I won’t deny that when Ubisoft announced that the next game in the Assassin’s Creed saga would be set in Japan, around the 18th century, and that the protagonists would be a shinobi and a samurai, my heart rejoiced. This adventure is one that players have been asking the French company for over a decade.
Fortunately for many of us, Sony released a Samurai game in Japan called Ghost of Tsushima in 2020, and it made the wait more bearable. But let’s not stray from the topic that here we have come to talk about Naoe and Yasuke, two characters who have forever earned a place in my heart.
After spending two weeks with the game and not being able to release the review on the day the embargo lifted (a lot of work these months), here comes the analysis of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, a title that manages to be everything we wanted and a little bit more.
Landing in AC Shadows, welcome to the Sengoku period
Assassin’s Creed Shadows takes the series through the end of the Sengoku period in Japan, set approximately between the years 1570 and 1600 AD, during the time when Oda Nobunaga attempted to unify the nation and Japan saw an increase in Portuguese merchants and Jesuit missionaries.
Just like the duality of the historical setting, Shadows always plays with multiple themes throughout its story. Revenge, anguish, and even a sense of belonging and purpose are present in every mission.
Shadows allows players to switch between the two main characters, Naoe, the assassin, and Yasuke, the samurai, but only after the first 10 hours or so, when you unlock Yasuke. Don’t let it happen to you like it did to me, after about 10 hours of playing non-stop with Naoe, I thought I had broken the game because I couldn’t find Yasuke anywhere.
Naoe and Yasuke, a team you won’t forget
The story of Naoe speaks of his past as a member of the Iga clan, along with the understanding of his role in the Brotherhood, the mysterious guild of assassins that spans the ages. His travels throughout Japan reflect the vastness of the cultural and political landscape of the nation.
Ubisoft has done a splendid job of educating players on a cultural level. The educational work and the respect shown by the team for Japanese culture is incredible.
Yasuke is also the definition of an outsider. Upon arriving with the Jesuits, Yasuke quickly captures Nobunaga’s attention due to his size and skin color. True to both the game and the historical figure, Yasuke was the first black man in Japan and the only black man in history to achieve the rank of samurai.
And as the game represents the two protagonists, it is curious. Naoe is ignored as she wanders through cities and towns. People do not pay attention to her as she recruits companions for her cause or gathers information about targets. Yasuke, on the other hand, is feared and revered as he travels. Random villagers approach him and bow, or say his name in an excited tone.
A graphic marvel that raises the new generation standard once again
I have been playing Shadows on a regular PS5 and it is one of the most beautiful video games I have ever seen in my life. You know how you get used to how beautiful modern games are after a few hours and forget to admire the scenery? That hasn’t happened to me yet after 15 hours with Shadows.
The light, the architecture, the natural beauty of the mountains of Japan, the way the roofs of the shrines can be seen peeking out from the treetops, the delicate beauty of the winding streets of Kyoto… It helps that the seasons change every few hours, allowing you to literally see your surroundings in a new light.
Ubisoft has wanted to bring us the best possible Japan, at least graphically, and they have succeeded. By the way, if you are playing on Xbox Series X or PS5, the ideal is to play in Balanced Mode, as it has a high level of resolution (the upscaling to 4K works very well), features ray tracing, and runs at 40 fps.
Conclusions of Assassin’s Creed Shadows
And now let’s get to the important part: the new Assassin’s Creed is one of the best I’ve played in years. It’s fun, it’s overwhelming, it’s huge, it’s beautiful, and it’s an adventure in every sense of the word.
Many people are debating whether it is the best of the decade, or if it is the best since the originals. I couldn’t tell you, as opinions are very personal, but for me it is one of the best Assassin’s games I have played and one of the games I have enjoyed the most in a long time.
The gameplay is a marvel, the combat is challenging and full of possibilities, the climbing and parkour work better than ever (or that’s the feeling I’ve gotten after many hours of playing and looking for the seams in the game).
As negative points, there are few to highlight. However, I would like to talk about the narration, as it seems disjointed and incoherent for a large part of the game. The feeling is that they have tried to combine hundreds of ideas, characters, and motivations, and the result is a poorly stitched patchwork. If you put in the effort, you won’t hold it against them, but if you are demanding with narratives and like things to be well told, there AC Shadows will disappoint you.
As a final point, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is the best game I’ve played in 2025 and I think it’s great news for a franchise that has been with us for almost two decades and for a Ubisoft that is not going through its best moment (financially). If you’re tired of seeing all your friends going to Japan and you can’t afford it, for 69 euros you have the chance to travel to Japan, albeit to the Sengoku period.
