Assassin’s Creed Shadows trades overwhelming scale for meaningful depth, finally giving fans the feudal Japan adventure they’ve long craved.

The Assassin’s Creed franchise has felt broken for a long time. What was once a stealth-focused historical fiction series about a battle between good and evil has been splintered into one full of sub-par hand-to-hand combat and massive game worlds jam-packed with tedious and repetitive activities.

It’s almost worth buying a new Mac to enjoy Shadow’s state-of-the-art graphics. But, graphics aside, Shadows can also stand on its own two feet as an action-packed game, offering satisfying and varied combat, and the ability to explore the world of feudal Japan.