There was a particular moment during my first hour in Assassin's Creed Shadows that brought the open-world to life. As Naoe, I'd spent most of my time early doors running around the landscape to reach various viewpoints dotted around the map. One saw me climb to the top of a tower nestled on a hillside, and when the camera panned around to show off an impressive vista plush with trees and foliage, grey clouds began to form overhead. I was now free to observe the location around me for more points of interest nearby, (before taking a leap of faith into a haybale, as is tradition), but a crack of lightning fixed me to the spot. Heavy rain began to fall, ricocheting off the rooftop and drenching the trees below, and it was as if all my senses were awakened.
As the wind began to pick up in the encroaching storm, I soaked in the view and appreciated the sound of the strong breeze kicking up leaves and rustling through branches. As another crack of lightning peeled through the grey sky above, the subtle vibrations of the haptic feedback on my PS5 DualSense controller emulated the droplets of rain. We've seen a lot of beautiful open-worlds in the Assassin's Creed series over the years, but it was at this moment that I came to the conclusion that Shadows is home to the most visually impressive and dynamic one yet – thanks in part to the weather system and changing seasons which breathe life into the environment.
