Assassin’s Creed Shadows has got off to an impressive start, earning a 4/5 in our review, with the only issues being the classic AC jank and a few problems with combat. However, its biggest letdown isn’t in the gameplay but in its battle pass.
Yes, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, the single-player game you have to pay for, has a battle pass. As detailed in our guide (shameless self-promotion), you can collect Data Fragments by taking part in specific quests throughout Japan.
Using those fragments, you can buy legendary weapons for Naoe and Yasuke as well as powerful armor, keys (another of the game’s microtransactions), and Encrypted Data Files (does anyone really care about those?), and it’s easily the worst part of the game.
Battle passes have no place in single-player games
Battle passes are primarily used for the likes of Call of Duty, Fortnite, and other multiplayer games that need to keep people hooked after they’ve gotten bored of fighting on the same maps over and over again. They’re also a great way for free-to-play games to make a little money and, just like in Shadows, are often entirely optional.
However, that’s when they’re free-to-play or aren’t completed in under 100 hours. Assassin’s Creed Shadows does not need a battle pass since it fits into none of those categories. It’s a single-player game, where you find weapons and armor as you level, and after you’ve finished it, you’ll likely never pick it up again (if you do, I admire your dedication). As such, there’s little need for one here due to the rewards already being obtainable in the game itself, and even fewer reasons to force it into a game that works perfectly well without it.
On top of this, while not entirely pay-to-win, the final rewards and in-game items are, of course, legendary, meaning they’re more powerful than anything else you’re likely to pick up along your adventure. So, if you’re willing to invest in the battle pass, you’ll have a much easier time fighting the enemies you come across.
Now, it’s worth noting before anyone flies into a microtransactional rage that this optional system won’t actually cost you anything in real life. Those data anomalies are solely earned by completing specific quests throughout your adventure. You can’t buy them in the store (though that’s a rant for another day) and will have to actively accept their tasks, which refresh regularly.
While this at least softens the blow, it actually adds another layer of frustration. If you don’t stand to make any money for it, why add it in? The demand for a battle pass structure in the Assassin’s Creed franchise is almost non-existent. You’re not catering to a ‘forgotten’ community or earning money for the upcoming DLC, so what’s the point?
Ultimately, it’s an unavoidable fact that adding in a battle pass feels pointless for what is a really good game. All it does is dull that enjoyment and force in a feature that just didn’t need to be in a single-player adventure like Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
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