{"id":15477,"date":"2025-09-17T18:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-17T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/mini-review-assassins-creed-shadows-claws-of-awaji-ps5-story-moments-carry-an-overly-safe-expansion\/"},"modified":"2025-09-17T18:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-09-17T18:00:00","slug":"mini-review-assassins-creed-shadows-claws-of-awaji-ps5-story-moments-carry-an-overly-safe-expansion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/mini-review-assassins-creed-shadows-claws-of-awaji-ps5-story-moments-carry-an-overly-safe-expansion\/","title":{"rendered":"#Mini Review: Assassin&#8217;s Creed Shadows: Claws of Awaji (PS5) &#8211; Story Moments Carry an Overly Safe Expansion"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/mini-review-assassins-creed-shadows-claws-of-awaji-ps5-story-moments-carry-an-overly-safe-expansion\/#Mini_Review_Assassins_Creed_Shadows_Claws_of_Awaji_PS5_%E2%80%93_Story_Moments_Carry_an_Overly_Safe_Expansion\" >Mini Review: Assassin&#8217;s Creed Shadows: Claws of Awaji (PS5) &#8211; Story Moments Carry an Overly Safe Expansion<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Mini_Review_Assassins_Creed_Shadows_Claws_of_Awaji_PS5_%E2%80%93_Story_Moments_Carry_an_Overly_Safe_Expansion\"><\/span>Mini Review: Assassin&#8217;s Creed Shadows: Claws of Awaji (PS5) &#8211; Story Moments Carry an Overly Safe Expansion<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div class=\"body body-text article-text\">\n<section class=\"text\">\n<aside class=\"picture embed pictures\" id=\"screenshots\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/screenshots\/158870\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/screenshots\/158870\/900x.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Assassin's Creed Shadows: Claws of Awaji Review - Screenshot 1 of 10\"><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"swiper-container\">\n<ul class=\"swiper-wrapper\">\n<li class=\"swiper-slide first\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/screenshots\/158871\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/screenshots\/158871\/170x110.jpg\" width=\"170\" height=\"110\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Assassin's Creed Shadows: Claws of Awaji Review - Screenshot 2 of 10\"><\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"swiper-slide\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/screenshots\/158872\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/screenshots\/158872\/170x110.jpg\" width=\"170\" height=\"110\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Assassin's Creed Shadows: Claws of Awaji Review - Screenshot 3 of 10\"><\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"swiper-slide\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/screenshots\/158873\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/screenshots\/158873\/170x110.jpg\" width=\"170\" height=\"110\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Assassin's Creed Shadows: Claws of Awaji Review - Screenshot 4 of 10\"><\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"swiper-slide\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/screenshots\/158874\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/screenshots\/158874\/170x110.jpg\" width=\"170\" height=\"110\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Assassin's Creed Shadows: Claws of Awaji Review - Screenshot 5 of 10\"><\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"swiper-slide\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/screenshots\/158875\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/screenshots\/158875\/170x110.jpg\" width=\"170\" height=\"110\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Assassin's Creed Shadows: Claws of Awaji Review - Screenshot 6 of 10\"><\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"swiper-slide\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/screenshots\/158876\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/screenshots\/158876\/170x110.jpg\" width=\"170\" height=\"110\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Assassin's Creed Shadows: Claws of Awaji Review - Screenshot 7 of 10\"><\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"swiper-slide\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/screenshots\/158877\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/screenshots\/158877\/170x110.jpg\" width=\"170\" height=\"110\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Assassin's Creed Shadows: Claws of Awaji Review - Screenshot 8 of 10\"><\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"swiper-slide\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/screenshots\/158878\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/screenshots\/158878\/170x110.jpg\" width=\"170\" height=\"110\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Assassin's Creed Shadows: Claws of Awaji Review - Screenshot 9 of 10\"><\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"swiper-slide last\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/screenshots\/158879\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/screenshots\/158879\/170x110.jpg\" width=\"170\" height=\"110\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Assassin's Creed Shadows: Claws of Awaji Review - Screenshot 10 of 10\"><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"swiper-button-prev\"><span class=\"icon icon-chevron-left\"><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"swiper-button-next\"><span class=\"icon icon-chevron-right\"><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Only accessible after you&#8217;ve completed the main story of Assassin&#8217;s Creed Shadows, Claws of Awaji is a post-game expansion that&#8217;ll take you somewhere between five and ten hours to complete, depending on how thoroughly you explore the island setting.<\/p>\n<p>In terms of narrative, the DLC wraps up several loose ends that were left dangling by Shadows&#8217; various finales, and in that sense, it feels like a worthwhile outing.<\/p>\n<p>However, Claws of Awaji faces the same obstacle that all modern Assassin&#8217;s Creed expansions struggle to deal with: it&#8217;s adding to an already <em>massive<\/em> open world game that may well have outstayed its welcome many hours ago.<\/p>\n<p>That is to say, there&#8217;s nothing much new on this island. You&#8217;ll unlock fresh abilities, weapons, armour, accessories \u2014 the usual bits and pieces that&#8217;ll keep you ticking boxes across another icon-littered map, but your enjoyment will hinge almost entirely on whether you&#8217;ve had your fill of Shadows&#8217; gameplay loop.<\/p>\n<div class=\"for-mobile insert insert-label\">\n<div id=\"inject-primis-player\" data-src-primis=\"https:\/\/live.primis.tech\/live\/liveView.php?s=117168&amp;vp_content=plembed39b4tigwxqjz&amp;cbuster=%%CACHEBUSTER%%&amp;playerApiId=primis_player_float&amp;schain=1.0,1!ziffdavis.com,22392450815,1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>A loop that, arguably, already felt tired long before rolling the base game&#8217;s credits.<\/p>\n<p>To be fair, Awaji does have some decent tricks up its sleeve. Having carved a campaign of blood across the mainland, protagonists Naoe and Yasuke are a known threat to the new bad guys, and so they&#8217;re hunted throughout the DLC.<\/p>\n<p>Ambushes and sudden boss fights make the titular island feel quite dangerous even if you&#8217;re just partaking in some casual exploration. There&#8217;s a certain thrill to Awaji that isn&#8217;t present in the core release, and that helps it stand out.<\/p>\n<p>Likewise, the main story missions tend to be fairly engaging, as the expansion makes better use of Naoe and Yasuke&#8217;s partnership. You&#8217;ll swap between the leads on a surprisingly frequent basis, pushing you to maximise their strengths depending on the situation.<\/p>\n<p>Claws of Awaji is a decent expansion, but outside of some cool story moments, it never really elevates itself beyond the base game. There was room for improvement here, in Shadows&#8217; stunted combat and stealth mechanics, and its open world structure, but ultimately, the DLC plays it very safe \u2014 for better or worse.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<aside class=\"positive-negative\">\n<ul class=\"positives\">\n<li class=\" first\">Some good story moments<\/li>\n<li>Main missions are engaging<\/li>\n<li>Map size feels just right<\/li>\n<li>Exploration is still a highlight<\/li>\n<li class=\" last\">New weapons are fun<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"negatives\">\n<li class=\" first\">Doesn&#8217;t improve on the base game<\/li>\n<li>Occasionally buggy quests<\/li>\n<li class=\" last\">Combat and stealth feel tired<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/aside>\n<aside class=\"scoring rating\">\n<p class=\"stars\"><span class=\"icon icon-star accent\"><\/span><span class=\"icon icon-star accent\"><\/span><span class=\"icon icon-star accent\"><\/span><span class=\"icon icon-star accent\"><\/span><span class=\"icon icon-star accent\"><\/span><span class=\"icon icon-star accent\"><\/span><span class=\"icon icon-star\"><\/span><span class=\"icon icon-star\"><\/span><span class=\"icon icon-star\"><\/span><span class=\"icon icon-star\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"score\"><span class=\"accent\">Not Bad<\/span> <span class=\"value accent\">6<\/span>\/<span class=\"best\">10<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"policy\">Review copy provided by Ubisoft<br \/><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"ethics#product-reviews\">How we review products<\/a><br \/><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"scoring#score-6\">Scoring Policy<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/game\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Game<\/a><\/span> category.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pushsquare.com\/reviews\/ps5\/assassins-creed-shadows-claws-of-awaji\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mini Review: Assassin&#8217;s Creed Shadows: Claws of Awaji (PS5) &#8211; Story Moments Carry an Overly Safe Expansion Only accessible after you&#8217;ve completed the main story of Assassin&#8217;s Creed Shadows, Claws of Awaji is a post-game expansion that&#8217;ll take you somewhere between five and ten hours to complete, depending on how thoroughly you explore the island&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15478,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/8cdaf0d409767\/1280x720.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[1788,1402,1400,1398,1550],"class_list":["post-15477","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-game","tag-assassins-creed-shadows-claws-of-awaji","tag-mini-reviews","tag-ps5","tag-reviews","tag-ubisoft"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15477","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15477"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15477\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15478"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15477"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15477"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15477"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}