Shadows - What I liked

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Hi All,

In my last post, I talked about what I hoped Shadows could learn from Ghost of Yotei. However, I truly believe that if Shadows could just iron out a few of its "typical" issues, it’s actually a fantastic game. So that aside, I also wanted to share on the things I genuinely enjoyed while playing and curious what you guys liked about this game.

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**1. A Stunning World**

I think everyone can agree on this. The Anvil engine is a great success. The world feels more beautiful, vibrant, and alive than ever. Personally, I actually liked the environmental feel here more than in Yotei. The scale of the major cities and ports is breathtaking. It truly feels like you've time-traveled. I want to give the team a round of applause for this.

**2. The Season System**

This is the first time we’ve seen a system like this, right? I was incredibly satisfied with it. Part of me wishes the seasons had an even bigger impact on gameplay, but then again, people might have ended up skipping seasons just to get to their favorite one... Regardless, it was a very progressive attempt, and I hope they keep it in future titles. It’s too beautiful an idea to be a "one-off" feature.

**3. NPC and Immersion**

The world feels so "full." I loved seeing NPCs gasp in surprise when I jumped over them, overhearing their background gossip, or seeing monks begging/chanting and people playing with puppets. It made me feel like a legitimate traveler in that era. This level of detail is a staple of the series, but they really nailed it this time. (I just wish we had some actual mini-games or activities to join in with them!)

**4. Castle Design and Civilian NPCs**

This was a huge highlight for me. Implementing the interior of the castles and including non-combatant NPCs (like servants cleaning) was a brilliant move. It makes sense. These are places where people live, so it’s always been weird when they’re filled only with soldiers. This is definitely the right direction for the series. The level of detail inside the castles was top-notch.

**5. Stealth Gameplay**

Another point that deserves praise. Specifically, when you whistle, enemies don’t just blindly walk toward you. They stop, take a guarded stance, and cautiously scan and approach the area (with their sword or so raised). That tension is incredible. It felt so much more natural and human. I also loved how enemies alert each other. Instead of a magical alarm, they’ll run after me and as they passby other comrades on the way, they shout, "Hey! Get up! There's a Shinobi here, start searching!" The way the search scale grows organically feels amazing.

Overall, the stealth was tense and rewarding, and adding the prone position was a big thumbs up. It made the experience so much more versatile. This is a clear evolution for the series.

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Honestly, Shadows took a lot of risks, and many of them really paid off. Looking back, I think it’s definitely a good game. I feel like the reason people are being critical is because the game is so close to being super great that "if only they went just a bit further" feeling makes fans want to push the devs harder out of love. (I mean, you hate because you care, yeah? Toxic xD)

Hang in there, Ubi! Don't throw away the successful ideas from Shadows to try something weird next time. Instead, keep building on them. Your strength lies in your incredible art, world-building, and attention to living detail. Keep those strengths and come back to us with an even better narrative next time!

I’ve bought every Assassin’s Creed game except Mirage, and I went for the Premium Edition for Shadows. I’ll keep supporting!