After multiple delays and years of fan anticipation, Ubisoft has finally delivered what many Assassin’s Creed fans have been waiting for – a game set in feudal Japan. Assassin’s Creed Shadows launched on March 20th across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows PC, and macOS, bringing players to the Sengoku period of Japan with dual protagonists offering distinctly different playstyles.
Long-Awaited Release
Shadows was initially scheduled for release on November 15, 2024, but Ubisoft announced in September that despite the game being feature complete, they were delaying it to February 14, 2025, for further polishing. In January 2025, the company postponed the release once again to March 20, as Ubisoft explored sale options and to provide developers with more time to implement additional changes.
The final release comes at a crucial time for Ubisoft, which has faced financial struggles following the disappointing performance of Star Wars Outlaws last summer. As Stephen Totilo, founder of Game File, noted, “It’s dire times for Ubisoft,” and the company has been in “crisis mode” following last year’s Star Wars game that “bombed,” leading to hundreds of layoffs.
Commercial Success So Far
Despite the delays and controversy, early indications suggest the game is performing well commercially. Assassin’s Creed Shadows topped the UK’s physical game sales charts for two weeks after launch and quickly became one of Ubisoft’s biggest launches to date. In the US, it was the best-selling game in its release week according to the Circana Retail Tracking Service.
The game is on track to be one of the highest-selling games of 2025 so far, with only Monster Hunter Wilds selling higher during its own launch week back in February. This commercial performance is likely a welcome relief for Ubisoft, which reportedly had about 300,000 pre-orders prior to launch.
Dual Protagonist Gameplay
The game’s standout feature is its dual protagonist approach, allowing players to switch between two distinctly different characters:
- Naoe – A kunoichi (female shinobi) who excels at stealth, parkour, and ninja tactics. Described as a “Swiss Army knife” with capabilities for “aerial parkour, stealthy takedowns, deadly tools, etc.”
- Yasuke – An African samurai inspired by the historical figure of the same name. Described as a “hammer” who trades “flexibility for sheer power,” making him ideal for direct combat encounters.
According to PC Gamer, “Shadows is some of the most fun I’ve had with a stealth game in a decade, and impressively, it also has the best, stickiest combat this series has seen.” The gameplay has earned praise from within the gaming industry as well, with Baldur’s Gate 3 publishing director Michael “Cromwelp” Douse praising the combat as some of the best the series has offered.
A Beautiful But Sometimes Uneven Experience
The game has received generally positive reviews, though not without criticism. PC Gamer described it as “a stealth action buffet with a story to forget,” noting that while the stealth and combat mechanics excel, the story doesn’t quite match up to the gameplay.
NPR described the game as starting “strong before taking languid detours,” with the early hours introducing the protagonists effectively before slowing down considerably. They noted that the game “didn’t feel like it had truly begun” until many hours in when Yasuke reemerged as both “a foe and then as a friend.”
The game’s open world is visually stunning, featuring castles, temples, villages, and countryside that change with the seasons. But some reviewers have noted that the world is “much wider than it is deep” and the game “drags along baggage from Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla” in terms of its open-world design.
Controversies That Marked Development
The development and release of Assassin’s Creed Shadows hasn’t been without controversy:
- Character Representation: The game faced backlash from “culture warriors” over the casting of Yasuke, a historical Black samurai, as one of the protagonists, with some critics concerned about “historical accuracy.” This prompted what PC Gamer called “ill-advised attempts by Ubisoft to defang the haters.”
- Cultural Sensitivity Concerns: Following complaints from Japanese officials including Hiroyuki Kada of the Japanese House of Councillors and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Ubisoft removed the ability to destroy certain objects within temples and reduced the “amount of blood shed by NPCs in the various shrines and temples.”
- Release Date Controversy: The game’s second delay to March 20 created additional controversy, though the specific reasons weren’t elaborated in the search results.
Future Content
For those enjoying the game, there’s more content on the horizon. One DLC expansion called “Claws of Awaji” is planned, which will take protagonists Naoe and Yasuke to a new region for a “spookier” experience spanning approximately 10 hours of additional content later this year.
Final Take
Assassin’s Creed Shadows represents a solid entry in the long-running franchise and delivers on the long-awaited Japanese setting that fans have been requesting for years. While the story may not break new ground, the dual-protagonist approach and refined stealth and combat mechanics make for an engaging gameplay experience.
For PC multiplayer enthusiasts like our readers, the game unfortunately doesn’t offer multiplayer modes, but the robust single-player experience provides plenty of content to explore. With its commercial success, Assassin’s Creed Shadows seems to have given Ubisoft a much-needed win during a challenging period for the company.
Have you picked up Assassin’s Creed Shadows yet? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!