Assassin’s Creed Shadows marks a series milestone as the first entry developed with a total focus on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. It’s a bold transition with a clear pay-off in its technology, as last-gen PS4 and Xbox One machines are left behind to ensure the core gameplay incorporates the latest features of Ubisoft’s Anvil engine. That includes ray-traced global illumination, procedural weather simulation and world destruction physics – all exciting additions that help elevate its feudal era Japan setting, in ways not possible in 2023’s Assassin’s Creed Mirage.
Not all of these new features are universally available though, with developer Ubisoft Quebec opting for a number of modes that trade off between fidelity and performance on each platform. We’ll look at the game’s higher-end features on PS5 Pro and PC in future articles, with this one focusing on the current-gen console experience on PS5, Xbox Series X and Series S.
The questions here are straightforward: how do each of these three platforms compare, especially the least powerful Series S with its single 30fps mode? And out of the multiple modes available on PS5 and Series X, which are worth considering?
The new tech of the Anvil Engine deserves a moment in the spotlight. After all, on console and PC, this is the first series entry to officially adopt ray tracing and it has a big impact on the world’s presentation.