5. Assassin’s Creed Shadows

The first Assassin’s Creed set in Japan, and also very good.

Fans of Assassin’s Creed had been demanding a Japanese setting for eons, and Ubisoft finally delivered with Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Set in Sengoku-era Japan, players not only got to see cherry blossoms, but took control of two different protagonists. There’s Yasuke, a samurai who prefers to go toe to toe with opponents, and Naoe, a shinobi who favours the stealthy approach.

As in previous Assassin’s Creed games, one of the protagonists is out for revenge. Naoe is looking to avenge her father’s death at the hands of the Templars. Meanwhile, Yasuke (a samurai of African origin) has to prove himself to the shogun. The open-world gameplay is present and correct here, with a nice weather system featuring seasons that impact gameplay and cool Japanese castles to take on by assault or stealth. So this is more than just a Ghost of Tsushima clone, and one of the best Assassin’s Creeds to date.