When a developer announces that they are delaying the release of their game, a few things come to mind. The first thing that comes to mind is that there is a massive game-breaking bug that is not easily remedied. Second, other games are going to be released around the same time frame. Finally, there is something controversial about the game that they want to change, and they are worried about how it will affect their sales/stock. When people talk about Assassin’s Creed Shadows, most speculate that the delay is because of options two and three. 

This is a review coupled with a supplemental video review. You can watch the video review or read the full review below:

Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Developer: Ubisoft
Publisher: Ubisoft
Platforms: PC (Steam), Ubisoft Connect, Epic Games Store, Amazon Luna, PS5, & Xbox Series X|S 
Release Date: March 20th, 2025
Players: 1
Price: $69.99

When it comes to Assassin’s Creed Shadows, some speculate that the game was delayed because of the criticisms of Star Wars Outlaws. In addition to the criticisms, there was not much competition in November, with most of the major releases coming out in September and October of 2024. With that in consideration, many would suspect that the online criticism and controversy revolving around Yasuke is what caused the delay.

After playing quite a bit of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, our beliefs were mostly confirmed. During our playthrough, Yasuke felt like a minor part of the story. As we played through the game as Naoe, there were times that it felt like it should switch to Yasuke but it never did. When we did finally reconnect with Yasuke later in the game, it felt more like a side character being thrown into the mix to become the protagonist than someone who is Naoe’s equal.

If they were going to limit Yasuke’s role, the advertising for the game should have changed. Using a person who existed in any manner was a poor decision. Yes, you can change his backstory or present it in whatever way you deem suitable, but using a real person as a protagonist is entering a questionable area. Yes, the character could be interesting, but if you get one piece of information incorrect or slightly altered, you will get the online trolls mad; it is best to avoid it. 

The first chunk of Assassin’s Creed Shadows revolves mainly around stealth and exploration. As someone who is not a lover of stealth mechanics, this kind of gameplay loop got boring fast and led to just slaughtering anyone in our way. Surprisingly, the Animus no longer yells at you for killing civilians indiscriminately, however, there are certain characters, specifically allies, that the game will not let you kill. 

Assassin’s Creed Shadows comes with guided exploration mode off. The game forces you to find your own way and explore the area near the target’s location; Eagle Vision will not show you the target in most instances when it is off. Turning it on will disable some potential achievements; however, finding mission objective locations can be a bit daunting unless you put on Guided Mode.

You can use spies to scout the area, but they are not always effective at their job. Spies will also help you gather supplies at different locations when you find them stored. You have a limit to how many spies you have until you upgrade your base.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows now has a base building mechanic where you can upgrade your hideout and rearrange the buildings to meet your needs. As you upgrade the base, you will gain new intel, better supplies, and other helpful equipment. Beyond the buildings, you can place different decorations and animals.

Cats and dogs you find and pet in the wild are collected, and you can place them around the hideout. The mechanic is fairly smooth to use and, in a way, feels like it was designed with Animal Crossing controls in mind. 

Combat in the game can be enjoyable, but when you are playing as Naoe, it seems like you are fighting for your life against everyone, no matter what their level is. Using the soulslike counter and roll buttons can be helpful for those who play those games religiously, but for regular players, switching between the two without remapping can be tedious.  The crawling stealth mechanic can make your life a lot easier; this makes it so enemies are less likely to detect you, and you can crawl through some open areas. 

When you aren’t upgrading the base and attempting to find your targets, you can explore Feudal Japan. Assassin’s Creed Shadows goes back to the RPG style more like Valhalla, Odyssey, and Origins.

After playing Assassin’s Creed Mirage, this is a welcomed return and, to be honest, should never have really gone away. Levels are still important when fighting enemies; however, killing enemies of a higher level offers the same amount of experience as killing someone the same level or lower. This seems like a bit of an oversight and doesn’t push players towards taking on difficult challenges for a reward. 

Instead of gaining a lot of experience from killing random NPCs, exploring Feudal Japan and finding shrines, memories, allies, supplies, and viewpoints is more beneficial; you will get more experience from completing a base side quest than you will from killing a whole village of enemies. Story missions do still grant experience, but you can easily surpass what you would have gained by exploring. 

From what we experienced, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is still the game you know and love with some interesting updates, but at times, the story feels like it is lacking; it would have been interesting to see what the game looked like before they delayed it.

Would Yasuke have had a more prominent role early on?  If you are a fan of the series, you will most likely enjoy this game. We had fun playing it, but there were certain things we wish Ubisoft could have done differently. Introduce Yasuke earlier and in a more prominent role/manner, and allow the player to connect with the two characters if the story is going to revolve around them.

Next, fix the damn climbing bugs. Every new iteration of Assassin’s Creed, it seems like they still have issues with their wall-climbing mechanics. Additionally, don’t automatically have the wall climbing marks or yellow indicators to show how to climb certain objects; have an option for this to be turned on if desired. One of the things that bothered us the most was the use of modern music in a fight; in a way, it felt tacky and misplaced. 

At the end of the day, Assassin’s Creed Shadows feels like a game where the developers tried to backtrack slightly to appease as many people as possible. It feels like they played it too safe versus sticking to their guns.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows will make longtime fans happy with all the new things they can try and experience. Meanwhile, newcomers to the series can enjoy the game for its beautiful visuals. If you have been looking forward to the game, then you should pick it up. If you are on the fence, then it is best to wait or check it out through Ubisoft+. 

Assassin’s Creed Shadows was reviewed on PC using a code provided by Ubisoft. You can find additional information about Niche Gamer’s review/ethics policy here. Assassin’s Creed Shadows is now available on PC (Steam), Ubisoft Connect, Epic Games Store, Amazon Luna, PS5, & Xbox Series X|S.