On The Radar: Assassin's Creed Shadows coverage hub

Assassin's Creed Shadows review: "More confidence, texture, and purpose than we've seen since Assassin's Creed pivoted into RPG territory": This latest entry in the open world RPG format manages to be a bold evolution, mixing ambitious systems with a freeform approach. It's not perfect, but a displays a boldness and ambition to reinvent that proves the series can still delight and surprise all these years on.

"We don't want to force one terabyte of data on the players": Assassin's Creed Shadows' tech director on the clever tricks Ubisoft uses to "go beyond" current-gen: The first release that's exclusive to the new-generation of consoles, we speak with technical director Pierre Fortin on the huge leaps from the city-set Assassin's Creed Syndicate through to the new game, and the tech wizardry required to embrace its impressive season and weather effects.

Assassin's Creed Shadows boss is confident Ubisoft has a place in modern RPGs, even as the industry's goalposts shift: "When we were working on Odyssey, it was Breath of the Wild": Creative director Jonathan Dumont discusses Assassin's Creed Shadows' position in a genre that has been dramatically changed by the likes of Elden Ring and Baldur's Gate 3.

Assassin's Creed Shadows was originally envisioned without Yasuke, but Ubisoft wanted the full feudal fantasy: "We were sort of making a stealth tank, and it didn't quite work": Jonathan Dumont tells us about the introduction of Yasuke into the game conceptually, and why dual protagonists were the right choice for the game they were trying to make.

"The toughest thing is pacing": Assassin's Creed Shadows head weighs in on why the game ends like that, the "difficult" nature of its story, and what's next for the series: How do you tell a complete story in an open world game with so many side activities, and a main mission structure so freeform? We talk with Jonathan Dumont about the challenges of getting it right, and how the game ended up as it did.

"We really wanted you to live this history": Assassin's Creed Shadows is all about "perspective", says the game's cinematic director: Speaking with David Nibbelin, the game's realization and cinematic director, we discuss balancing Yasuke and Naoe across Assassin's Creed Shadows' storytelling, putting Ubisoft Quebec's unique spin on history, and more.

Assassin's Creed Shadows "has a little bit of Tarantino flavor", but its real secret ingredient is intrigue: "It's almost like you're watching an episode of Shogun": David Nibbelin tells us about the influences that went into Assassin's Creed Shadows, the musical needledrops, and sticking the landing for Yasuke's early game re-introduction.

"I created Naoe how I would create a movie character," says Assassin's Creed Shadows star Masumi: "Just very full and honest and a whole human being as much as I can": We talk with Masumi about bringing Naoe to life, from finding a unique perspective for her amid the hefty legacy of the series, to dialling into what it means to be a warrior in the Sengoku period.

After 18 years, I'm convinced Assassin's Creed Shadows has perfected the series' ultimate stealth loop – all thanks to its deliciously dense castles: Fast-paced parkour and blending into the shadows has always been vital to the series' stealth. But the fidelity to play with light and sound hasn't been present until now. Combined with some wonderfully designed castles that offer up oodles of fresh feeling challenges, Assassin's Creed Shadows finally cracks the perfect stealth playground.

I've spent 20 hours in Assassin's Creed Shadows chasing drip and decor, and it's proving to be my biggest source of motivation in the RPG: Sure, gear for Naoe and Yasuke feature special effects and all sorts of percentage-based stat buffs. But they also look incredible. Thanks to a feature that allows you to equip gear for looks as well as just stats, we've been having a lot of fun playing around with making the two look spectacular. Check out our fits!

Assassin's Creed Shadows' yellow paint parkour challenges are a highlight for me after 11 hours jumping around the world: Parkour is a core part of the Assassin's Creed identity, and a move away from city-focused settings caused the series to spread all that jumping thinly in recent entries. Assassin's Creed Shadows addresses this in a few ways, with Naoe's Path challenges being a particular highlight.

Assassin's Creed Shadows is great, but I need feudal Japanese stories to stop cribbing from Kurosawa quite so hard: There's lots to love about the way the game is presented, with some great visual stylings that, at times, echo Kurosawa. But we wish in terms of the broader storytelling Assassin's Creed Shadows was willing to be bolder with the tales it's trying to tell.