By Aidan O’brien

Copyright shacknews

Assassin’s Creed Shadows follows up on the adventures of Naoe and Yasuke with the Claws of Awaji expansion, a surprisingly meaty affair that brings a new region to explore, a new weapon for Naoe, new skills, gear, and, of course, new enemies to hunt.

I quite enjoyed my time with the base game, granting Assassin’s Creed Shadows an eight out of ten on the coveted Shacknews review scale. From this expansion, I wanted similar action, more character exploration, and maybe a little bit of polish to certain systems. What I wasn’t expecting were a few very enjoyable surprises along the way.

The most interesting surprise was the introduction of Awaji itself, an island ruled by a cruel overlord called Kimura Yukari. This is a very different place from the Japan we explored in the main game. While Japan was in the throes of war and upheaval, the same unrest almost helped to conceal Naoe and Yasuke as they went about their adventures.

Awaji is different and feels far more dangerous. This island, removed from mainland Japan, is a law unto itself, ruled with an iron fist, and the sense of danger and threat here can feel almost oppressive. Yukari is a devil who rules through cruelty, and the impact of that on the entire island is evident.

As you travel the many roads and paths that lead around the island, shinobi can attack from the trees at any time. It feels like you are constantly being hunted, hated as an outsider by a populace that, in desperation from the dire rule they find themselves trapped under, attacks the very thing that might offer them a chance for change.

Seemingly innocent faces might turn out to be deadly threats, and those who seek to help may actually just be setting you up for harm. In Shadows, the world felt large, and hiding felt easy, but on Awaji, the claws of your enemies draw ever closer and will offer you little respite.

To contrast this, I feel like Awaji is the most beautiful the game has looked. There are parts of the deep forest that exude a natural charm that must have been very difficult to achieve, and there is a real sense of artistry to how many locations have been created. This contrasts nicely with the sense of dread that some of the story missions evoke, and the seemingly constant pursuit from your enemies, so that you really start to feel that the terrible oni might be hiding behind every tree, or lurking in every shrine.

The new story is also a nice surprise, digging deeper into the constant Assassins versus Templars narrative that has defined the series. We also get to meet Naoe’s mother, a hard woman who lives for the mission of the Assassins, with seemingly little time for anything else. She can be abrupt and cold, leaving Naoe constantly playing catch-up in her attempts to please someone who is, in all ways, a living legend.

One key element of the expansion is how it changes combat, adding in the Bo, a more complicated weapon than the previous options. The Bo comes with three stances that you can shift between: high, medium, and low, allowing you to attack the head, center mass, and legs of enemies. It’s fun, if a little frustrating at first, as the required key presses feel slightly contradictory at times.

I found this to be mostly my own fault, as I was still adopting an aggressive fighting style, as if I was using my blades. Once I settled into a more passive style, reacting to enemies rather than forcing the fight, and patiently waiting for them to step into traps, I found it extremely rewarding.

It’s a great move, and while the combat changes are far more impactful for Naoe, who benefits from the Bo, than Yasuke, who only picks up some new skills, it’s enough to really make the combat over the course of the expansion feel fresh and exciting, turning each enemy into a new puzzle to solve. By the end, the Bo was my favorite weapon, and the rewarding thunk as I smacked it off enemies was very enjoyable.

Now, for some downsides. I noticed more bugs over the course of the expansion than I did during my time with the main game. Audio glitches, visual effects glitches, and my character getting stuck on geometry led to a few restarts, but that always solved the problem. Not world-ending, but a shame as they did mar the experience just a little.

Overall, Claws of Awaji is a great way to spend some time, and I feel like the developers have undersold the run time a little. Ten hours or so should see you through the story, but after that, the island remains, with plenty to find for those on the constant hunt for gear and secrets.

Is Claws of Awaji worth going back to the world of Assassin’s Creed Shadows? I believe so, but only for folks who already know that they enjoy what Shadows has to offer. Fans of the game will find a lot to enjoy here, but it’s not going to change anyone’s mind if you are not already in love with what Shadows is doing.

This impressions piece is based on a version of Assassin’s Creed Shadows: Claws of Awaji that the publisher provided.