delayed. Now, 3 years later it's become one of Ubisoft's most anticipated (and controversial) video games. But why do we mention that the game is controversial?

When the video game trailers and gameplay began to be released to the public, some gamers began to notice that the game focused on Yasuke rather than a standard Japanese-looking warrior. Fans accused Ubisoft of having a misguided attempt to show diversity and inclusion in their games, when in reality fans just wanted a classic, Assassins Creed-esque character. Ubisoft didn't help when they introduced gamers to the second playable character, a fictional female ninja called Naoe. We don't mind the character options that are available as long as the gameplay is engaging and compelling. However, we could understand why some die-hard fans are upset at this sudden and random change in character dynamics.  

Assassins Creed Shadows has already been put under a lot of pressure to perform well. It's the 'biggest release in the last few years by Ubisoft'. Before this 2025 edition, people titled Assassins Creed Valhalla the 'biggest release in the last few years by Ubisoft' almost 5 years ago. Since the 2020 release, Ubisoft's success has dramatically dropped, with the stock falling 70% over that 5 years with 30% of that being within the previous 12 months. It's believed Assassins Creed Shadows will help bring those sales back up. 

 

What is the story of Assassin's Creed Shadows?

So before we explore what we loved about the game the most, let's quickly delve into its storyline. In Assassins Creed Shadows, Japan is changing fast. The game centres around our two lead characters, Naoe and Yasuke, who're in the middle of change and confusion after contact with the rest of the world had been accidentally opened. With all the chaos, our two characters must discover their destiny and usher in a new era for Japan whilst trying to save the place where they call home. 

 

Is AC Shadows an open world?

One of our favourite aspects about the game is its graphics and use of open world. Although the previous Assassin's Creed game have also been open-world, the older games seemed to be over-saturated and too much, the worlds didn't look natural and the layout of the universe was just described as repetitive exploration. Creed Shadows has taken this criticism and completely changed its design elements. 

The new game is located in a gorgeous 16th century Japan, with a stunning array of natural beauty with large mountains and beautifully detailed cherry blossoms, whilst also showing the delicate beauty of Kyotos streets and housing. The exploration in the game perfectly shows off the historical fiction, recreating pieces of history that you're able to interact with. 

Another aspect in terms of the graphics we love is the fact that the world constantly changes throughout the 4 seasons, so we get to experience each gorgeous setting in a brand new light... literally! Because the seasons change every few hours, you get the perfect amount of time to take in each aspect before the game slowly transitions into the upcoming season.

 

Does AC Shadows have seasons?

As you can probably tell, we struggled to find any improvements we'd love to make. Although a lot of people are upset about the character change, the game still provides great backstory and lore that helps the plot progress. We understand why people may be upset, but if you're a new gamer or new to the Assassins Creed universe, we don't think this is a dealbreaker to not play the game. 

If we could make any changes however, we'd love to see the seasons changing slightly quicker instead of every few hours. They're so beautiful it's a shame we don't get to witness them as often. But again, we're just nit-picking. 

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Conclusion:

With all the anticipation and long awaits for Assassins Creed Shadows, we certainly think it's worth it. We can't wait to see how Ubisoft take their next Assassins Creed game to the next level. It's clear they have more up their sleeve, possibly a 20th-anniversary edition in 2027? We'll have to see. 

Until then, check out our other game reviews, or maybe there's something else you want to see. Make sure to leave a comment and we'll get back to you!