What parents need to know
Assassin’s Creed Shadows is the 14th game in the main Assassin’s Creed franchise, and the 2nd to be developed by the Ubisoft Quebec studio.
You play as two protagonists, Fujibayashi Naoe and Yasuke, as they face a mysterious order, the Shinbakufu, who are trying to pull the strings of Japanese history. As is usual in Ubisoft’s franchise, Assassin’s Creed Shadows has a strong historical flavor; The game’s story is set in feudal Japan, and features a host of real historical figures such as Oda Nobunaga, Luis Frois, and Hattori Hanzo. In fact, Yasuke himself is inspired by a real historical figure, a samurai of African descent who served Oda Nobunaga.
Continuing the tradition established by Origins and refined by Odyssey, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is an action RPG. Over the course of the adventure, you have to spy on and assassinate a good number of opponents, but the damage you can inflict on them as well as the arsenal of tools and techniques at your disposal depends on your character’s level of experience, as well as the quality of his equipment.
The two protagonists have different strengths. Naoe is a kunoichi (a female ninja) and obviously, her strength is stealth. She is discreet, moves quickly on rooftops and buildings and wields small arms that allow her to assassinate her targets quickly. On the other hand, she is of small stature and wears a small equipment, which makes her less suitable for stronger fights, especially against several enemies at the same time.
On the other hand, Yasuke is a samurai with an intimidating build. He is less good at stealth (you will try to be subtle with armor weighing tens of kilos and a 2-meter weapon…), but he is on the other hand the character best suited to direct confrontations in the entire Assassin’s Creed franchise.
During the first part of the game, the protagonists are imposed on the players, but eventually, it becomes possible to alternate between the protagonists as we wish.
Without reinventing the formula of the series, Assassin’s Creed still offers some new features. You can crawl, which makes you more discreet but slower, kill enemies through paper walls and hide underwater using a bamboo as a snorkel, for example. There is also a stronger emphasis on the network that is being created in the heart of Japan; We can recruit informants who will help us in our quest, send scouts to help us find our targets, but also develop and decorate our base that welcomes all our allies to our liking.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows is an open-world game, and this replica of 16th-century Japan offers a variety of activities besides murder and espionage. For example, you can paint nature scenes, pet animals to bring them back to your base and of course, climb high places to unlock areas of the map.
Details
Level of experience required
| Age | 3+ | 7+ | 12+ | 16+ | 18+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beginners |  |
|
|
|
 |
| Intermediate | |
|
|
|
|
| Experienced | |
|
|
|
|
Evaluation
If Assassin’s Creed Shadows is not a horror game, the fact remains that hemoglobin flows freely. Not only do you play an assassin, but the jets of blood are used to stylize the action. We also see the enemies suffer realistically.
Nothing to report at this level.
The dialogues are played by actors, but there is still a lot of text to read during the game. Characters can also use colorful language.
There is a reflection on violence and revenge, but more often than not, we solve our problems by shamelessly indulging in this violence.
The characters are also very morally grey.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows is an action game that requires good reflexes, but the developers have included a lot of accessibility options to make the game interesting for as many people as possible.
Microtransactions are expensive, but fortunately, they are very dispensable.
Otherwise, the title offers a generous amount of content, even considering its high base price ($90 CAD).
Local game modes
Local story mode.
Online Game Modes
None.
Expansions/Add-ons (DLC)
At the moment, the only confirmed expansion is Hunt on Awaji, included with pre-orders.
However, Ubisoft offers several cosmetic microtransactions within the game.
Our opinion
Those who were expecting a revolution within the Assassin’s Creed franchise will be disappointed. This is clearly not the mission that Ubisoft Quebec has set itself. On the other hand, for those who hoped to see the studio continue to deepen the ideas and mechanics put in place within their previous effort, Odyssey, will be satisfied.
The combat and stealth mechanics are more developed than ever in an Assassin’s Creed game. I took great pleasure in going to some optional temples just for the simple joy of eliminating enemies one by one. The combat and stealth options are generous, and the progression system keeps the experience fresh.
We should still note some small minor clashes with the camera and the parkour system. Nothing too serious, but when you are spotted by a horde of rabid samurai because you started jumping on the spot instead of climbing on the roof, it leaves a mark on your ego.
It may be a cliché, but the fact remains that it’s true: in this new Assassin’s Creed, the world itself is a character. We take pleasure in walking through feudal Japan, with its magnificent and soothing nature, as well as its villages and hamlets that would become megacities a few centuries later. The pleasure of discovering this world is all the more present because, as is often the case with Assassin’s Creed, we have placed a host of historical sections on the history of Japan and life at the time, based on the work of historians.
We must also mention the pace of the game. Personally, if I had liked Odyssey a lot, I couldn’t say the same about Valhalla, which had repelled me with its extremely slow pace and repetitive gameplay sequences.
If Assassin’s Creed Shadows does not completely avoid the trap of repetition, the rhythm is much better controlled, and we know how to create striking moments. Without wanting to spoil, the moment when we regain control of Yasuke for the first time is particularly memorable.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows arrives at a particularly pivotal moment for Ubisoft; The publisher who once seemed untouchable has accumulated several consecutive flops that cast doubt on its future. The pressure on Assassin’s Creed Shadows is therefore enormous. Is Shadows the game that comes to revolutionize the franchise, or even the gaming industry? No (especially since we’ve seen several games set in feudal Japan in recent years, from Ghost of Tsushima to Nioh to Rise of the Ronin and Sekiro).
On the other hand, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is in our opinion the strongest title in the franchise to date, and for such a mythical franchise, that’s already a lot.
Note: a code has been given to us by the publisher for review purposes but this does not influence our opinion.
