Assassin’s Creed Shadows: Claws of Awaji is the action role-playing game’s (RPGs) first major expansion since launch, adding a whole new island to explore, and with a refined, handcrafted focus when compared to the base game’s sprawling offering. Over ten hours or so, Claws of Awaji finally gives Shinobi protagonist Naoe a proper ending, and it’s an essential experience for those looking to finish off Assassin's Creed Shadows’ story.
Claws of Awaji’s opening mission sets out what’s to follow clearly and creatively. Alongside Junjiro (the Hideout's rambunctious child), Naoe attends a puppet show, where details of the main protagonist’s long-lost Mother have started to emerge. This is when things take a turn, as you play through a 2.5D side-scrolling mission from the perspective of the mysterious Tsuyu, Naoe’s Mother, turned Master Assassin. You go from rooftops to a leap of faith into a darkened courtyard filled with enemies. Claws of Awaji places emphasis on the shadow-based gameplay that I found to be underutilized in the main game, as you extinguish candles and lights to close the distance on foes.
