Assassin’s Creed: Shadows – A Desperate Hail Mary
By Jacob Guynup
Staff Writer
Ubisoft has been a major player in the gaming industry for a long time. Founded in France in 1988, the company has been involved in many fan-favorite games like Rayman, Far Cry, Just Dance, and, of course, Assassin’s Creed. Ubisoft used to hold a major place in the hearts of fans. They used to be a respected part of the gaming industry. But over the last decade or so, the quality of their games absolutely plummeted. They have spent this time pumping out some of the most boring and predictable installments in recent history.
Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey was released in 2018, presenting players with a supposedly “unique” experience when, in reality, it gave players a heavily recycled story formula with boring combat. Valhalla wasn’t much better when it released in 2020. Its setting was more unique than past Assassin’s Creed games, but the game dragged on for so many countless hours that it ruined the story it had built up. Last year, Ubisoft released Star Wars Outlaws, which in my opinion, was the final nail in the coffin for this once-great company. It was a janky, underdeveloped mess that looked great in terms of graphics, but lacked any real substance when it came to its story and gameplay mechanics.
This brings us to Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, a game that I actually played on release day (March 20, 2025) hoping it would somehow save some of Ubisoft’s image. I have to say, while this isn’t the greatest hit Ubisoft has ever put out, it’s also definitely not the worst. Yes, there are still some major flaws that have become synonymous with Ubisoft’s recent game design, but it’s a step in the right direction. The game itself looks amazing. Graphics-wise, this game is stunning.
The setting is super colourful and unique, setting itself apart from all the other games in the series that came before it. They have also improved the stealth mechanics of the game to give players more ways to play the game, which is always à good thing. My personal favorite change is the prone mechanic, which lets the player go prone and roll while in stealth or in ombat. It adds some level of nuance to the gameplay that I haven’t seen in any other Assassin’s Creed. However, like I said, the game is not without its faults. For starters, the story is unbearably predictable. It takes some of the most overused plot points from other games and movies and smashes them all together, hoping that it works. Also, the game has à problem with cutscenes. The game will show the player a 8-10 minute cutscene that drags on for far too long, then give you around 30 seconds of gameplay, allowing you to walk to the next intended area, only for the game to give you yet another cutscene.
Overall, Assassin’s Creed: Shadows definitely has its problems, but I think we should look at this game as a sign that Ubisoft can still improve. If you’re looking for that classic Assassin’s Creed feel, this game won’t give that to you, but it will at least try to improve upon the last few installments in the series. Personally, I’d rate this game a 6/10.