For a game as cinematic as Assassin's Creed Shadows, the smallest details are leaving the biggest impressions on me. It's a subtle spread of immersive tweaks; while climbing snow-capped cliffs in search of a shrine, the sucking weight of each footstep has me mirroring Naoe's laboured breaths. Marvelling at the sunlight-dappled trees from atop a vantage point is a beautiful sight, but careening off it and stumbling as I find my footing is more charming still. The combined effect is a powerful one. At just three hours in, I've learned, done, and felt more than I have in any of the best Assassin's Creed games that came before.
But not only is Assassin's Creed Shadows a stunning world to experience, it's peppered with mechanical quality-of-life overhauls that I didn't know I'd been missing in past entries. Experiencing each one during the game's prologue had me almost whooping for joy – so much so, I was very nearly distracted from how explosive of an introduction it is.
