By Reviews are officially out for Ubisoft’s “Assassin’s Creed Shadows” with the title pulling in a quite good 82/100 on Metacritic with 70 reviews counted.
To put that in comparison, it’s better than the 81 of ‘Origins’, 80 of ‘Valhalla’, 76 of ‘Mirage’ & ‘Syndicate’ and 72 of ‘Unity’, but behind the 83 of ‘Odyssey’ and 88 of ‘Black Flag’.
The game, which has drawn controversy over its leading characters with ‘culture warriors’ upset over the inclusion of Black samurai Yasuke as one of the two protagonists, is seen as a make or break title for Ubisoft who has been facing uphill battles of late.
At the same time, it also follows in the wake of the acclaimed 2020 title “Ghost of Tsushima” – a Game of the Year nominee with the same period Japan setting, an incredible open world and game play systems that decidedly improved on the Ubisoft template.
From the sounds of it, Ubisoft has learned some lessons with the new game praised for its world and improved combat systems. Here’s a sampling of reviews:
“Assassin’s Creed Shadows overcomes its controversies to deliver the feudal Japan journey that fans of the series had been eagerly awaiting. This is all thanks to a great combination of the saga’s past and present, which provides a lot of variety. It’s a portrait of the country of the Rising Sun that will make you explore every single level inch by inch.” – TierraGamer
“While Assassin’s Creed Shadows is unlikely to win over those who struggled to push through Odyssey or Valhalla, this is still one of the strongest overall entries in the series — and arguably the best of the open world RPG bunch. The storytelling is largely fantastic, the main characters are deeply likeable, and the open world itself is a thing of beauty.” – Push Square
“Despite some repetition and bloat that makes Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ final stretch drag more than the rest of the game excites, its brave approach to exploration in a gorgeous world, heartfelt personal stories, and satisfying tweaks to the formula still make it stand as one of my favourite entries yet.” – The Gamer
“By sharpening the edges of its existing systems, Assassin’s Creed Shadows creates one of the best versions of the open-world style it’s been honing for the last decade.” – IGN
“Outside of the new, most sought after destination of Feudal Japan, Assassin’s Creed Shadows never really escapes its own shadow of boilerplate gameplay systems and its tried and true open world formula the series is known for. Whilst the game is at the same high standard as every other entry, it doesn’t truly excel at anything more specific.” – Finger Guns
“Assassin’s Creed Shadows isn’t perfect, but it’s a solid step forward. Medieval Japan looks great, though interiors could use more variety. With its cinematic storytelling and compelling characters, this is a must-have for open-world fans.” – Gameliner
“Assassin’s Creed Shadows thrives on boldness. Its dual protagonists improve on the series’ stealth-driven roots and modern RPG leanings, though they’re let down by a vague story that fails to make full use of either character” – Games Radar
“Shadows is a successful return to what made early Assassin’s Creed great, but it also drags along baggage from Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla. It’s got quests, companions, and dialogue options clearly designed to resemble a BioWare or Bethesda classic, but the resemblance is only superficial, and I didn’t find the characters or stories memorable.” – PC Gamer
“Despite all its controversies and pressure, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is a good game, in which prevails what the franchise does best: a beautiful world and a compelling story, despite its lack of creativity in level design.” – The Enemy
“Assassin’s Creed Shadows” releases in stores on March 20th.
The post “Assassin’s Creed Shadows” Reviews Are In appeared first on Dark Horizons.
