This new AC from Ubisoft has caught my attention. I had initially been a little disappointed that they had finally got to Japan when we were awash with titles in a similar vein - Ghost of Tsushima 1 & 2, Rise of Ronin etc.

It is the first one where X1 and PS4 have been left behind and this looks to have been beneficial as they overhauled the graphics/engine in line with this. Reviews have been decent - not going to sway non-fans but a solid to exceptional entry in the series.

What has peaked my interest most has been the graphical options and use of RT hardware. We get the usual Performance and Quality modes and a Balanced (40fps) mode between. However it’s not just a resolution bump separating them. Rather than RT just being used for reflections and shadows the focus is more on Global Illumination which is present in both Quality and Balanced modes. This has some quite stark and obvious benefits - see the comparison shots on the DF page linked below.

https://www.eurogamer.net/digitalfoundry-2025-assassins-creed-shadows-ps5-series-x-slives-up-to-its-tech-potential

Wasn’t all that interested on announcement - now quite keen.