Despite my generally positive experiences with Ubisoft titles – including considering Assassin’s Creed Origins one of the greatest games ever made – I found myself disappointed with Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows currently ranks as the biggest disappointment of 2025. Despite high expectations, the game fell short, failing to reach the standard set by Assassin’s Creed Origins. Subsequent patches and downloadable content have not altered this assessment.
Problematic Lighting
Ubisoft’s insistence on implementing ray tracing in its new games has yielded less-than-ideal results, particularly on lower-finish platforms. While Star Wars Outlaws struggles to perform well in open environments, Assassin’s Creed Shadows fully showcases the shortcomings of this lighting system. Set in mountainous valleys, the game is often shrouded in shadows and drab grays. The initial release too lacked the option to change the time of day, exacerbating the poor lighting and unappealing nighttime visuals. While moments of attractive graphics can be found, they are limited to ideal lighting conditions, which are infrequent.
Painting Instead of Hunting
The immersive hunting experience found in titles like Red Dead Redemption 2 remains a benchmark. It’s unclear why Ubisoft didn’t replicate this success, instead opting for a peculiar mechanic in Assassin’s Creed Shadows that involves stealthily painting animals. This design choice feels misguided.
Poorly Voiced and Written Naoe
While Yasuke is a compelling character, Naoe is arguably the weakest character created by Ubisoft’s writers in recent years. The English voice acting sounds artificial, and her dialogue feels unnatural and occasionally nonsensical. Her storyline also relies heavily on clichés.
Untapped Potential of Oda Nobunaga
Oda Nobunaga was a complex historical figure, and his story continues to be debated by historians. Ubisoft’s decision to quickly remove this fascinating character from the narrative is a significant missed opportunity. The remaining characters fail to create a lasting impression.
A “Copy-Paste” World
Despite being set in the captivating landscape of feudal Japan, Assassin’s Creed Shadows presents a surprisingly bland environment. After several hours of gameplay, the various locations begin to blend together into a generic amalgamation. Distinctive and memorable locations are scarce.
Unresponsive Opponents
Beyond the fact that guards in Shadows cannot climb buildings – a step backward from previous installments – the ease with which players can escape chases is frustrating. The game lacks the dynamic pursuit system found in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey.
Generic and Uninspired Music
Considering the musical masterpieces found in Valhalla (composed by Jesper Kyd) and Assassin’s Creed Origins (with a score by Sarah Schechner), the music in Shadows is underwhelming. The issue may stem from poor sound direction, as the music feels disconnected from the gameplay. Compared to the soundtrack for the Japan-inspired Inazuma region in the free-to-play game Genshin Impact, the indistinct melodies of Assassin’s Creed Shadows fall flat.
Uninspired DLC
Instead of breaking the monotony of Assassin’s Creed Shadows with fresh content, the downloadable content simply repeats the same gameplay loop. The new region included in the expansion also closely resembles the locations found in the base game, adding to the overall sense of tedium.
A Disappointing Base-Building System
The base-building mechanic in Assassin’s Creed Shadows is so lackluster that it’s hard to believe Ubisoft previously excelled in this area with titles like Far Cry Primal.
Monotonous Tasks and Anonymous Targets
Ubisoft previously impressed players with humorous and creative missions (as seen in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey). Shadows, but, consists of the same quest repeated for dozens of hours with slight variations. Even the targets of assassination missions are largely uninteresting and lack compelling backstories.
