Challenges of Exploring Activities in the Vacant Open World of Assassin’s Creed Shadows

About 15 hours into playing Assassin’s Creed Shadows, I found myself faced with a daunting task I had been putting off. After unlocking the second playable character, Yasuke, and noticing that his narrative led to Omi, I knew it was time to venture to a new part of the game’s world. The journey ahead was a hefty 3,000 meters, but I was looking forward to the adventure and hoped to stumble upon some exciting things along the way.

Unfortunately, my expectations were not met. Shadows’ dedication to realistic terrain meant no shortcuts could be taken. The world was beautiful, but exploration felt limited and the lack of engaging activities left me feeling like I was in a vast, empty space. Unlike other open-world games, Shadows doesn’t clutter your map with objectives, making it challenging to find things to do unless you already know where to look.

During my trek to Omi, I encountered a few random events, like skirmishes and wildlife painting opportunities, but they didn’t add much to the overall experience. The world felt empty, and the limited ways to interact with it left much to be desired. It made me yearn for more meaningful activities, like cataloging the flora and fauna I encountered on my journey, similar to other games that made exploration more rewarding.

Upon reaching Omi, my frustration grew as the missions for Yasuke felt repetitive and unnecessary, considering I had already been playing as him for a while. The long journey didn’t feel justified by the hour of cutscenes and missions that followed. While the game’s stealth and combat mechanics are enjoyable, the pacing of the narrative felt disjointed and left me feeling like my time was wasted.

This issue is not exclusive to Shadows, as many games in the genre struggle to maintain engaging gameplay throughout. While Shadows has its moments of fun, the constant struggle to find purposeful activities within the vast world can be draining. I wish the game lived up to its promise of switching between two unique characters in a stunning environment without making me feel like I was fighting the game itself to enjoy it.