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 land popularly known for ninjas; Especially after having it Ghost of Tsushima preempted with that idea. Perhaps Ubisoft was more interested in subverting expectations by making dark assassins out of pirates and vikings instead, but in the end it decided to persevere with the latest installment of 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 gameplay, Naoe's perspective is the true perspective of the AC universe, while Yasuke is just the icing on the cake that allows even the fans of "hack & slash" games to find themselves in Ubisoft's newest game. It is 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 using 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, the British groups "The Flight", "Thunderstorm" and "Triggs Da Author" in combination with the Japanese-Canadian band "TEKE-TEKE" made sure that the atmosphere was fully rounded. Together, they created over 50 short pieces that can be heard during the 30 or so hours of playing this game.
Gameplay
When it comes to gameplay, in addition to the novelty of having the opportunity to play 2 different characters and thus the style of the game, Ubisoft has changed the approach to missions. They are no longer linear, but you as a player are in complete control. If you think that a mission should be left for later, you have the right to do so. Some you can skip entirely. You have much more freedom than before, which I really liked. I prefer open world games where I have the freedom to do whatever I want, and since Ubisoft has always forced players to follow one path to the goal, Shadows is the first of their games after Assassin's Creed Origins that I decided to give it a chance. I admit, it's about 30 hours well spent. In addition to the additional freedom compared to the previous parts, we now also have the option to crawl and hire scouts. Creeping isn't overly useful, while scouts are almost mandatory. They are the ones who give you information about key targets and areas of interest and guide you in a way through the game. There is an option of entering shallow water and breathing through a bamboo stick. The traditional Eagle's Eye is also one of Naoa's useful abilities as it allows her to precisely locate her targets. Both protagonists have enhanced vision that allows them to quickly gather the necessary information about a new environment in which they find themselves. To use this ability they must be positioned on some high ground. If you find yourself in a situation with 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 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 to be the perfect killer.
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 the tepo arquebus (a precursor to the musket), as well as the infamous kusarigama (2 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 the main base of operations. In this base, you add more and more personnel over time, the most important of which are the previously mentioned scouts. This is the part that I particularly liked and it reminded me of Dragon Age: Inquisition who implemented a similar idea many years earlier.
I want to point out that it was much more interesting for me to play from the perspective of Naoa, because the method of killing from the shadows was highlighted, during which I had to take good care of my positioning in relation to the people around me. All the instances where I used the second protagonist Yasuke were kind of repetitive and mildly boring. It's just that there aren't too many combat combos that I'm used to in one of the previous titles I've 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 Drive
Conclusion
Assassin's Creed is a really long and beloved franchise whose next parts are eagerly awaited by many, yet in my heart it has always been too narrow-minded with its options for the game of the adventure genre. Isn't the point of the adventure that you, as the main character, rush through 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 at times seem forced, or a situation where I paused the game for about 30 minutes only to find my character dead after pausing. Namely, if someone followed you and you paused the game, you continue to receive all the damage that the person inflicted on you "during the pause". However, these are just some of the little things that bothered me because the game is really outstanding and you have a real sense of adventure while playing it.
If you are a fan of roaming 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 feel that Ubisoft has finally balanced well the adventure part of the open world game and the core of eliminating key targets. In addition, the addition of a second protagonist as a playable character increased the effect of immersion and sympathy, but also increased the replay value of the game, which is unfortunately always low for Ubisoft's titles.
Evaluation for Assassin's Creed: Shadows is 7
