Assassin's Creed: Shadows: PS5 Review

Developed by Ubisoft Quebec
Published by Ubisoft
Platform: PS5

The Assassin's Cteed brand has become synonymous with the idea of stealth, killing and exploration.

Over the years, various elements of the franchise have played with the template, added bits on or simply stuck to what it knows. It's all led to various iterations of the game that have had varying degrees of success.

But perhaps the 2025 version of the Assassin's Creed franchise is one of those that captures best what the game has the potential to do. Set in 16th century Japan, towards the end of the Sengoku period, the game focuses on two different characters, whose worlds collide amid tragedy.

Firstly, there's the female shinobi Naoe and secondly, there's the samurai Yasuke; both have differing strengths and weaknesses and allow different styles of gameplay when it counts. While there are elements of Ghost of Tsushima throughout (itself no bad thing), the Assassin's spin on the world is obvious from the start with the usual stealth mechanics offering new edges of gameplay.

Yet there's been a tweaking of some of the elements and additions of new mechanics - from being able to crawl through to breathing in shallow water with a reed, the developers have been keen to upgrade where necessary creating an adventure that's riddled with new parts and it's all to the better.

The story itself is engaging, yet familiar to those who have seen shows like Shogun and while the dialogue occasionally feels stilted, the combat and differing styles of play adds to a lot of the overall feel of the game amid the side quests, the seemingly endless map and the missions.

Ultimately, Assassin's Creed: Shadows is a strong re-entry into the world - and while some of it feels very familiar, the ability to play in chapters of chunks rather than feeling like it's a slog, coupled with the switching of characters when the grind kicks in, means it's a welcome return to the world.