The last time I played Assassin's Creed was back in the days of the second part when there was Ezio, Rome, parkour on the rooftops, and an interesting plot. I haven't really kept up with the series much since then, but the Japanese theme in Shadows caught my eye. I thought maybe this was the return. Sadly.

First of all, the game feels like a beautiful shell without a soul. Yeah, the scenery is gorgeous and Japan looks atmospheric, but that's about it. The world seems empty, activities are repetitive, and everything feels a bit superficial. You're eager to explore, but you quickly realize that there's not much to do.
The plot is pretty bad. There seem to be two heroes, but both are presented in a kind of scrappy way. One is a gloomy samurai, and the other is a secretive assassin, but neither of them is interesting. Everything progresses quickly, but there's no real immersion. The new ACS is totally different from the original. The original had drive, intrigue, and a charismatic protagonist. This one, unfortunately, doesn't have any of that.
The gameplay is overloaded. There are a lot of mechanics, menus, and systems, but none of it is particularly exciting. Combat is pretty straightforward just press the left mouse button and sometimes Q to parry. Stealth mode can be a bit weird. Enemies act in ways you don't expect. Sometimes they'll spot you out of nowhere, sometimes they'll walk past a body on the ground.

I really wanted to get into the vibe of Japan and remember what I loved about Assassin's Creed. But I ended up with an action-packed game that was a bit overwhelming and not as engaging as I'd hoped. If you're not a fan of the series, you might feel the same way.
If you're looking for a more enjoyable gaming experience, I would highly recommend checking out Ghost of Tsushima. It does an excellent job of conveying the spirit of time, and it will definitely be a more enjoyable game for you.

Honestly, this game only looks cool visually. As for the content in the game, I was bored within 3 hours of playing. Lots of bugs, some things just refuse to work. NPCs behave strangely, getting into conversations or walking through your ZOI like there is no more room.
The game in its current state feels like an alpha version that is definitely not worth $40. I don't recommend buying it now, but wait for the developers to add more content and for more custom mods to be released for the game.