Assassins Creed Shadows is set in feudal Japan, following two protagonists, a shinobi and a samurai, whose different playstyles offer stealth-focused and combat-focused approaches to the same open world. Exploration of Japanese landscapes, castles, and villages ties into the series' established RPG and assassination systems.

The dual-protagonist structure lets players shift between careful infiltration and direct confrontation depending on the situation. It suits fans of open-world action RPGs looking for a historically rich Japanese setting with flexible playstyles.