Assassin's Creed (AC) fans have been begging for a game set in Japan for almost as long as the series has existed. Perhaps Ubisoft felt it was too obvious to take its stealth-focused series to a country popularly known for its ninjas; especially after Ghost of Tsushima beat them to the punch with the idea. Perhaps Ubisoft was more interested in subverting expectations by making dark assassins out of pirates and Vikings instead, but it ultimately decided to go ahead with the latest installment in its long-running franchise - Assassin's Creed: Shadows.
Action of the game
Set at the end of the Sengoku era (late 1500s), Shadows weaves a tale of revenge and honor around its dual protagonists, Nao and Yasuke. The first protagonist is a young woman whose father was murdered by a mysterious group of masked samurai. She fills the classic role of the blade in the dark or shadow assassin in Assassin's Creed, while Yasuke is based on the real-life figure of the same name (the first Black Samurai). He is a tall and powerful warrior in both real life and in-game who prefers a direct approach to combat, much like Eivor from the previous installment in the franchise.
As far as I could tell from my 36 hours of play, Naoa's perspective is the true perspective of the AC universe, while Yasuke is just the icing on the cake that allows fans of "hack & slash" games to find themselves in Ubisoft's latest game. It's interesting that you can switch from one character to another during the game, and complete one mission as a real ninja while you have the opportunity to approach another in the style of Rambo from the famous films of the same name.
I played the game from Naoe's perspective, using smoke bombs, shuriken, and grappling hooks to navigate the rooftops of medieval Japan and eliminate threats with a single blow. However, I did find myself making use of Yasuke's raw power in a few instances. For example, in the boss fight against Kimura Kei where I have to fight my way through a horde of smaller enemies before facing a large templar, I used Yasuke. Naoe simply can't defeat the templar with a single blow, and is then faced with a major problem that Yasuke easily solves. Being a head taller and twice as strong as his opponent, Yasuke fights him hand-to-hand and always comes out on top.
Atmosphere within the game
No matter which character you choose, Shadows takes you through one of the most magnificent open worlds in the series' history. Its depiction of Japan is nothing short of spectacular.
Stunning mountains, forests and fields change with the seasons, affecting not only the scenery but also the behavior of enemies. Across a landscape filled with temples and villages, many still in ruins from the conflicts of Japan's Warring States period, the game conveys the authentic atmosphere of that turbulent time. Impressively detailed and colorful cities serve as the focal points of the action, and even the conversations between NPCs (computer-controlled characters in the game) such as Jesuit missionaries and Portuguese merchants in a historically accurate port further add to the sense of complete immersion in the game's world.
When it comes to music, British bands “The Flight”, “Thunderstorm” and “Triggs Da Author” combined with Japanese-Canadian band “TEKE-TEKE” made sure that the atmosphere was fully rounded. Together, they created over 50 short pieces that we have the opportunity to hear during the 30-odd hours of playing this game.
Gameplay
When it comes to gameplay, apart from the novelty of having the opportunity to play two different characters and therefore the style of play, Ubisoft has changed the approach to missions. They are no longer linear, but you as the player are in complete control. If you think that a mission should be left for later, you have the right to do that. You can skip some completely. You have much more freedom than before, which I really liked. I prefer open-world games in which I have the freedom to do whatever I want, and since Ubisoft has always forced players to take one path to the goal, Shadows is the first of their games after Assassin's Creed Origins that I decided to give a chance.
I admit, it's a well-spent 30 hours. In addition to the additional freedom compared to the previous parts, we now have the option to crawl and hire scouts. Crawling is not particularly useful, while scouts are almost mandatory. They are the ones who give you information about key targets and areas of interest and somehow guide you through the game. There is an option to enter shallow water and breathe through a Bamboo Stick. The traditional "Eagle's Eye" is also one of Naoa's useful abilities because it allows her to precisely locate her targets. Both protagonists have the ability to have enhanced vision that allows them to quickly gather the necessary information about a new environment they are in. To use this ability, they must be positioned on some elevation. If you find yourself in a situation of a Nightingale floor (creaky floor) or a specially designed defense mechanism against ninjas and assassins, all you have to do is crouch and it will magically eliminate the pressure that your steps create and completely eliminate the sound of nails rubbing against wooden boards. It's not a very realistic scene, but we have to know that the point of the AC franchise is for the player to make a "perfect assassin".
The game is filled with historically accurate tools, but also weapons, and you have a choice of katana (sword), kanabo (mace), naginata (spear with a curved blade), shuriken (metal arrows of various shapes), and kunai (daggers). In addition, there are ranged weapons such as the yumi bow and tepo arquebus (a precursor to the musket), as well as the infamous kusarigama (two sickles connected by a long chain). This selection of weapons really helps the immersion within the game. Each of these weapons has its own special skill tree that you have the opportunity to improve throughout the game.
One interesting aspect of the game is that you have the opportunity to build your own bunker which eventually becomes your main base of operations. In this base you add more and more personnel over time, the most important of which are the aforementioned scouts. This is a part that I particularly liked and reminded me of Dragon Age: Inquisition which implemented a similar idea many years earlier.
I want to point out that I found it much more interesting to play from Naoa's perspective because the shadow killing method was highlighted, where I had to pay close attention to my positioning in relation to the people around me. All the instances in which I used the second protagonist Yasuke were somewhat repetitive and slightly boring. There simply aren't as many combinations during combat as I was used to in one of the previous titles I played, "Khazan - The Last Berserker".
performance
To play the latest installment of the nearly two-decade-old franchise, Assassin's Creed: Shadows, you must have at least the following components:
-Intel i7 8700k processor
-16 GB RAM memory
-GeForce GTX 1070 8GB graphics card
-DirectX version 12
-Windows 10 or newer operating system
-115GB of free space on your Hard Disk.
Conclusion
Assassin's Creed is a long and beloved franchise whose next installments are eagerly awaited by many, yet in my heart it has always been too narrow-minded with its options for an adventure genre game. Isn't the point of an adventure that you, as the main character, run around the open world wherever the wind takes you? At least that's what I think, and that's exactly what Shadows managed to get close to. Of course, the game has its flaws, such as insufficiently polished dialogues that sometimes seem forced, or a situation in which I paused the game for 30 minutes only to find my character dead after returning to the game. Namely, if someone was following you and you paused the game, you still receive all the damage that person inflicted on you "during the break". However, these are just some of the little things that bothered me, because the game is truly extraordinary and you have a real sense of adventure while playing it.
If you're a fan of wandering around the open world and eliminating enemies from the shadows, and you have 70 euros on your Steam profile, then this is the right game for you. The game is very extensive and full of secondary objectives and requires at least 30 hours to complete. I think that Ubisoft has finally balanced the adventurous part of the open world game well and the core of eliminating key targets. In addition, the addition of a second protagonist as a playable character has enhanced the effect of immersion and compassion, but also increased the replay value of the game, which is unfortunately always low for Ubisoft titles.
7
Assassin's Creed: Shadows review
Bonus video:
