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Assassin’s Creed Mirage Review: Nostalgia Strikes a Perfect Chord

Assassin’s Creed games apart is their versatility in adapting to diverse genres within their narrative framework. Originating as historical stealth experiences, the franchise transformed by introducing iconic characters like Ezio Auditore and exhilarating sea battles in Black Flag, set against the backdrop of the golden age of piracy. Following the trajectory of open-world RPGs such as The Witcher 3 and Skyrim, recent Assassin’s Creed titles have evolved into expansive masterpieces, faithfully recreating historical settings like Ancient Egypt, Greece, and the Viking era. However, this broadened scope has somewhat diluted the core identity of the Assassins.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage endeavors to reconnect the series with its foundational elements, unfolding its narrative in ninth-century Baghdad. The game chronicles the rise of Basim Ibn Ishaq, a character familiar to those who experienced Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, in a classic rags-to-assassin story. Basim’s enigmatic past and complex character, with the potential to influence the franchise’s trajectory, render him a captivating protagonist. Mirage delves into his journey from a humble street thief to a prominent Assassin, entangling him in a conflict against the Order of the Ancients, the precursors to the Templars.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage Review: Shortcomings in Story and Character Development

Assassin’s Creed Mirage doesn’t waste time in setting its narrative stakes, swiftly introducing its protagonist, Basim Ibn Ishaq, a skilled street thief with aspirations of becoming a clandestine assassin. Raised as an orphan in the streets, Basim’s desperate bid for recognition often comes off as pitiable, showcasing his talents in a bold yet immature manner that disregards the consequences.

The plot takes a turn early on during a palace heist gone awry, leading Basim to cross paths with the Order of the Ancients, a mysterious and dangerous masked cult predating the Templars. Despite the high personal cost and a bounty on his head, Basim achieves his long-standing desire to join the Assassins, seemingly taking pride in the process. While the game portrays this as a means of channeling fear and seeking vengeance, the rapid pace of the narrative leaves little room for reflection on his losses.

The decision to sacrifice character development in favor of hastening Basim’s transformation into an assassin might have been acceptable if it served as a springboard for engaging in action. However, the writing falls short, presenting Basim as a one-dimensional character who consistently makes the right choices. Assassin’s Creed Mirage His handling of interpersonal relationships lacks depth, and by the conclusion, identifying any distinctive trait about him becomes challenging.

A later scene depicting Basim reuniting with an old friend lacks emotional weight, as the exchange is portrayed with an unusual calmness. The absence of expected awkwardness between two old friends who have become different people, coupled with the lack of dissonance and tension in their interaction, diminishes the impact of the sequence. The rushed nature of the scene, lasting less than two minutes, further compounds the issue. Throughout my playthrough, I couldn’t ignore the abrupt pauses between sentences, creating the impression that the voice actors might not have been in the same room during the recording.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage Review: Immersive Experience Enhanced by a More Compact Scope

A significant source of the disconnect in Assassin’s Creed Mirage can be attributed to the poorly structured missions, which branch out into separate ‘Investigations.’ The concept involves tracking down smaller leads before uncovering the true mastermind behind the corruption in Baghdad—typically a member of the Order—and eliminating them.

Regrettably, these assignments function as self-contained stories only loosely connected to others, Assassin’s Creed Mirage leaving little room for understanding the main antagonist before swiftly dispatching them with the hidden blade. The lack of character evolution stems from the ability to tackle these missions in any order, and the absence of repercussions or reflections of earlier choices in subsequent encounters contributes to the disjointed narrative—a familiar issue in Ubisoft’s mission design.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage aimed to differentiate itself by returning to a classic approach reminiscent of earlier games, departing from the expansive open-world structure of its immediate predecessors. Ubisoft delivers a 16-hour adventure priced at Rs. 2,499/ $49.99 that avoids overwhelming players with extensive dialogue trees or an expansive map filled with icons. This departure from the open-world trilogy— Assassin’s Creed Mirage Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla—focused on quantity over quality and posed a challenge for both newcomers and series veterans to keep up with the lore.

Assassin's Creed Mirage

Whether one appreciates it or not, the future of the franchise appears to lean towards these large-scale adventures. However, the hope is that AC Mirage isn’t merely a one-time diversion. Running through the bustling streets of Baghdad triggers a sense of familiar muscle memory, allowing players to seamlessly blend into crowds or sneak behind them for stealthy pickpocketing. Despite occasional issues with parkour auto-pathing, the overall experience is enjoyable. The inclusion of dynamic elements, like a crate of leopards to divert guards’ attention, adds a layer of strategic gameplay.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage stands out as one of the most enjoyable entries in the series in recent years. Ubisoft has successfully crafted a vibrant city that mimics a real environment. The game combines the positive aspects of the series’ evolution into a stealth RPG with elements reminiscent of its early iterations, presenting them in a polished and compact package. While smaller in scale, Mirage doesn’t compromise on content, leaving players with a satisfying experience that doesn’t feel like a time-wasting endeavor. Assassin’s Creed Mirage It serves as a notable example of how large game companies can create compelling experiences.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage Review: Stealth, Combat, and Arsenal of Tools

The tried-and-true assassination techniques from previous games remain effective in Mirage, where the importance of stealth is significantly heightened. The game demands a quieter approach, urging players to stay in the shadows, utilize bushes, and employ the classic whistle-over-guards technique for a swift kill with the hidden blade. However, the stealth dynamics reveal some inconsistencies in enemy AI, as the foes exhibit little concern or inquiry when their comrades mysteriously disappear.

Despite this, the gameplay loop remains relatively unchanged even after 10 hours, lacking the introduction of new challenges, foes, or environmental obstacles to disrupt the routine. The addition of specialized tools provides a semblance of variety, albeit at the risk of making the game feel too easy.

Five assassination tools are at Basim’s disposal, with minor variations between them. Personally favoring throwing knives, I appreciated their ability to one-shot guards at short to medium distances. The explosive spice bags, creating a plume of red smoke for distraction, added an element of tactical engagement.

However, the remaining tools felt either overpowered or redundant. Assassin’s Creed Mirage Non-lethal blowdarts, for instance, induce sleep in enemies, but when compared to established stealth methods, their utility seems limited. Similarly, the noisemaker and proximity traps duplicate the effects of other tools, offering little incentive for their use. A supernatural ability, akin to Red Dead Redemption 2’s Dead Eye, allows Basim to blink around the arena and chain-kill guards, an immersion-breaking feature that, fortunately, can be entirely avoided.

Similar to other Assassin’s Creed games, the enemy AI in Mirage lacks sophistication, often falling for the same tricks repeatedly. Despite the game’s emphasis on stealth and a comparatively less powerful player character, the enemies fail to present substantial opposition. The challenge primarily stems from enemy placement, Basim’s resources, and building design.

The utilization of Basim’s eagle companion and the supernatural Eagle Vision ability enables players to scout the area, map enemy positions, and plan their approach with available tools and freerunning abilities. Breaking stealth doesn’t result in an immediate game over, but failing specific conditions, such as allowing multiple guards to witness you or neglecting to stop a lookout from sounding an alarm, can lead to mission failure. The heightened challenge during high-alert situations adds tension, emphasizing the importance of avoiding being outnumbered.

The consequences of being discovered extend beyond immediate challenges. Citizens witnessing Basim’s actions can report him to the city’s guards, altering the dynamics of public perception. Adopting a lethal playstyle efficiently deals with threats but attracts heightened hostility from citizens upon witnessing Basim’s actions. Balancing a more cautious approach, such as using sleep-inducing tactics or skillful circumnavigation, keeps you off the city’s radar but may come at the expense of losing sight of your target or missing strategic opportunities. The game introduces a delicate balancing act between risk and reward, adding depth to the stealth experience.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage: Clean Kill

Assassin’s Creed Mirage marked an intriguing debut for Ubisoft Bordeaux, a relatively young studio established in 2017. Before Mirage, the studio had primarily supported larger AC games and contributed to Valhalla DLC. Defining what “classic” means in a series known for its evolution with each installment is a complex task. Assassin’s Creed Mirage Some view the Ezio era as classic, emphasizing optional stealth and the joy of effortlessly dispatching numerous guards. For others, classic AC involves captaining a pirate ship, engaging in economic activities, or recruiting assassins to the brotherhood.

Bordeaux chose the original Assassin’s Creed, a groundbreaking game in 2007 with simplistic stealth and repetitive missions, as its guiding star. Mirage takes players several centuries back before Altaïr’s time, narrating the origin story of Basim Ibn Ishaq—a pivotal character from Valhalla who gained prominence hunting the Order of the Ancients (previously known as Templars) in 9th century Baghdad.

Assassin's Creed Mirage

Mirage stands out in its harmonious blend of Ubi Montreal’s original concept of social stealth with a contemporary interpretation of a well-designed stealth level. Each mission unfolds as a compact sandbox, offering multiple routes and guards that can be eliminated, evaded, or bypassed through strategic sneaking. The addition of an eagle companion, enabling Basim to scout restricted areas from the sky, elevates the enjoyment of stealth in the Assassin’s Creed series.

Mirage’s toolset is more than just a variety of ways to eliminate adversaries. Basim carries sleep darts, non-lethal traps, noisemakers, smoke bombs, and throwing knives, creating a versatile arsenal for different situations. Notably, when it comes to lethal actions, Basim relies on his hidden blade, introducing a refreshing limitation that encourages genuine stealth over the previous approach of eliminating guards with ranged weapons before being detected.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage: Take a Stab at It

Nowhere is this more evident than when the veil of stealth is finally lifted. Mirage’s combat represents an odd reconstruction of the series’ classic sword fighting, complete with a counter-kill feature that allows Basim to dispatch guards after a successful parry swiftly. However, it retains the somewhat unwieldy feel of Valhalla’s group fights. While functional, the combat is marred by notable shortcomings.

Enemies fail to react convincingly to powerful hits, animations awkwardly interrupt each other, and characters sport a peculiar glow during attacks. Assassin’s Creed Mirage These design decisions originated with Origins in 2017, and I maintain that it remains the weakest aspect of modern Assassin’s Creed. I’d prefer Brotherhood’s simplified chain-killing, which looked impressive but played itself, over the current state.

Interestingly, the subpar combat experience doesn’t weigh as heavily as expected, as I used it sparingly. Basim is a glass cannon, succumbing to a few hits, prompting me to heed the loading screen’s advice and either escape when outnumbered or embrace defeat for a retry from a forgiving checkpoint. The counter-kill feature contributed to shortening most of my encounters, and I appreciate that breaking stealth with a few guards in an isolated room doesn’t necessarily compromise my cover elsewhere, alleviating a longstanding frustration.

Parkour has undergone a similarly awkward transition from the Valhalla engine. While it’s commendable that scaling any flat surface is no longer as straightforward as in previous games, Bordeaux’s implementation introduces some hiccups. Basim often hesitates on the edge of surfaces instead of leaping to the intended destination and exhibits unnaturally high wall jumps, quick but sometimes undermining the need for careful consideration of climbing routes.

Some buildings are strategically spaced to thwart Basim’s attempts to leap between them, leading to frustrating constraints. The level of control is not on par with the days of old—sideways jumps from wall runs are absent, and Bordeaux opted against reintroducing Unity’s intuitive “parkour down” button, which provided players with essential input during automated freerunning.

While Mirage includes a “go down” button, it only functions when Basim is stationary and looking to hang off a ledge. Unfortunately, this button shares its functionality with sneak mode, resulting in inadvertent crouches and a fair share of exasperated words directed at my monitor.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage: The Round City

Mirage’s redeeming feature in terms of parkour lies in the splendid depiction of Baghdad itself. The city is consistently stunning and bustling with life, making every descent to the streets a visual delight. Building facades boast lavish decorations with flowers, citizens engage in lively conversations as they explore weapon upgrades and outfits, mostly conversing in Arabic even when playing in English. Assassin’s Creed Mirage The markets are adorned with incredibly beautiful rugs that I can’t help but envy, yearning to spruce up my mundane office.

It’s rare to encounter a big-budget open-world game that genuinely exudes love for the setting it portrays. Mirage’s profound affection for Baghdad is most evident in its “History of Baghdad” codex—an extensive collection of collectible history snippets covering the region’s economy, governments, and cultural contributions. The codex impressively incorporates detailed information, featuring attached photos of actual artifacts from the time, complete with notes on the museums where these artifacts can be observed firsthand.

Approximately a quarter of my playtime was spent eagerly seeking out and absorbing every codex entry available—an accomplishment for Bordeaux, especially considering my historical indifference during school. Assassin’s Creed Mirage Unexpectedly, playing Mirage led me to reflect on how market visits used to be part of my routine to ensure vendors weren’t engaging in deceptive practices like weighing down their scales to cheat customers.

However, I find myself wishing that Mirage was as invested in its original narrative as it is in the historical period it depicts. The initial hours effectively introduce Basim and establish a captivating mystery surrounding the eerie djinni haunting his dreams (and perhaps the Animus). Assassin’s Creed Mirage Regrettably, this narrative thread takes a backseat once you explore Baghdad.

The core of Mirage’s story revolves around disjointed investigations into each Order member you’re pursuing. Initially indifferent to the game’s minimal plot, my sentiment changed with the ending—a brief, inconsequential, and confusing conclusion, particularly for those who didn’t complete Valhalla.

The unusual tie between this game’s story and an otherwise unrelated one is perplexing. Assassin’s Creed Mirage Understanding Basim’s background requires playing Valhalla or watching an explanation, making it feel more like an expansion than a standalone experience. While Assassin’s Creed is notorious for its lackluster endings, Mirage’s conclusion stands out as particularly underwhelming.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage: No Time Wasted

True to its promise, a playthrough of Mirage will take around 20-25 hours. Even with a clear memory of when a 25-hour game was considered lengthy, there’s a lingering sense that Mirage might be a bit short. Perhaps a decade of open-world games aiming for the 100-hour benchmarks set by titles like Skyrim and The Witcher 3 has influenced this perception. Assassin’s Creed Mirage Additionally, Mirage’s expansive map feels somewhat sparse—outside of pursuing story missions or contracts (essentially shorter story missions), there’s limited activity in the open spaces beyond opening chests, unlocking codex entries, and pickpocketing collectibles.

Assassin's Creed Mirage

The rationale behind Ubisoft’s decision to price Mirage at $50 becomes clearer. While appreciating the focused adventure and the intentional avoidance of open-world bloat common in RPGs, Assassin’s Creed Mirage I can’t help but miss some of that additional content that Assassin’s Creed used to incorporate effectively.

Activities like purchasing property, collecting feathers, and managing an assassin’s brotherhood served as simple, enjoyable diversions from the main story, enriching Ezio’s world. Assassin’s Creed Mirage Black Flag’s sea shanties remain some of the best collectibles ever implemented. I wished for more opportunities to explore every inch of Baghdad as Basim.

Mirage comes incredibly close to greatness, a fact that is both frustrating and encouraging. While it may not be the complete return to form envisioned, it stands as the best stealth game bearing the Assassin’s Creed name. I hope Ubisoft recognizes this new “classic” branch of AC as a foundation to build upon. Assassin’s Creed Mirage I’m eager to see what Bordeaux can achieve with another attempt—hopefully, with more time to refine parkour, create another outstanding city, and reconsider aspects of combat.

For the first time in a decade, I find myself genuinely excited about Assassin’s Creed Mirage, and that’s a great feeling.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage Review: Verdict

While not groundbreaking, Assassin’s Creed Mirage offers a leaner, faster-paced, and enjoyable nostalgic journey for fans of the old-school titles. It doesn’t revolutionize the franchise’s approach to stealth but significantly reduces the bloat from previous entries. The result is an intricately designed portrayal of Baghdad that is exhilarating for parkour enthusiasts, allowing them to immerse themselves in the city’s rich culture, thriving trade, and magnificent art from the historical era.

With a smaller map comes a more concise story, albeit one that I found lacking in depth due to the somewhat aimless nature of Basim’s character. The narrative feels threadbare, marked by a disconnected mission structure that occasionally stalls for time. The combat, emphasizing realism and clunkiness to inspire stealthy tactics, may not resonate with fans of the RPG-style, combat-driven Assassin’s Creed titles.

Nevertheless, this back-to-basics approach authentically captures the essence of an Assassin’s Creed game, and I hope Ubisoft continues to explore this path. Despite its flaws, navigating the rooftops in Mirage with a hidden blade remains as enjoyable as ever, Assassin’s Creed Mirage proving the enduring appeal of the original AC formula—something Ubisoft only needs to rejuvenate.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage’s return to the stealthy style that defined the series doesn’t get everything right, but every aspect feels purposeful. Assassin’s Creed Mirage This results in a shorter game with a smaller map, fewer collectibles, limited combat scope, and a more restricted gear selection—a refreshing departure from the arguably bloated scales of 100-hour games like Odyssey and Valhalla.

While the plot is overly simplistic with mostly forgettable characters, the story compensates with straightforward quest progression and fast pacing. While lacking a big standout “wow” moment, Baghdad stands out as a beautiful location, and the world’s detail is concentrated inward, making every alley and hovel feel well-traveled, detailed, and steeped in history. Assassin’s Creed Mirage I would recommend Mirage to anyone who has taken a break from Assassin’s Creed, as its back-to-basics approach successfully recaptures the essence of the earlier industry-defining games.

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