With Assassin's Creed Shadows, Ubisoft brought fans to a setting and time period that had long been requested for the series. Taking place in the late 1500s, during the closing days of Japan's Sengoku period, when the country was experiencing intense civil unrest and ongoing conflict, Assassin's Creed Shadows tells the story of Oda Nobunaga's attempts to unite the fractured land. Deuteragonists Naoe and Yasuke are initially at odds in this struggle, but eventually come to work together to bring some measure of peace and stability to Japan.
As is tradition, Assassin's Creed Shadows will be getting additional story content, with the Claws of the Awaji DLC having been announced and confirmed well ahead of the base game's launch. AC's DLC has had a history of sometimes being more disconnected from the events of the main campaign, but in this case it's more naturally set up to answer some of the bigger threads left open at the conclusion of the main tale.
Major spoilers for Assassin's Creed Shadows below.
Assassin's Creed Shadows Desperately Needs a Discovery Tour Mode
Each Assassin's Creed RPG has received a Discovery Tour mode, and Assassin's Creed Shadows shouldn't be an exception to the trend.
Assassin's Creed Shadows' Claws of the Awaji DLC Looks Like it Will be a Direct Continuation of the Main Game's Plot
Assassin's Creed Shadows' Conclusion Left Some Major Outstanding Questions
Throughout Yasuke and Naoe's journey, the duo uncover a conspiracy to undermine Nobunaga's efforts to create a unified Japan. As the two hunt down the secret Shinbakufu organization that has usurped power and destabilized the balance, they uncover deeper truths about themselves and their past. They successfully eliminate most of the Shinbakufu members, eventually exposing and hunting down the Templars in Assassin's Creed Shadows, who were responsible for Yasuke's enslavement.
In the aftermath, Naoe reconciles with the historically famous swordsman, Hattori Honzo, who was once part of her clan but betrayed them due to his affection for Naoe's mother, the assassin Tsuyu, who was presumed killed years ago. Honzo reveals to Naoe that he has reason to believe that Tsuyu is still alive. And with Naoe's initial motivation to recover and protect the Imperial Regalia– a set of three ornate boxes containing traditionally sacred Japanese relics that Tsuyu entrusted to her husband and Naoe's father, Nagato, to keep safe, the stage is set for Claws of Awaji to follow these two threads.
Assassin's Creed Shadows' Claws of Awaji DLC Will Likely Center on the Search for Tsuyu and the Third Regalia
As stated on Ubisoft's official site, the Claws of Awaji DLC will feature:
A completely new adventure as Naoe and Yasuke travel to the mysterious Island of Awaji beyond Osaka Bay. As the pair scour this region seeking to reclaim a lost treasure, they are hunted relentlessly by deadly new foes. Securing the object—and Japan's future—won't be easy, with all the traps and ambushes putting our protagonists at risk.
Naoe and Hanzo were shown to be in possession of only two of the Regalia at the end of Assassin's Creed Shadows, and the treasure in question is almost certainly the third box. Along with the revelation that Tsuyu may be alive, both are a good bet to be the central focus of the DLC. The "deadly new foes" mentioned are the Sanzoku Ippa, a shadowy faction that, as above, is teased to employ similar tactics and tricks as Naoe and the shinobi themselves, though whether they are somehow connected to either the Shinbakufu or Templars will probably be another layer to the mystery.
The DLC promises to provide over 10 hours of additional content, with developers stating that Claws of the Awaji has a spooky tone, which sounds intriguing in its own right. Based on everything known so far, though, it seems poised to tie more directly into AC Shadows' events compared to previous AC expansions, and shed more light, if not provide closure, on the above elements.
Claws of Awaji's release date for now is "later in 2025."
Assassin's Creed Shadows
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 81 /100 Critics Rec: 82%
- Released
- March 20, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft Quebec
- Publisher(s)
- Ubisoft
