After 6 hours with Assassin's Creed Shadows, here's the 10 details I love the most so far

I've had a need for a Creed set in feudal Japan since polishing off the very first game in the series, and Assassin's Creed Shadows is finally delivering. Has it been worth the wait? I got to play hands-on for several hours, and my verdict so far isn't just yes but also one of relief that it has actually taken this long. The massive leaps in tech mean Ubisoft Quebec is now really able to do the Sengoku era setting justice.

My time with the game so far has been lengthy, and Assassin's Creed Shadows is already becoming a real contender for one of the best Assassin's Creed games yet – which is a great sign coming from me, someone who was getting more than a little burnt out with the open world RPG approach by the time I hit credits on the final piece of DLC in Assassin's Creed Valhalla. Sure, the proof of the pudding might be in the eating, but this appetizer has me sated thanks to some really smart design choices and a litany of incredible details . It was tough to spotlight them all in my last look at the game, so here I'm looping back to shine it on ten things I think you should definitely know about!

1. The Yasuke difference: Brutal Assassinations

Yasuke and Naoe co-star in this game, and have equal weight. The former, though, isn't an assassin, which is vital to both his story and how he plays. It's a natural evolution for the way Ubisoft have been building on their characters in the last few games, too. Ubisoft Quebec have taken Assassin's Creed Syndicate's twins idea and "pushed the two characters much further apart". As a result, Yasuke is a combat pro, but won't have fancy assassin moves. He's able to do a limited amount of parkour, for instance, but is slower as he tries to keep his balance. It's best exemplified with the aptly named Brutal Assassination, which has Yasuke yell out to force an enemy to turn around before executing them, as he simply refuses to kill someone when their back is turned.

2. What a good fellow

The large Frontier, full of trees, was one of Assassin's Creed 3's best ideas. It was also filled with animals that Connor could hunt and skin. Here in Assassin's Creed Shadows, you can still hunt down some animals… but rather than being about killing everything, Yasuke or Naoe will pop out their sketchbook to capture the nature in front of them. These drawings can be taken back to the highly customizable hideout and displayed. But even better, the depicted animals can also be placed, where they'll wander around. And yes, you can even pet some of them!

3. Castle of characters

Ubisoft Quebec have looked to "craft the crap" out of Assassin's Creed Shadow's depiction of feudal Japan, making sure they get all the little details right from rolling fog to the speciality trades of each settlement. Standing tall among them, though, are the over 30 castles that are "like big mazes". Each packs plenty of character of its own, weaving together interior and exterior sections to create detailed spaces that are interesting to poke around in, whether you're Yasuke boldly moving from room to room or clambering and crawling around as Naoe. Often with viewpoints and challenges of their own, they're rewarding and complex spaces to master.

4. Proned for success

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, but if there's one thing gamers crave, it's being small. Running around normal environments as a tiny pal, thus rendering those areas comparatively big, is just fun. Assassin's Creed Shadows doesn't quite get there, but it does allow you to get very close to the ground, which is sort of the same thing. Introducing the ability to go prone as Naoe, to crawl through grass for cover or through little tunnels, isn't just handy for sneaking, but adds a whole new dimension to the series' always impressive verticality. That dimension is down. And if you go down, the highs become higher. That's just science.

5. Time Lord, no more

Assassin's Creed Shadows has some seriously impressive weather and seasonal effects. As day turns to night and back again, so too does the climate change. Naturally, it's speedier than real-life, but even so, unlike some of its predecessors, you can't change it for yourself. That's actually a great thing, as both Yasuke and Naoe will have advantages and disadvantages depending on the conditions, the latter, for example, being able to more easily hide in nighttime's many shadows. Not being able to skip through those negatives forces you to adapt, and to actually engage with the challenges in front of you.

6. Lights, camera, action

Visually, Assassin's Creed Shadows is a feast. But it's not just that the game looks good, it also feels intrinsically tied to play – which, for me at least, is always an important factor for a game. Light and shadow enhance things like the fires of war during pivotal story moments, but they're also vital for staying undetected in stealth. Lamps and candles can be extinguished from either up close or at range (by throwing kunai, for instance), and there's even a new visibility meter that takes a page out of Thief's heist manual plonked right on the HUD. To top it off, visual flourishes even punctuate the more intense action, strong weapon skill strikes adding a black/white/red filter to highlight blood spray and to give those big moments impact. Quiet, or loud, well-judged visuals enhance them all.

7. Shoe! Get outta' here!

The Hideout, which you're free to customize as you please, is filled with details. From allied characters hanging out and shooting the breeze with one another, to spending time crafting the perfect courtyard gardens. One tiny detail that adds plenty of authenticity is how Naoe and Yasuke's shoes will pop off as soon as they enter an interior, nodding to Japanese custom. There's no annoying cutscene of them popping them on and off either (don't look at me like that, Shenmue, I didn't mean you!), so it's a nice touch that has no downside, and goes to show that sometimes less can be more when implementing details like this.

8. Free bird

Let those eagles (and raven) fly! Fly right out of the series, that is. First added in Assassin's Creed Origins with Senu, the ability to call on a very drone-like bird for an aerial viewpoint has been core to the current era of open world RPG style Assassin's Creed games. They've also been somewhat divisive, with subsequent entries struggling to juggle their potentially overpowered nature. Assassin's Creed Shadows does away with this, specifically aiming to keep players immersed in what's in front of them. Observe, instead, replaces it, dynamically changing what you can sense and mark depending on the viewpoint you're looking out from. Note the lack of capitalization – you can do this from anywhere, the higher the better, not just the collectible Viewpoint fast travel points. This will become a powerful tool in your arsenal, and one that keeps you locked in at all times.

9. Combo mastery

Yasuke's strength isn't just for show, it's weaved into how he fights on a deeper level than the (still pretty deadly) Naoe. His arsenal of weapons can weave strong and light attacks together to form combos, any strike of which can be charged to alter the deployed move. Certain activities will even have Yasuke practise these out in the world, though they're all (it seems) unlocked from the start if you experiment. With two melee weapons equipped, Yasuke can even learn an ability that has him switch them mid-combo to keep the chain going, altering combos even further.

10. Baton pass

Naoe or Yasuke? So far, I love the way they both stand strong together, my opening hours with Assassin's Creed Shadows naturally encouraging me to switch things up frequently. While exploring non-hostile areas, you can toggle where you stand from the pause menu. On death, it provides a great opportunity to re-plan and tackle a situation as the other one. But even more, I love how the main missions provide frequent story checkpoints that allow you to switch back and forth depending on who you want to take on the next chunk of the mission. For instance, have Yasuke break down the front door and go in samurai swords blazing, or have Naoe scale the walls undetected? You can stick with one if you prefer most of the time, but they're different enough to appreciate their natural strengths in play.

Looking to get even deeper into a story? Check out our best RPG games list for your next epic adventure!