Should You Buy Assassin's Creed Shadows?

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is the latest in what is becoming one of the more divisive series out there. Ever since making a push towards more RPG focused in 2017 the Assassin’s Creed series has been stuck grappling with the consequences of change. While many determined that the series was too similar between entries, now that there's change, consistency looks a lot kinder. One way the series strayed was in regards to its namesake. Odyssey saw you under the role of Mysthios, and Valhalla saw us playing as a viking, both characters outright rejecting the creed. Mirage was the first step in Ubisoft's attempts to make the game more about Assassin’s, and it was well received, but it’s clear that the series needed more. This, was their answer. Is it a good answer? Well, let’s get into the review, but before we do, let’s chat about bias.

As always, I’m gonna go over any special treatment I have received, and talk about my history with the series, but I’ll try to keep it quick. I was able to remotely play a preview for about 3 hours a few months ago, and received a review code for free from Ubisoft. As for my history with the series, I’ve been a fan of nearly every entry, finding things to love in both the new and old titles, and I have a particular fondness for open world games. With that in mind, let’s see if Assassin’s Creed Shadows is worth your money, and as always, make sure this isn’t the only review you watch so your purchase is as informed as possible, and I’ll keep spoilers to a minimum, only showing footage and discussing topics relating to the first act of the game. With one exception that we will get into later.

It’s important to note the context for this game, not just in the current gaming landscape, but for Ubisoft. If you’ve been around the Assassin’s Creed fanbase for the last two decades then you’ll know that feudal Japan has been on nearly every fans wishlist, and has always, in my mind, been Ubisoft's ace in the hole. If Ubisoft wants their game to sell, this was a surefire way of doing so. Assassin’s, ninjas, and shinobis overlap so much, especially when it comes to badass factor, and ideally, a game in Japan for Ubisoft should be a layup, but the shadow of Jin Sakai hangs heavy over Ubisoft's efforts. It’s important to remember that this doesn’t simply need to be a good game, but a game equal to or greater than Ghost of Tsushima. Tsushima has flaws, but I’d say Ubisoft has their work cut out for them.

Assassins Creed Shadows is the latest game from the series. Is AC Shadows good? This Assassins Creed Shadows review will let you know. This AC Shadows review will cover my Assassins Creed Shadows impressions, keeping things spoiler free, to answer should you buy Assassins Creed Shadows. The Assassins Creed Shadows gameplay, is strong but the Assassins Creed Shadows story left a lot to be desired. Fortunately, again, the AC Shadows gameplay will be what carries this. I will make sure to have a full critique of this game to add to my Assassins Creed retrospective, and of course I will cover any new Assassins Creed game. It's crazy to think that this game, Assassins Creed Red means so much for Ubisoft, with characters Yasuke and Naoe bringing great controversy, all while under the shadow of Ghost of Tsushima