Assassin's Creed Shadows is a very long game. The main story itself is around 30–50 hours, and Assassin's Creed Shadows' optional side content brings the total playtime to at least 70+ hours. Naturally, a game of that length needs plenty of incentives to keep players engaged throughout its runtime, and thankfully Assassin's Creed Shadows has plenty.
Assassin's Creed Shadows isn't afraid to reward its players for completing its content, with players being given new weapons, armors, and abilities constantly while playing through the game's main and optional activities. A strong narrative also acts as the foundation of Assassin's Creed Shadows' moment-to-moment gameplay, tying together every activity with overarching stories and character relationships. However, Assassin's Creed Shadows' story might feel all too familiar to long-time fans of the franchise.
Assassin's Creed Shadows Is More Rise of the Ronin Than Ghost of Tsushima
While Assassin's Creed Shadows has long been compared to Ghost of Tsushima, it's more like Rise of the Ronin in its gameplay and worldbuilding.
Assassin's Creed Shadows' Story Retreads Old, But Good Ground
Assassin's Creed Shadows' Inciting Incident Is a Familiar One
After a lengthy introductory cutscene that sees Yasuke becoming a trusted companion and samurai of the daimyo Oda Nobunaga, Assassin's Creed Shadows hands control over to the player, letting them slash and hack their way through a rebellious Iga village as the samurai. The sequence then abruptly cuts to a young woman, Naoe, who races to her burning village on horseback alongside her father, Nagato.
Naoe is sent by her father to retrieve a mysterious locked box from a nearby tomb, which is stolen from her by a masked man. Naoe tracks down this masked man, assassinates him, and recovers the box, but she's shot in the side during her escape. Naoe's father comes to rescue her from her attackers, but the two are quickly surrounded by a small army of masked individuals.
Naoe's father is mortally wounded in front of her, and she's left to bleed out. Before passing, Naoe's father tells her there's much she doesn't know, and that she needs to "follow the blade." The camera then pans up, and Assassin's Creed Shadows' title card appears, setting in motion Naoe's quest for revenge, and the crux of the game's story.
For long-time fans of the Assassin's Creed franchise, this story setup is going to feel pretty familiar. Assassin's Creed 2 begins with Ezio witnessing his father and brothers' deaths at the hands of the Templars. Assassin's Creed 3 sees Connor witnessing the burning of his home village and the death of his loved ones. Assassin's Creed Unity sees Arno being blamed for his adopted father's death. And even the more recent Assassin's Creed RPGs have followed a similar story setup, with Origins opening with Bayek's son dying and Valhalla beginning with Eivor's parents being killed.
Many Assassin's Creed games have opened with loss and tragedy, as they make for excellent motivations for revenge tales. Assassin's Creed Shadows' setup is no different.
Assassin's Creed Shadows' Setup Is Still Compelling
The familiarity of Assassin's Creed Shadows' opening sequence is far from a bad thing. Though it's been used multiple times throughout the franchise's history, including its predecessor, Assassin's Creed Shadows' tragic setup is a tried and tested one.
Naoe and Nagato's bond is strong from the outset, and the performances and presentation surrounding the character's death make it suitably emotive. The distinct and striking mask designs of the Shinbakufu members also go a long way in adding a layer of tension and intrigue that hasn't always been present in previous Assassin's Creed introductions.
Assassin's Creed Shadows
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 81 /100 Critics Rec: 82%
- Released
- March 20, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft Quebec
- Publisher(s)
- Ubisoft
