Assassin's Creed Shadows Claws of Awaji Review - More Of The Same, Not In A Good Way...

Only a few months after the lackluster ending of Assassin's Creed Shadows, it's time for us to return to Japan again for the Claws of Awaji DLC with a continuation of Naoe and Yasuke's story. With the promises of a new island, a new story, and a new weapon, was it worth it to hop back into Shadows for one more adventure?

The story of the Claws of Awaji opens with a mysterious message from Hattori Hanzo about a puppetmaster telling the story of an assassin that travelled to the island of Awaji with a hidden blade on her arm. Still on the hunt for her mother, Naoe begins her investigation of the island to try to confirm whether this mysterious assassin is indeed Tsuyu.

I was a big fan of the beginning of Claws of Awaji. A brief amount of time spent on the mainland with an emotional setup for Naoe and a good reason for you to visit the island. That, coupled with the linear storytelling, made it clear that there was more focus and direction.

A Story That's Good For A Bit… Until It Isn't

These first few missions are a focused experience with a mix of missions you can play as Naoe or Yasuke, or character-specific missions where you hop between the two. This also lent to the strength of this DLC. I appreciated the linear nature of the story and how there were valid reasons for why I might approach a mission with Yasuke instead of Naoe.

Unfortunately, after about an hour of this more refined experience, the DLC took a page from the base game. After identifying your primary target, you then identify their primary lieutenants and characters who support the lieutenants. From there, you're dropped into the open world, working on your hit list from the bottom to the top.

All of that sense of direction, narrative, and progression flew out the window as I was just checking off boxes on my to-do list. Each major milestone, I'd look forward to some big enhancement of the plot, only to be met with additional newly revealed subordinates that were a horse ride and a quick assassination away.

The openness of the world and options to tackle these objectives in whatever order you want seems to have a direct negative effect on how engaging the story can be. There can be no references or callbacks to defeating a different powerful enemy, because there's no way to know if the player has experienced that yet. The alternative would be planning for every permutation, but the amount of additional work that would be required for that just wouldn't make sense.

Another aspect of the full game that this DLC also carries forward with is a lack of a worthwhile resolution. Much like how the base game just… ends, this DLC does the same. I don't want to spoil the plot, but the resolution felt more like a reminder that there was more to do in the open world rather than reaching the conclusion of a major milestone in a story.

A Boss Battle Head And Shoulders Above The Rest

The standout setpiece from this DLC is the boss fight against an antagonistic shinobi. Set in a mysterious arena with trapped statues meant to look like your foe, you complete this boss battle by hunting after the sounds of your opponent, creeping up on them, and chipping away at their health.

The arena is filled with grass and water to hide in, but also traps and misleading statues that try to lure you into a trap and deal damage or poison. As a player you're pushed to not rely on stats or what the best weapon in your arsenal is, but instead the stereo audio, keeping an eye out for traps, and watching for your target.

This was an incredible boss battle from start to finish and really showed off the 'Assassin' aspect of Assassin's Creed.

A New Weapon For Technical Fighting

In addition to the new adventure, the Claws of Awaji DLC also introduces a new weapon for Naoe. A core aspect of the combat in Shadows is down to not just attacking your opponents, but also reading their movements. 

The new Bo weapon takes this a step further by providing you with a weapon where you can attack in a basic combo with light hits, but also very selectively use heavy attacks to push enemies back, attack them high to stun them, or drop low to take them out at their feet.

This new weapon feels like a next step for someone who's trying to push their technical play further. There's a lot more to think about in terms of movement and strategy, but it does mean that when you do successfully read your opponent and pull off a technical play it can be very satisfying.

Assassin's Creed Shadows: Claws of Awaji Review | Final Thoughts

I think the best way that I can summarize my experience with Claws of Awaji is that it is a very faithful continuation of the base game. That means that the portions of the game when it's the strongest, like when the narrative can be focused or leaning into stealth, really shine.

Alternatively, the vast open world and "complete it in whatever order you want" mission style weakens the overall narrative, which is really what a lot of people come to an Assassin's Creed game for. A story that should have narratively wrapped up two of the largest plot threads from the original game with a bang, just ended up fizzling out…

If you were a fan of Assassin's Creed Shadows then you'll likely enjoy the ~8-hour experience that is Claws of Awaji. Otherwise, you'll likely want to let this DLC pass you by.

Assassin's Creed Shadows Claws of Awaji was reviewed on PC with a copy provided by the Developer over the course of 8 hours of gameplay - all screenshots were taken during the process of review.