Assassin’s Creed Odyssey made a big impact on the series, but it had its problems that Assassin’s Creed Shadows needs to avoid. Odyssey beautifully recreated Ancient Greece and had interesting main characters, but the huge amount of content could be overwhelming. With so many side activities, quests, and things to explore, players often felt bogged down. While at first, it was great, the repetitive tasks took away from the main story, and the size of the game sometimes hurt player engagement over time.

Now, Ubisoft is working on Assassin’s Creed Shadows, and it comes with the challenge of living up to Odyssey’s legacy. After the more focused Mirage, Shadows comes courtesy of the team behind Odyssey and aims to return to the large RPG style seen in Odyssey and Valhalla. However, the gaming market is very competitive right now. Many major games released in early 2023 raised the bar, and with the upcoming sequel to Ghost of Tsushima, Shadows will face tough competition that makes it more important than ever for Ubisoft to learn from the past.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Is A Very Long Game

It’s Long For The Sake of Being Long

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey tells an interesting story set in ancient Greece, from which Assassin’s Creed Shadows should take notes. The main characters, Alexios and Kassandra, are well-developed, and their adventures pull players into the Peloponnesian War and other events. The story includes family mysteries, rich mythology, and a large conspiracy that makes for an exciting narrative. However, this engaging story often gets overshadowed by too many extra activities in the game. The issue is not the story’s ambition but how the side quests and activities are handled.

The game world is stunning and filled with historical detail, but it can feel overwhelming due to the sheer number of side quests and activities. Many of these tasks repeat similar patterns, like clearing out bandit camps, retrieving stolen items, or swimming through caverns. While some side missions are interesting and offer unique challenges, too many feel like simple chores meant just to extend playtime instead of improving the experience. The map is cluttered with icons for countless objectives, turning exploration from an exciting adventure into a checklist.

Ubisoft has other big issues that need to be fixed, but the bloated gameplay is one of the worst.

This excessive number of tasks makes the more meaningful side missions feel less important and overshadows the main storyline. This problem affects almost every part of Odyssey’s gameplay. Activities like hunting rare animals or naval combat can become repetitive if there are too many to complete. This overload takes away from the core gameplay experience, making the game feel less fun due to its lack of focus. Ubisoft’s approach of prioritizing quantity over quality creates a gap between what players want from the game and what it actually offers.

Additionally, like other Assassin’s Creed games, Odyssey includes a modern-day storyline that many players find tedious and out of place by this point. These sections often break the flow of the historical story and can frustrate players, as they feel disconnected from the main plot. The less interesting modern-day story makes for a jarring experience, which negatively affects every game. The modern storyline feels like more bloat to make a longer game.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows Doesn’t Have Room To Breathe

There’s No Room For Error Here

This year is turning out to be a tough competition for major game titles, where even well-known series like Assassin’s Creed have to fight hard for players’ attention. Shadows, set to release in November, is going up against the upcoming sequel to Ghost of Tsushima, Ghost of Yotei, which is expected later this year. Ghost of Tsushima already established itself as the Assassin’s Creed in Japan that players wanted, so its sequel will be a huge competitor for the series. Ghost of Yotei promises a great story and a beautiful open world rooted in a unique historical setting.

For Shadows to succeed, Ubisoft must understand that players today don’t want unnecessarily long experiences just to fill time. In this tough market, a boring, repetitive story or an overload of meaningless side quests can quickly become exhausting. Reviews and word of mouth will heavily influence a game’s long-term success, and a low Metascore can deter potential buyers and redirect them to the competition. Ubisoft should take a lesson from Odyssey’s problem because there’s little room for error.

A well-crafted and focused experience where every activity adds something meaningful to the story and gameplay is much more likely to win players over than a long list of tasks. This is a time for careful planning, not just expanding for the sake of it. While a big open world can make a game feel immersive, it can also feel empty if not filled with interesting things to do.

The developers of Shadows need to find a balance, making sure that its setting is rewarding to explore without losing focus on the main story. In short, Shadows should avoid the mindset of “more is better” and instead focus on “less is more.” A polished and focused experience is what will stand out in this competitive year.

Cutting The Fat Could Make AC Shadows Great

Stop Sprinkling Things In Thoughtlessly

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is important to the series. While Odyssey was beautiful and had a great story, there was just too much content. The vast open-world is impressie, but it was bloated with repetitive tasks that weakened the main story’s impact. With Shadows, there’s an opportunity to create a more focused game, as players today are less willing to deal with worlds sprinkled with unnecessary content. The gaming market is crowded, and games that prioritize quality over quantity have a better chance of succeeding.

To do well, Shadows should focus on fewer, well-crafted activities that integrate nicely with the main story, aiming for maximum enjoyment rather than just playtime. The key difference between a successful, expansive game and a bloated one is the quality of content. The developers of Shadows should make sure every part of the game is worthwhile. This means carefully curating the activities and ditching any that don’t add to the experience.

By focusing on the strongest elements of the series, creating a carefully designed world and storyline, and learning from the mistakes of Odyssey, Ubisoft Quebec has the chance to deliver an exceptional Assassin’s Creed game. Assassin’s Creed Shadows has the potential to stand out in the crowded market by delivering a great experience that cuts out unnecessary elements.