Not My Favorite, But I Appreciate It – Assassin’s Creed: Shadows 100 Hours Later

I’ve played a TON of Assassin’s Creed Shadows over the past month thanks to our friends at Ubisoft Canada, and I’ve enjoyed every minute of my experience. I still haven’t done anything, but with the imminent launch of the Nintendo Switch 2, it’s time to pack away the game and say goodbye. What have I learned with over 100 hours played? While this isn’t my favorite Assassin’s Creed, it did a ton of things I hope the series will uphold in future releases! Let’s chat about it.

Exploring the world of Assassin’s Creed: Shadows was actually way more frustrating than I would have preferred, but over time I think I learned why Ubisoft designed the game this way. As you play Assassin’s Creed, you quickly learn that there is generally no quick, direct route from A to B. Sure, you can set course and attempt to beeline from one map location to another, but more than likely an impassable small mountain will block your way. More so than ever, Assassin’s Creed is keeping you to the main roads throughout the world to get from A to B, and I’m here for it.

White it is always fun to explore the wilderness of previous Assassin’s Creed titles – I specifically enjoyed Egypt! – that exploration does generally amount to a whole lot of nothing. And far too often, I spent too much time aimlessly wandering and not enough time driving forward the story and tackling side quests. With a more streamlined and focused approach to travel, it’s actually pretty difficult to get off track from what you need to accomplish, and I really do appreciate that. More of that in the future, Ubisoft!

Second, the variety in characters is so incredibly welcome. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey did a great job allowing you to play as a male or female protagonist, and that was a great step for the series. But I think Shadows takes that to the next level by creating too vastly different characters and two vastly different play styles. In almost all situations, you can choose who you want to use, and having that flexibility is phenomenal.

Early on, it was a bit frustrating trying to decide which character to upgrade with my limited resources and funds, and what equipment sets to get. I leaned more towards stealth play and straight up brutality, so Naoe was my main focus for the majority of playthrough. I think in future releases, Ubisoft could refine the “warrior” character a bit more, as playing as Yasuke felt a bit clumsy to me. That being said, this should be the standard going forward!

And finally, the freedom in the base building was a nice addition to the franchise. I really enjoyed creating my own little village hideout, putting buildings and decorations where I wanted. I enjoyed building out my small hideout in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, but it wasn’t quite like creating my own area with my own designs. This is a nice step up for the franchise, and something I hope they expand upon in the future. More area to work with and a more lively setting would be phenomenal!

Despite not being at the top of my list, Assassin’s Creed: Shadows has captivated me just as long as other titles in the series have. If it wasn’t for a brand new console launch and competing priorities, I’d easily see myself sinking another couple dozen hours into this experience.