Assassin's Creed Shadows: Digital Deluxe Edition

By sharpening the edges of its existing systems, Assassin’s Creed Shadows creates one of the best versions of the open-world style it’s been honing for the last decade.

Ubisoft Quebec's Assassin's Creed Shadows messes with a good thing by including one too many playable protagonists.

Majestic in scope, impressive in detail, Assassin's Creed Shadows honours the beauty of feudal Japan, even if its strongest moments are saved for the personal stories of two protagonists.

Come for the neck stabs and stay for the surprisingly great combat, Assassin's Creed Shadows is a stealth action buffet with a story to forget.

Not every idea comes together neatly, and two phenomenal protagonists feel wasted on a lackluster story, but this is a titan in the same leagues as series staples Assassin's Creed 2 and Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag – and Ubisoft's best RPG to date.

As a day-one fan, every Assassin's Creed game has meant something to me. Ezio's trilogy is an all-consuming conspiracy through my favorite period of world history; Edward's journey is the best pirate game out there;

A beautiful recreation of 16th century Japan is stained with the clumsy ink of an uninspiring revenge tale, but take your time sneaking through castles and visiting temples to get the most from an impressive open world.

I’m actually at the point where I’m enjoying finding little problems with the game, because - most of the time - I know that means there’ll be something interesting on the other end of it. That is high praise for any work of art, but in a video game… it really feels like something special.

Ubisoft's latest open-world RPG overcomes forgettable quests thanks to standout characters and improved stealth action

While Assassin's Creed Shadows is unlikely to win over those who struggled to push through Odyssey or Valhalla, this is still one of the strongest overall entries in the series - and arguably the best of the open world RPG bunch. The storytelling is largely fantastic, the main characters are deeply likeable, and the open world itself is a thing of beauty.