4/5 ★ – Imzzzy's review of Assassin's Creed Shadows.

As a massive AC fan, we've been waiting for something to be set in japan for over 10 years now and i have to say this delivered on all fronts. Coming off of the show 'Shogun', this perfectly complimented the series in and around the same time period. Where westernized tools became part of everyday trade and the shogunate system eventually fell. I have to say the sheer detail and research put into this game is second to none. It shows off the armor, weapons and locations with exquisite flair. Nothing in the game on that front felt generic at all, where other games would often fall in this aspect. I can't faulter how beautiful some places look, really transporting you to some of these places in your mind. What surprised me the most was the dual gameplay, straight out of the gate I have to say, Yasuke is overpowered as hell, no matter the challenge he'll charge his way through any fight which takes away from the difficulty aspect completely, whereas Naoue, you're more nimble and far more assassin-like, so playing as her throughout was my main choice. The combat is quite good as it has multiple weapon choices and plenty of things to tackle any mission with, your arsenals loaded as you further progress, so there's no need to worry about it becoming dry. The stealth here felt akin to some more older games which was a great touch, but sometimes I wanted to clash swords and power kick people off cliffs, hence Yasuke was always that powerhouse option to compliment her. Otherwise i'd advise against playing with Yasuke throughout if you want to challenge yourself a little. The story is none other than a bloody revenge, and the objective screen filled with all your targets and people you meet along the way, with several missions is a genius move. Gone are the days with screens filled with seperate missions categorised seperately. This felt fresh and an amazing addition to the game. I could track what I wanted, when I wanted seamlessly. I completed the entire screen to give myself that satisfaction of not leaving anything out, fully explore the entire map and not miss any viewpoints. This was all achieved within 54hours of game time and I already miss playing it to be honest. I had a few crashes during this time, and some of the terrain wouldn't register when you climb/fall, but this is pretty normal in open world games like these. Can't really fault much except it does everything right and safe. Being safe isn't a bad thing, but I want them to start treading back to the templars because towards the end of the game you get a little tease, and that classic feeling is something thats been missing for a long time now. Can't wait for the next as always, I love this franchise with my whole heart and hope people enjoy it! ~ Nothing is true, everything is permitted. ~ – 4/5.