Summary
Assassin’s Creed Shadowsand Ghost of Tsushima have a lot in common. Both are open-world games that take you to two different time periods of feudal Japan with some similar combat mechanics, exploration, and game design. But, they still do it in a few different ways. Shadows is Ubisoft’s expansive action RPG, while Tsushima is more of an action-adventure game with streamlined mechanics.
Both games have their strengths, whether it’s in graphics, story, or gameplay. Shadows gives players two protagonists with two different gameplay styles, while Tsushima refines its combat to near perfection with a greater focus on one playstyle. But still, there are a few things that one game does better than the other.
7Graphics
Winner: Tie
Assassin’s Creed Shadows is graphically a big step up from past Assassin’s Creed games like Valhalla and Mirage. Since it’s not a cross-gen title, it takes full advantage of current-gen consoles' hardware capabilities and that is notable in its draw distance and foliage density.
The lighting is especially impressive, with realistic reflections on water and environmental objects, and it looks particularly breathtaking during the night. The game also hasa full seasonal system, which changes how the world looks throughout the year. Although, the lighting can sometimes look a bit odd during the day if you’re not playing with ray tracing enabled.
As for Ghost of Tsushima, it still holds up well. Despite the game being made with the base PS4 hardware in mind, it remains one of the most visually striking open-world games even now. The art direction is stunning, with vibrant fields of various colored flowers which give the game a colorful look while still feeling realistic and grounded. Ultimately, both games look great and have their strengths, and this is a close tie.
6Narrative
Winner: Ghost Of Tsushima
One of the weaker aspects of modern Assassin’s Creed games has been their storytelling, and this is even more pronounced in Shadows. While Yasuke and Naoe are interesting protagonists, most of the supporting cast aren’t as memorable.
The main villains, the 12 masked Shinbakufu, don’t leave much of an impression either, as they are usually dealt with almost as quickly as they are introduced. The game also lets you deal with these antagonists in any order, which results in lesser urgency and tension. The voice acting, writing, and character interactionscould also be much better.
On the other hand, Ghost of Tsushima tells a more compelling and personal story that’s interesting right from the start until the very end. Jin’s character development was great and so were all of his interactions with his uncle, not to mention the various characters he meets that become his trusted allies. These supporting characters, such as Yuna, Taka, Sensei Ishikawa, Masako Adachi, Norio, and Kenji all had interesting character arcs that unfolded as you completed their lengthy quest chains.
5Immersion
Both games do a fantastic job of recreating their respective time periods. Assassin’s Creed Shadows takes place in 1579, during the Sengoku period, while Ghost of Tsushima is set in 1274, during the first Mongol invasion of Japan. Both games go to great lengths to recreate and capture the look and feel of their settings with a lot of attention to detail, from the architecture to the economy and the type of people you meet in various locations.
Both games also offer HUD customization options to make the experience more immersive, such as removing certain elements. But, given Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ action RPG game design and leveled enemies and locations, turning off critical information such as enemy level numbers and health bars makes combat feel odd and makes you worse at it.
Ghost of Tsushima does a better job of keeping you immersed. The guiding wind system really lets you focus on the world rather than map icons. The game is also far less reliant on checklist side content and tasks, and they feel more naturally integrated into the game’s world. Overall, Tsushima’s storytelling and world design work in tandem to create a stronger sense of presence in the game itself and not its menus, making it more immersive.
4Game Design
Assassin’s Creed Shadows still follows Ubisoft’sformula of quantity over quality, and a lot of side quests can feel repetitive. Many missions follow a simple structure of going somewhere and doing something with not as much narrative buildup or reasoning.
Ghost of Tsushima’s missions are more engaging, often focusing on character-driven stories. The game also avoids overwhelming you with map icons and other things to keep checking in on, and this helps things stay minimalistic and focused.
Tsushima also has a streamlined progression system which really works in its favor, with a single skill point system as opposed to Shadows’ system which includes both a skill point and a knowledge point to level up skills, which can feel like an inconvenience. Ghost of Tsushima’s game design is more refined and enjoyable, making it a clear winner here.
3Exploration
Both games offer plenty of worthwhile side activities and reasons to explore. Assassin’s Creed Shadows has a lot of assassination-based side content, and you’re able to also unlock fast travel by climbing viewpoints just like in previous Assassin’s Creed games. The game also includes temples, shrines,several enemy castles, and numerous collectible activities with decent rewards.
Ghost of Tsushima, on the other hand, has fox dens, shrines, haiku spots, hot springs, and bamboo strikes, just to name a few. These activities are quick and worthwhile as they give you important rewards such as permanent health and resolve increases, and charms and headbands as well. The world of Tsushima feels more designed around natural exploration.
Although, one area where Assassin’s Creed Shadows is more impressive is its cities. The game features dozens of large, bustling towns and cities filled with NPCs, whereas Tsushima’s only had settlements and smaller towns. This is largely due to the time period, as Tsushima Island in 1274 simply wasn’t as lively as mainland Japan in 1579 and wasn’t bustling with economic trade and development. Hence, this has to be a tie.
2Combat
Assassin’s Creed Shadows features two protagonists with distinct playstyles.Naoe is more stealth-focused, having three main weapons - Katana, Kusarigama, and a Tanto. Yasuke is a tank that deals more damage with five main weapons - Long Katana, Naginata, Kanabo, Teppo, and a Bow. While this variety is nice, the combat itself isn’t quite as smooth or responsive as it could be.
In Ghost of Tsushima, Jin only has a Katana as the primary weapon, with a Tanto being used for stealth kills. You’d think this was limiting, but it doesn’t feel that way thanks to the four different stances, each designed to counter specific enemy types. There’s also a very in-depth skill tree with plenty of skills that make a noticeable difference in gameplay styles.
The Mythic abilities are also very fun to unlock and use, and they add even more variety to the game’s combat system, not to mention the various tools and gadgets, which are also included in Shadows, but feel more tactile and responsive here. The combat in Ghost of Tsushima easily wins this category.
1Verdict
Assassin’s Creed Shadows is a good entry in the Assassin’s Creed series, but it doesn’t do much to reinvent or reimagine the formula. If you enjoy Ubisoft’s style of open-world games, you’ll likely have a good time, and it’s a very visually impressive and polished experience.
Ghost of Tsushima, on the other hand, is a game that can hook almost anyone, even if they don’t like open-world games quite as much. It still holds up extremely well against current-gen games. The combat is a big highlight of this game, and the environmental design and art direction make it a pleasure to look at.
