Even today, when hardware effortlessly renders billions of pixels, sprites, and polygons that look like they came out of someone's doctoral thesis on animation, it is not at all easy to make a run-and-gun that visually dazzles while remaining playable.

Assassin's Creed Shadows starts with a desert warrior, a Spartan, a Viking, and a ninja who walk into a bar. They order drinks and reminisce about the good old days—conquering cities, charging into battlefields, and raiding monasteries.