Assassin's Creed Shadows review: An exercise in restraint

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Through trial and tribulation, the latest installment in the Assassin’s Creed franchise is finally here. Originally supposed to release in November last year, Shadows ended up seeing two delays before landing on its March 20 launch date - but is it worth the wait?

On paper, Shadows realises a dream that fans have lusted after since the inception of the series. Translating a tale of stealth, secret factions and political intrigue to feudal Japan sounds like a match made in heaven for Assassin’s Creed - a series that (at least in its early days) follows the story of the battle between the Assassin Order and Templars across centuries.

Sadly, with the design pivot to an RPG structure and a confusing split of focus between its two protagonists, a lot of the series' magic gets lost in translation.

The result is an experience that makes a lot of great steps forwards in some regards, but an overall dull adventure that’s largely forgettable.