Assassin’s Creed: Shadows – Claws of Awaji – Review

We work in the shadows, to serve the light

The ending of Assassin’s Creed: Shadows left a bitter taste in my mouth. Not because it wasn't good, but because it was an open ending and I was left with a few unanswered questions. After six months of hard work on the game, Ubisoft managed to release a DLC that not only gives us the much-desired answers but also offers a memorable experience compared to the main game.

The story takes us to Awaji Island, a new location where Kakushiba ikki confronts a familiar enemy. The narrative thread is focused, and during the nine hours I spent in the DLC, I didn't feel for a second that I was dealing with filler content. The studio responsible for this expansion not only managed to give us an ending worthy of community expectations but also improved the base game experience.

From the very first minutes of Claws of Awaji, we are told that in the new level, we are no longer the predators, but the prey. And this motto is constantly felt in how the DLC was designed. The two protagonists are strangers here; they have no allies and do not benefit from the network on the continent. Thus, after the introductory mission, we are literally thrown into a hostile world where every step could be our last.

The island is controlled by a Templar who has three subordinates: a samurai, a ninja, and a spy. Each of them changes Awaji in a unique way. The spy restricts our ability to send agents on reconnaissance, the ninja sets all sorts of traps that restrict exploration, and the samurai sends his soldiers to hunt for assassins. Eliminating each subordinate results in drastic changes to the island. If we eliminate the ninja, we can once again enjoy the roads outside the villages, as ambushes will disappear, and if we eliminate the spy, we can walk peacefully through the towns of Awaji, without worrying that an agent might stab us in the liver just as we're going to the market to buy a bunch of spring onions.

The developer listened to fans and created scenarios and missions for each protagonist. The ninja can only be eliminated by Naoe, who confronts her in a memorable mission where the player must use all their skills to hunt an absolute predator. Both the arena and the fight are inspired by the battle with The End from Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, and the only way to win is with great patience, as any small mistake will be fatal.

As I said earlier, each protagonist has their own moment, and Yasuke's missions are no less impressive than those of Miss Fujibayashi. We have a few moments in the DLC where we will lay siege to fortresses, and the action will take place from the perspective of the famous samurai. He will face hordes of enemies and show us why many of the NPCs in the base game called him Oni.

Claws of Awaji has a new weapon for the two protagonists: the staff. It is introduced through a mission on the continent and is presented as the best tool we can have in a fight. However, the truth is quite different. Although it is designed as a multi-functional Swiss Army knife, there's no real reason not to use the weapons we're already accustomed to. The staff has three types of attacks, each based on a striking point (head, body, and legs). Unfortunately, changing targets is cumbersome, and in a game where reflexes need to be millisecond-accurate, getting lost in button presses is not advisable.

The big problem with the DLC is that it uses the same assets as the base game. The mountains and forests of Awaji look exactly like those in the base game, and the NPCs we encounter cannot be differentiated from those on the continent. The only visual element that denotes the new area is the crest worn by the soldiers, which is a cloud on an orange background.

I believe that Assassin's Creed: Shadows is not complete without Claws of Awaji. The team responsible for this expansion not only managed to give us the much-desired answers but also an ending to the story that was initially presented on 20 March 2025. The way the Templars directly affect the island makes me wish that the future game in the franchise, codenamed Hexe, would use the same system.

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Played on: PlayStation 5
Release date: 16 September 2025
Developer: Ubisoft
Publisher: Ubisoft