Assassin's Creed Shadows 'Hands On' Preview / Review (Pure Xbox) 4

Unfortunately, we haven't had enough time with Assassin's Creed Shadows to put a definitive score on a review - this is a game with a world that's bigger than Origins, after all - but I've personally been using every spare second to jump in and explore where I can over the past week or so.

What's struck me most in the opening hours is just how much more cinematic, how very dark and atmospheric this 14th (!) main instalment in the franchise feels. Right from the get-go, Ubisoft's incredible depiction of a huge slice of 16th century Japan is a strictly adult one. Fujibayashi Naoe, the awesome young female shinobi who you control in the earlier hours of the tale, is new to murder, and the game wants you to recognise and understand the impact that her first kill has. She doesn't just strike her first victim down and walk away. She feels the shift, embraces revenge, and is an immediately intriguing prospect as a protagonist, thanks to a backstory that doesn't hold back on the grisly murders or grief.

There's a whole lot of Kill Bill, Ghost of Tsushima and Tomb Raider reboot vibes in these opening hours, then. Naoe is sleek and cool to control, she's got bloody murder on her mind, and even the soundtrack hits out in surprising directions in some sequences where you get used to the much-improved core combat against low-level grunts.

In action, I'm not sure I've seen a better-looking game this gen, either. The incredible lighting, mixed with the ridiculous amount of detail on foes as you battle them; the dirt and blood, shining armour than glistens dynamically in the sun, and the changing expression on their faces as they strain to defeat you. Even the actual shadows in this game may be the best I've seen in a console game. Could that be why it's called Assassin's Creed Shadows? No, no it couldn't.

The world itself, in the hours I've played so far, depicts a Japan of dense forests, thick fog, wetlands, mud and danger. Large settlements exist - and are jaw-dropping when you first clap eyes on them - but I've been most wowed by the wilderness. You also can quite keenly feel the push from Ubisoft, to direct players more towards an unguided playstyle in this entry. Switching off unnecessary aids, using scouts to survey areas before moving in, and reading clues rather than following big waypoints are all things that make this franchise a better experience, in my opinion. It works really well in this setting, too, to switch off the guides and get lost in a slice of Japan that's as haunting as it is beautiful.

In terms of combat, Shadows retains the basic layout of previous titles in the series since Assassin's Creed went RPG-lite. You've got a dodge, light and heavy attacks, and two slots to equip weapons. The basics are easy to pick up for series fans, then. But it all feels so much better to actually dig into and play this time around. Much more fluid animations, combined with some incredibly cool sword moves and bow shots, make for fights that are absolutely the most engaging I've seen from AC.

Add in the ability to go prone, use a little reed to breathe in shallow water, and even hook-shot around trees - and this is all before you even start unlocking special moves - and you've got a protagonist who pairs well with a world that's been designed with stealth in mind, I'd say slightly moreso than it does straight-up massive battles. I should note, I've yet to reach the point of switching to Yasuke for an extended period of time, but expect he'll bring much more in the way of melee-based scraps to the table.

There are a few niggles early doors, too. It's not all plain sailing. I'm not sure we needed a world as big as Origins, for starters - I really would love to see these things scaled back and more manageable. A personal gripe. More irksome, however, is the base-building, which this particular writer just curls up into a frozen ball at the prospect of. Please stop putting base-building in every game. Thank you.

Overall though, and those small few niggles aside, this is proving to be an incredibly atmospheric, and deliciously dark slice of Assassin's Creed. I've been very pleasantly surprised, to be quite honest, with how all the little changes across the board add up to make for a game that does feel like a notable advance, after quite a few very samey experiences. The world feels more alive with nature and life than we've seen thus far from the franchise, it's still packed full of the insane levels of historical accuracy and details as the rest of these newer AC titles, and I can see myself keeping at it, even though I'm pretty burnt out on the franchise, just on the strength of how well they've nailed the story, the amazing setting and the immaculate vibes in the opening chapters.

Also, when big Oda Nobunaga picks a fight, when that dirtbag shows up and starts throwing his weight around? We're always up for giving that lad a doing.

Are you picking up Assassin's Creed Shadows this week? Tell us down in the comments below.