I’ve never really understood the demand for an Assassin’s Creed game set in Japan. But I’ve also never understood why, after Ghost of Tsushima, everyone started to agree with me. Assassin’s Creed is a popular (and, despite the recent controversy, often populist) series, so I recognised that if enough people were saying it was too late for Assassin’s Creed to head to Japan, it probably was.
Now the game is here, and is beloved by so many, it has left my head a bit all over the place. What does this mean for the series, where does it go next, and was it worth the wait? Never mind the answers, I’m still not sure if I understand the questions. Let’s break it all down, going back to the beginning.
Samurai Games Are Nothing New
We have always had video games set in Japan. It stands to reason, given the nation has always been at the forefront of the video game industry, that it has featured heavily in the art it has created. Whether that be modern day settings or the feudal era shown in Shadows, we’ve been able to virtually explore Japan for decades. The draw of doing Assassin’s Creed there didn’t appeal when we already had Nioh, Onimusha, and Way of the Samurai (to name but a few) to dig into.
Assassin’s Creed always seemed more interesting to me when it was exploring periods of history we haven’t been able to act out as much before. The Crusades, the rise of the Borgias, revolutionary France, even the Golden Age of Piracy is a lesser seen era for video games. Being a samurai didn’t feel like the unique angle Assassin’s Creed could offer – especially not compared to the next game in line, Hexe, set in medieval Bavaria.
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When Ghost of Tsushima came along as just the latest game to let you be a samurai, I didn’t understand why the tables turned on Assassin’s Creed. I realise Tsushima was more mainstream than Nioh, but to steal from cowboy movies (which so often steal from samurai anyway), it felt like this town was big enough for the both of them. Given Shadows’ success, so it has proved. But then I start to wonder if it was even worth the wait?
Assassin’s Creed Needs To Respect Its Own History
I’m not here to screw with Assassin’s Creed fans. Because of its broad appeal, it tends to draw detractors in the same way a game like Horizon does, and that’s before you throw this particular entry’s coals in the fire. I have a lot of affection for the series, especially the earlier entries (and especially especially Black Flag). But it isn’t just that the gameplay has felt slow and needlessly level-gated, or the maps bloated since the switch to an RPG formula, the series as a whole has lost its identity a little.
Part of the way Ubisoft made those lesser-explored eras of history fun was that we weren’t just exploring history – we were defending it. Parallel to the historical globetrotting, there was a modern day war being raged still, and we were at the heart of it. That meant everything we did in Florence or Virginia echoed out down the centuries. It meant something bigger, something special to Assassin’s Creed. On the one hand, the modern day stuff was nobody’s favourite, and it has been getting worse since the series moved on from Desmond. On the other, without it, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is just another samurai game.
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Maybe that’s all people want. I’m unsure how that squares with Ghost of Tsushima having gotten there first, but Assassin’s Creed finally made it to Japan. I know people are loving Shadows, but I can’t help but wonder what it would have been like had the series tackled this era circa Assassin’s Creed 3. Oddly for the game with the first actual historical protagonist in Yasuke, Assassin’s Creed Shadows seems less interested in mingling with history than previous games, more content to use it as a playground.
Valhalla felt that way too, though did try to tie its canon historical influences together at the end, while the visions from Odin also added layers. Shadows may have similar twists by its ending (though reviews indicate otherwise), but for now it seems very happy to simply be a samurai game. Likewise, players are very happy to simply play a samurai game. But it feels as though Assassin’s Creed has wandered away from its roots, and may never be able to find its way back. If it wants to make medieval Germany as big a hit as being a samurai in Japan, it will need to.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows
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OpenCritic
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Top Critic Rating:
81/100
Critics Recommend:
82%
- Released
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March 20, 2025
- Developer(s)
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Ubisoft Quebec