Five years since ‘Valhalla’ seems a lot of time, but it is not so. Among Ubisoft, we were surprised with ‘Mirage’, a return to the origins that seemed to be the way to follow from the saga ‘Assassin’s Creed’. But we are wrong, and I think we have to give thanks for it because ‘Shadows’ is not a revolution, but it is the evolution that the franchise needed, combining all the good of ‘Origins’, ‘Odyssey’ and ‘Valhalla’ with what made the creed memorable in the first titles.
The first thing we want to highlight is that, as we anticipated, the Japanese setting fits perfectly in ‘Assassin’s Creed’. In ‘Shadows’, we explore nine regions of feudal Japan, each with its own identity, stories and characters, all with a captivating and elegant architecture, designed without losing sight of the characteristic gameplay of the saga.
Ubisoft has designed a fascinating map that covers several provinces in the country’s heart. During the 40 hours that the game has lasted, we have always found something surprising in its open world, which not only reflects the beauty of its landscapes, but also the hardness of its climate, changing along the stations as the missions progress. On this occasion we control two protagonists, Naoe and Yasuke, completely opposite both in history and playability.
Naoe and Yasuke: two sides of the same coin
The story is located with Oda Nobunaga as an unstoppable force that wants to unify the country. But a mysterious organization, the Shinbakufu, wants to put everything upside down … there they come into action Naoe, daughter of a courageous warrior of the modest IgA region, and Yasuke, an African slave turned into a samurai’s confidence samurai of Oda’s own. Without going into details, revenge will be the main course of the title, and what will trigger all the events of the main plot. Here, we find the first and big lazy point, and that both characters work well, but Naoe feels much more protagonist than Yasuke, because it is the one who better exploits the benefits of the game and the one that really loads with the weight of the story.
Yasuke cool, because it is brutal in combat, more improved and dynamic than in previous games; But for everything else Naoe, shinobi, feels more fun. Climbing, hiding, killing in the back without anyone detecting you … There is no comparison point and Naoe represents better what has always been to be a murderer.
Despite the differences, the title encourages us to alternate between characters, not only through exclusive missions for each one, but also through the search system. This mechanic establishes a reward for the head of each co -star if we cause too much chaos, encouraging us to play with the one who is not in the sight to avoid being constantly persecuted by undessed enemies.
As we said, combat and progression have improved, but they follow the familiar structure that they had already presented to us in the previous RPG deliveries. However, exploration in ‘Shadows’ is much more organic than in other deliveries. Forget about climbing mountains as if you were an SUV or to use an eagle as if it were a drone that indicates all the points of interest of the map. Here it will be to go to Pata (Oa horse), to meet the mapping and discover, on your own, where you have to go or where is the next watchtower. All much more immersive. And we appreciate it, because it encourages to get lost in the world and discover all the secrets offered by the game.
In addition to the main missions, the game incorporates a variety of secondary missions, activities and contracts that are barely distinguished from the main ones. On the other hand, the central research panel, whose objective is to dismantle a secret society of villains (following the line of the latest titles of the saga), ends up becoming an enthusiasm of objectives that demands a more frequent navigation of what we would like. This causes that in part the main plot feels a bit run over, with too long stops until you really feel that you are advanced in history.
Another aspect that we loved by ‘Shadows’ is the large amount of quality content it offers. While sometimes he does not present it in the clearest way, once you get used to his way of organizing missions and objectives, you discover a game that can easily exceed 100 hours. Among secondary activities, missions and planks with additional objectives, there is always something to do. All this remains interesting thanks to a refined gameplay, capable of catching us and making us enjoy simply playing, regardless of the quality of the story they are telling us.
Is it worth it?
Shadows is one of the funniest games in the saga. The stealth and Parkour feels better than ever, and we are facing one of the most beautiful titles that Ubisoft has created. The gameplay is addictive, and there is content for those who want to lose among the Japanese environments. In the end it is an evolution of the formula, and those who were already in love with the saga, without a doubt it will not disappoint you. It also seems to us a perfect entrance point for those who either have much without touching it or for those who have never started in the creed.
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