Mini Review: Assassin’s Creed Shadows: Claws of Awaji (PS5) – Story Moments Carry an Overly Safe Expansion

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Once you finish the main story in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, you can play the ‘Claws of Awaji’ expansion. It will likely take you between five and ten hours to finish, depending on how much of the new island you choose to explore.

This downloadable content nicely ties up many unresolved plot points from the different endings of the main game, making it a satisfying addition overall.

Claws of Awaji, like many recent Assassin’s Creed expansions, runs into a common problem: it adds content to a game that’s already incredibly large and may have lost its appeal for some players a long time ago.

There isn’t a lot that feels truly new about this island. You’ll find the standard upgrades – new skills, weapons, armor, and items – to help you complete tasks on yet another map filled with icons. Ultimately, whether you’ll enjoy it depends on if you already like the way Shadows plays.

A loop that, arguably, already felt tired long before rolling the base game’s credits.

Awaji Island isn’t without its strengths. Naoe and Yasuke have already made a name for themselves with their fierce battles on the mainland, and because they’re a significant threat to the new enemies, they find themselves constantly pursued throughout this downloadable content.

The island feels genuinely dangerous thanks to surprise attacks and challenging boss battles, even when you’re simply exploring. Awaji Island offers a unique sense of excitement that you don’t find in the main game, making it a memorable experience.

The core story missions are generally quite interesting, and this expansion really highlights the strong dynamic between Naoe and Yasuke. The game frequently switches between letting you control each character, encouraging you to use their unique abilities to overcome challenges.

Okay, so I just finished Claws of Awaji, and honestly, it’s…fine. The story had some really cool parts, but it didn’t really *change* anything about the game, you know? I was hoping it would fix some of the stuff that felt a little weak in the main game – like the combat and sneaking, and how the open world works – but it mostly just sticks to what’s already there. It’s not bad, but it doesn’t take any big risks either.

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2025-09-17 21:06