Assassins Creed Shadows Review

Available Now

Version tested: PC (9800x3d, 64GB DDR5 and RTX 5090)

The game masterfully balances stealth and combat. Playing as Naoe emphasizes meticulous planning and stealth, reminiscent of the series’ earlier titles. Her agility and stealth abilities require precision, making infiltrations and assassinations deeply satisfying. On the other hand, Yasuke embodies raw power, excelling in direct confrontations. His combat style is robust, allowing players to engage enemies head-on with a variety of weapons and abilities. This dynamic between the two characters adds depth and replayability while also keeping gameplay from feeling repetitive.

The depiction of Sengoku-period Japan is breathtaking. From serene villages to imposing castles, the attention to detail immerses players in a vibrant, living world. The game’s map strikes a balance between expansiveness and density, ensuring exploration remains engaging without feeling overwhelming. Activities like castle infiltrations, platforming challenges, and puzzle dungeons are thoughtfully designed, making each endeavor rewarding.

Combat has seen significant improvements. Naoe’s chain sickle, for instance, can be upgraded to perform grappling moves, allowing her to pull enemies into obstacles or off ledges. Yasuke’s arsenal is vast, but his close-range prowess stands out, with abilities like a lifesteal move that becomes more potent as his health decreases. These enhancements make each encounter strategic and exhilarating.

On the technical front, the game is demanding. Achieving stable performance at higher settings requires a decent rig. Using a 5090, the game was amazingly smooth, and I am pleased to say that for once, a new game has actually been well optimised and should perform well on decent mid-range hardware. The game also supports technologies like DLSS and FSR to aid performance. Some players may need a little help from these to get everything as smooth as they want.

I also gave the game a bit of time on the handheld Lenovo Legion GO. However, Ubisoft’s title struggled to run smoothly here, with the Legion Go struggling to hit around 30 fps with everything as low as it could go! While this certainly isn’t the best experience, it’s certainly good enough to progress a bit further while on the commute or lunch break!

Verdict:

Assassins Creed Shadows has revitalized the series by returning to its stealth roots while integrating engaging combat as well as a beautiful and immersive world. The dual protagonist approach offers varied gameplay experiences which keeps things from getting repetitive while also catering to different playstyles. While high-end hardware is a benefit when it comes to performance, the optimisation here is great to see in a gaming world where we are used to our fair share of technical problems. If you are an AC fan and on the fence about Shadows, we definitely think this is one you should check out and won’t be disappointed!

Score:

8.9/10

Please don’t forget to like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter.

The code was provided free of charge for my honest, unbiased review.