With the release of Assassin’s Creed: Mirage set to release this October, AC Fever is rife throughout the MyGamer staff. With the franchise finally going back to its stealth ’em up roots, we can’t wait to once again play Assassin’s Creed in all of its original glory.
Assassin’s Creed: Mirage will Hark Back to its Roots
As much as we have enjoyed the more recent Assassin’s Creed games, it’s been a long time since they have actually resembled the early titles that we all know and love. Instead, the likes of AC: Valhalla and AC: Origins have ventured into the world of RPGs with more focus on toe-to-toe combat, while compromising on the sneaky stealth elements that are commonly associated with assassins.
Lifelong fans of the franchise will be happy to hear that Assassin’s Creed: Mirage will finally be taking the long-awaited turn back to its origins (no pun intended), by focusing on the early titles mechanics: parkour, stealth and kick-ass assassinations.
Assassin’s Creed: Mirage – Storyline
This time around, you will be stepping into the boots of franchise antagonist, Basim Ibn Ishaq. Set a mere few decades before the events of Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, Assassin’s Creed: Mirage will take us to 9th-century Baghdad and follow Basim as he grows from a young street urchin to a fully-fledged Hidden One. After being noticed by the secret guild, Basim, under the mentorship of Roshan, hones his skill and perfects the art of assassination.
Further details are scarce but, after his part in Valhalla, it will be interesting to learn of his story. Taking a main antagonist and casting him in the light of the game’s main hero is a bold move. However, we’re more than confident that Ubisoft will pull it off with extravagant flair.
Assassin’s Creed: Mirage Combat
To give Basim the air of a master assassin, Ubisoft created all of his fighting moves from scratch. The result will give fluidity to the character while furnishing us with some brand new ways to take down our enemies. It will also mean that gone will be the out-of-place weaponry we have seen in the recent RPG-focused offerings. Instead, for all intents and purposes, it looks as though you will be stripped right back to sword and, of course, the token hidden dagger.
We can’t be alone in our thoughts that the latest fighting system has taken a lot away from what made the franchise what it is today. As we have no assassins in our address book, it can’t be confirmed, but we’re pretty sure spears and war hammers wouldn’t be their go-to choice of weapons.
Assassin’s Creed: Mirage will be Short but Sweet
Where the RPG AC titles featured vast and sprawling maps, Mirage will have a far more compact and smaller play zone. Without having to travel substantial distances to meet objectives or find collectibles, the game’s runtime will be cut drastically short, with the main campaign offering just 15-20 hours of gameplay time (as previously seen in the first two titles).
However, it’s not all doom and gloom, as this also means that Ubisoft are able to put a lot of its resources into graphical presentation, rather than needless content.
Assassin’s Creed: Mirage – Summary
It has come as great news to us that the recent RPG elements are being put on the back burner for Assassin’s Creed: Mirage. While we enjoyed Origins and Valhalla, they just never felt anything like the original games on which the franchise stands. I’m sure we speak for many when we say this was a long time due.
Assassin’s Creed: Mirage has been given a October 12 release date and will be available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and PC through Ubisoft+.