overall, this is the type of game I enjoy most; a large, beautiful open world with contracts to tick off the box as you gradually unlock sick outfits and beautiful weapons that incrementally increase your damage numbers.  that being said, this game struggles in a number of ways. here are my overall thoughts after getting about halfway through the story.  POSITIVES: the world and environment are ridiculously beautiful. i physically cannot stop taking photos of the landscape in the photo mode. the swaying of the trees, grass, the leaves, the beautiful shadows, early-morning fog, the blue of the ocean, it all hits so hard. the only other game i've ever felt so absorbed in the simple act of traversing the world by horse is red dead redemption 2. riding in the rain along the coast as the lightning flashes across the screen is such a peak experience.  in addition, the gear and customization is soo good. god the outfits in this game look amazing, not to mention the beautiful weapons. as a character-customization-head, i am immensely satisfied.  the stealth is also clearly a massive upgrade over all previous titles, and i enjoy the armor system, though I wish there was a greater variety of weapons or stances (which i hear is partly addressed with the Bo staff). NEGATIVES: i have trouble getting invested in the story because of its lack of linearity, lack of engaging villains, and uninteresting protagonists. i feel that the cutscenes and story dialogue particularly suffer in this game compared to Origins and Odyssey, with many cutscenes lacking weight because of weak voice acting, corny lines, and the awkward facial animation system (which never really bothered me in Origins and Odyssey, since the voice acting and writing were much more compelling and i could mostly ignore it).  i'm also very disappointed in the lack of japanese mythology. i felt that origins and odyssey both do a great job shining a light on the religious beliefs and culture of each country, and i was able to learn a lot more about their mythologies, which i don't feel like i'm really getting from japan right now. being able to pray at shrines and learn about high-class customs is nice, but i am missing the mythological aspect. japanese mythological isu would have been so good...  overall, i'm really enjoying the gameplay loop of this game, and the world is so beautiful i could probably play it as much as i've played odyssey. even if the story is so weak i can barely stand to watch cutscenes.