It’s been a little over a year since Assassin’s Creed: Shadows dropped, and it definitely felt like a different kind of entry for the series. For the first time, you’re playing through the story with two protagonists—Naoe and Yasuke—who eventually cross paths and team up. The whole journey takes you across different regions of Japan, which honestly felt like a really natural and refreshing setting for Assassin’s Creed.
There’s a lot I liked about this one, but it’s not perfect. The biggest win for me was the return to stealth actually mattering again. In the last few games, especially once things leaned more into the RPG style, it started to feel like stealth and parkour took a backseat—even though that’s what made the series what it is. Shadows brings that feeling back. Between the different weapons and the variety of ways you can approach situations, it stays fun and doesn’t really get stale.
Another thing they nailed was the design of the castles and main strongholds. These spots actually feel like they’re built for stealth. You can’t just run in and expect to breeze through—it takes some patience and planning, and that makes clearing them way more satisfying. Combat-wise, this is probably the best Assassin’s Creed has felt since Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, especially with how well it works alongside the improved stealth mechanics.
That said, the story just didn’t fully land for me. It’s not bad, it just never really grabs you the way some of the older games did. The dual-protagonist idea is cool in theory, but it comes with some frustrating moments. Playing as Naoe feels great because of how stealth-focused she is, but then having to switch to Yasuke just to move something or brute-force a section can feel a little clunky and break the flow.
There’s definitely something there with the two-character setup, but leaning too hard into Yasuke being a straight-up combat character takes away from that classic Assassin’s Creed feel.
Overall though, if you’re a fan of the series and you’re looking for something you can sink a solid 60–80 hours into, it’s still worth checking out. The improvements to stealth and combat alone make it feel like a step in the right direction—even if the story doesn’t quite hit the same highs as some of the older titles.
