Summary
- For 12 years, there wasn't really an alternative to Assassin's Creed. Ghost of Tsushima changed that.
- It beat Ubisoft to the punch with the feudal Japan setting, taking the more modern RPG games a step further with a far richer world and slicker combat.
- Now, it looks as though AC Shadows is taking notes from Tsushima, already proving that healthy competition is vital to avoid stagnation.
There haven’t been many games like 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Assassin’s Creed since its debut 16 years ago. It has a unique blend of historical settings, parkour, and political intrigue. Most lists of ‘games to play if you like Assassin’s Creed’ (like our own, which you can read here), suggest action RPGs and other stealthy games that occupy a similar or adjacent genre, but nothing quite hits like Assassin’s Creed. It’s a truly singular series without rival, or at least it was until 2𝐆020.
When 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Ghost of Tsushima was first announced, many heralded it as having 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:beaten Ubisoft to the punch. It was basically Assassin's Creed set in feudal Japan, given that it looked—and is—strikingly similar to the more modern RPG games of the series. You’re thrown into the past, not a setting inspired by real life or vaguely drawing comparisons to it—but a real setting. The only major difference is the lack of 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:a modern day connection (which no one likes anyway) and Ghosts of Tsushima doesn’t use real historical figures, whereas Assassin’s Creed would likely🐷 throw yo🧜u right at Oda Nobunaga.
Gameplay is much the same: you have an enormous map to fill out with a checklist of objectives and side quests that allow you to build up what is essent🧜ially a ‘brotherhood’ of allies to fight back against a cabal of power-hungry invaders. Just swap the Templars for the Mongols.
Jin can even sneak around in the bushes and in🦹stantly kill ene๊mies with his dagger, later unlocking an ability to chain assassinations like with the hidden blade.
There are a few notable differences, however. For one, combat is a lot smoother in Ghost of Tsushima. While Ubisoft drew inspiration from everything from 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Prince of Persia to 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Batman: Arkham to soulslikes, Sucker Punch looked inward at𝔉 old black & white samurai films. Combat is more like a string of duels that relies on precision - a perfect parry can quickly dispatch an enemy, meaning Jin can carve through groups like butter. It’s not so much about dodging, blocking, and managing multiple enemies at once as it is about deflection and slow, 🐼methodical clashes, just like the action of a Kurosawa flick.
Japan doesn’t just feel like set dressing, there’s a clear passion for the era and for art across myriad mediums taking place in that same period. It doesn’t just want us to fee🍌l immerse🍒d in feudal Japan, but in the old samurai movies inspired by it, living through the intrigue of classic novels depicting the period. There’s a care to the era that bleeds into the gameplay, which is what sets Tsushima apart.
Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla all use the same mechanics, albeit slightly refined from game to game, dredging the formula with each sequel and doing nothing to embellish their settings. You might raid towns in Valhalla, but you fight more or less the same as Bayek and Kassandra. Shadows looks 🌸to be different, especially with Naoe.
It doesn&rs🔯quo;t help that Bayek, Kassandra, and Eivor aren’t fully trained Assa💝ssins like previous protagonists. They’re warriors first, lending to their similarly brutal fighting styles.
For Shadows, we have two protagonists ဣwe can switch between for missions; Naoe is more stealthy and functions like the assassins of old games, and Yasuke is a hulking bruiser with gameplay more like that of the modern titles. But yo🐼u can already feel Ghost of Tsushima’s DNA ebbing through his stance. The slow-motion parrying and focus on deflecting apparent in the Ubisoft Forward is far more reminiscent of Sucker Punch’s work than Ubisoft’s.
We also see assassinations through Shoji sliding doors, one of the s♒lickest moves you can ☂pull off in Ghost of Tsushima. The love of samurai films and stories that use feudal Japan as a backdrop that permeated throughout Sucker Punch’s blockbuster has bled into Assassin’s Creed, which is only going to make for better combat and a more thoughtful interpretation of the era. This is exactly why the series needs competition.
For years, Assassin’s Creed stagnated. Unity and Rogue followed on from the fan-favourite Black Flag to a resounding ‘eh&൲rsquo;, and by Syndicate—as much as I love it—it was clear that the old formula had grown tired. Fans wanted something fresh. Ubisoft went back to the drawing board and reworked the game design from the ground up, giving us more open worlds, RPG mechanics, and an entirely new combat system. It was a new beginning for the decade-old franchise, but the games became bloated as the narrow, dense, detailed maps of old games were torn down to make way for vast, empty fields, deserts, and oceans we spent hours trekking over for mundane fetch quests.
♚ Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ Season System Could Be Just What It Needs To Stand Out From Ghost Of Tsushima
There have been a few open-w🐽orld samuari games lately, but Shadows' changing weather could give it a distinct identity.
Despite complaints of each game getting more and more inflated, without competition, it didn’t matter. The worst Assassin’s Creed still occupies a unique space only Ubisoft is cornering, and so its fans have nowhere else to go. Ghost of Tsushima offered a lifeline and showed that these open worlds can be as intricate as those we explored in the classics. ♏It might be restricted to a feudal Japan setting by its nature, whereas each Assassin’s Creed can venture to entirely new settings with each new game, but having that competition will inevitably push Ubisoft to try harder. It has to work to stand out now.
Ghost of Tsushima unashamedly built on the back of Assassin’s Creed, fine-tuning the formula. Now Ubisoft is clearly taking note from what Sucker Punch learned. It’s a h𒀰ealthy back-and-forth that, for us players, means better games. It took 16 years to finally reach this point, but hopefully, it means that Assassin’s Creed will stop coasting on its inevitable ✨success, and begin to push its own limits.
Assassin's Creed Shadows
- Top Critic Avg: 81/100 Critics Rec: 81%
- Released
- March 20, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intenseඣ Violence, Language
- Developer(s)
- ꦡ Ubisoft Quebec
- Publisher(s)
- Ubisoft
- Engine
- AnvilNext
Experience an epic historical action-adventure story set in feudal Japan! Become a lethal shinobi Assassin and a powerful legendary samurai as you explore a beautiful open world in a time of chaos. Switch seamlessly between two unlikely allies as you discover their common destiny. Master complementary playstyles, create your shinobi league, customize your hideout, and usher in a new era for Japan.
• Explore the captivating open world of feudal Japan, from spectacular castle towns and bustling ports to peaceful shrines and war-ravaged landscapes. Adventure through unpredictable weather, changing seasons, and reactive environments.
• Become Naoe, a shinobi Assassin, and Yasuke, a legendary samurai, as you experience their riveting stories and master their complementary playstyles. As Naoe, use stealth to avoid detection and agility to confound your enemies. As Yasuke, strike your foes with lethal precision and power. Unlock new skills, gear, and progression independently for each character.
• Make information your weapon as you explore the world, and build your own network of spies to be your eyes and ears across locations to hunt down your next target. Along the way, recruit new allies with unique abilities to help accomplish your missions.
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• Create a fully customizable hideout for your growing shinobi league as you train your crew, craft new gear, interact with key characters, and choose your base’s layout, decorations, and access🍨ories.
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