Review

Assassin’s Creed Mirage: a return to old strengths – and a new creed

4.10.2023

Translation: Patrik Stainbrook

In truth, I swore off Assassin’s Creed a long time ago. There was just too much to do – too much boring stuff especially. Assassin’s Creed Mirage claims to have slimmed down, so I played the first few hours. Will my love for the Assassins be rekindled?

«Show me what I have missed.» So says Basim, the protagonist, as he rides through the ostentatious gates of Baghdad for the first time since childhood. Since their establishment, they have protected the inhabitants from invaders and sandstorms. Now they offer me a first, impressive glimpse of the game’s new, sprawling capital. And as Basim longingly clings to nostalgic feelings, I do the same. Because Assassin’s Creed Mirage isn’t just the next part of the series, but a homage to the first game.

My rocky relationship with Assassin’s Creed

I still can’t quite process the fact that 15 years have already passed since the first Assassin’s Creed. It’d mean admitting to myself that I have got older. Way older. In this time, developer Ubisoft has taken us once across world history and back again. From Renaissance Italy to the American War of Independence to the European Viking Age.

I stopped playing every entry in the series long ago. Even the first part became too repetitive for me after a few hours – and that one is still considered harmless compared to newer AC games. In those, the map sizes took on increasingly spectacular proportions while tasks to be completed in these environments grew manifold – and I don’t mean that as a compliment. The last time I checked out Valhalla in my 2020 Let’s Play, I was disillusioned to find that the scope of the game had grown again, but not got any more exciting.

Woooow, just look at all these scintillating tasks in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla…
Source: Ubisoft

«Not for me,» I soon decided. Don’t get me wrong: the Assassin’s Creed games have always looked stunning, with detailed cities painstakingly recreated as accurately as possible from their historical originals. And every time I saw gameplay videos of assassins literally floating over rooftops and swooping down on their prey on the ground like hawks from the sky, my fingers itched.

But who has time for all the countless and mostly boring side missions? I don’t. With age came less and less free time. You know how it is. Sure, I could just ignore the side missions and focus on the main story. But then how do I get the skill points I need to unlock the really cool abilities hidden deep in the talent tree? Exactly. It seems Assassin’s Creed and I simply grew apart after the first few games.

Until now…

A return to old strengths

When Ubisoft announced the new Mirage as a tribute to the early Assassin’s Creed games, my ears perked up. The promise: Mirage would shift down a few gears in terms of size and scope. «Less is more» is the new creed sworn by the Assassins… pardon, by Ubisoft. At the same time, the game would return to old strengths. Particularly good old stealth gaming.

Good things sent from above: stealth kills are the hallmark of the Assassin’s Creed series, even in photo mode.
Source: Luca Fontana

Ubisoft wasn’t lying, I can say that much after playing for just under eight hours. Right off the bat, the story throws me into the small town of Anbar in the year 861 A.D. Basim, a future supporting character in Valhalla, is still only a young street thief here, getting caught up in a conspiracy, the extent of which he doesn’t yet understand. Deprived of the safety of his old hideout, he joins the Hidden Ones – the first incarnation of the Brotherhood of Assassins, as founded in Egypt in 49 BC in Assassin’s Creed Origin.

Clever. I feel just as overwhelmed as Basim at first, especially after my long absence. By his side, I next find myself in Alamut, a secret desert fortress that serves as a training camp for assassins. Under the watchful eye of veteran assassin master Roshan, I train until I finally earn the iconic hidden blade – a big moment for the young apprentice.

And then – Baghdad calls.

Sneak, investigate, solve – murder

What a sight. A familiar one at that. Then this, the most lively of all ninth-century oriental metropolises strongly reminds of Jerusalem from the first Assassin’s Creed. Nostalgic feelings spread as I sneak through the colourful dyer’s quarter with Basim for the first time, all while I empty the pockets of citizens with deft sleight of hand. And this doesn’t just earn me dirhams, or change. I also gather special currency, which will unlock discounts or other benefits with appropriate guilds later on in the game.

While I continue to make my way inconspicuously, I hear someone in the background shouting, «Hey! Where’s my… my money! I’ve been robbed! There’s a pickpocket nearby!» But I’m long gone.

In the colourful dyer’s quarter, I practise my… dexterity.
Source: Luca Fontana

A good two hours of play have passed at this point. At the headquarters of the Baghdad Assassins, I continue the main story. But it isn’t simply written out on a main quest line like in other RPGs, which looks like a checklist to work through. Instead, it says Investigation. After all, Mirage is primarily supposed to be a stealth game.

Here’s how it works. At the centre of my investigation is person A, shown as a big circle in the middle of the menu. But to get to them, I first need to collect clues. I get those through other people. These in turn are drawn as smaller circles around the large circle. Once I’ve collected all the clues, I can move on to the main objective. The tasks I have to complete here are pleasantly varied. Here I have to intimidate someone, there I steal from them, sometimes I free them – or sometimes I just kill them.

Admittedly, Valhalla had this too.

A slightly different kind of main quest menu, but I like it as it draws me into the game more.
Source: Luca Fontana

The game usually lets me choose how to get to my destination. I can engage in open combat if I want to, even though the sparse combat system in Mirage seems deliberately designed to be so minimalist that I’ll never want to. There are no expertly choreographed combos. I can parry, dodge, deal a light blow or a heavy one. That’s it. Stealth, on the other hand, works better anyway and offers much more variety.

Eagle Vision, for example, allows me to first scan my surroundings. I can remember where enemies are or identify items in their immediate vicinity that could help me in battle. A loaded cart, for example, which I can bring crashing down on two guards standing under it with a well-aimed throwing knife. Or paint bags that create a dense cloud of smoke when I violently slit them open – to escape the gaze of my enemies before eliminating them one by one. If things go well, no one notices that they’re under attack until the blade in their back takes them down, courtesy of my well-aimed thrust.

Where’s the role play?

Notably, the game doesn’t award experience points. So no levelling system whatsoever. Mirage, in fact, prefers to focus on the fairly straightforward story of young Basin as he goes from defiant street thief to one of the most sophisticated master assassins of his time. Without much frippery or fuss. Brave. But the right move, in my opinion. Having to grind my way through endless boring side activities in order to collect experience and skill points is eliminated.

But role-playing isn’t completely gone. If it makes you feel better, yes, there are still talent trees. And yes, you can still unlock individual perks with skill points. You don’t get them by levelling up any more, but directly as rewards for progressing in the main story – or for completing side quests, the Missions. I accept a Mission by activating flyers at the hidden headquarters.

Side quests don’t just pop up in an already crowded map, they only appear when I accept them at HQ.
Source: Luca Fontana

At this point you might think, «In the end, it all comes down to the same thing.» But it doesn’t feel that way. Rewards feel more causal. I complete a Mission and am directly rewarded with skill points, coins and materials. No levelling. No nagging. And if I don’t want to do them, side quests that don’t reward skill points won’t pop up on my map either. Otherwise, my incorrigible perfectionism always forces me to complete the task so that the icon disappears afterwards – otherwise I can’t advance to the next area.

Speaking of material rewards, I don’t only get them by completing Missions. I also find items in the numerous chests, vases and baskets scattered around the city. I can take them to the tailor or blacksmith to upgrade my equipment. Upgrading means unlocking bonus skills. For example, my current robe makes guards around me 50% less aware of my assassinations. Level 2 would be 75% less noise. Level 3 would make them practically deaf. This way I can carry out assassinations almost undisturbed in their immediate vicinity without them catching wind of it.

Stealing health helps especially early on, when my other skills aren’t particularly advanced yet.
Source: Luca Fontana

As you can see, Ubisoft hasn’t completely removed the role-playing aspect from Mirage. It’s just clearly downscaled. Ubisoft has put a stop to its tendency of overwhelming players with content for the sheer sake of it. Finally.

No stunning graphics, but not a flop either

In the run-up, I read many reports that were somewhat dissatisfied with the graphics. But I don’t really agree. The animated cutscenes look fantastic, and the game world itself captures the Orient beautifully in all its atmospheric glory – classic Assassin’s Creed. I was also able to play the game on the PS5 in performance mode at a solid 60 frames per second without having to sacrifice too much in terms of graphical quality.

Only during dialogue did I notice that facial animations in particular were sometimes wooden. In this scene, for example, it was primarily the deep, raspy voice of Roshan’s voice actor that suggested the assassin master was pretty ticked off. For me, however, it was only a small downer that never spoiled the fun of the game.

Admittedly, facial animations aren’t one of Assassin’s Creed Mirage’s strong points.
Source: Luca Fontana

Verdict: I think I like Assassin’s Creed again

I’ve now spent nearly eight hours in Baghdad – uncovering just over a quarter of the map. Not a lot. But not nothing either. In fact, Assassin’s Creed Mirage could be the first game in the series that I finish within a reasonable time. That’s pretty much the highest praise I can offer.

Oh, I’ve always had a soft spot for the Orient.
Source: Luca Fontana

Ubisoft does a lot of things right with Mirage that I think have gone wrong in the past. The world is still huge, but no longer overwhelming. Chests, vantage points and historical locations still make for a densely packed, but no longer staggering map. And I don’t feel like I have to slog through hours of boring side quests to level up and get skill points any more.

In conclusion, Assassin’s Creed Mirage has become a game for players who believe in the motto «less is more» and celebrate that Assassin’s Creed has become a significantly more stealth-heavy game than its direct predecessors. And if you still have nostalgia about the oriental desert climate from the first Assassin’s Creed – or Origins – you’ve come to the right place anyway.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage will be released on 5 October for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC. The PS5 Deluxe Edition was provided to me by Ubisoft for testing.

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Video games

Ubisoft Assassin's Creed Mirage - Deluxe Edition

PS5, DE, FR, IT

Video games

Ubisoft Assassin's Creed Mirage - Deluxe Edition

PS4, FR, IT, DE

Video games

Ubisoft Assassin's Creed Mirage Deluxe

Xbox Series X, DE, FR, IT

Video games

Ubisoft Assassin's Creed Mirage - Deluxe Edition

Video games

Ubisoft Assassin's Creed Mirage - Deluxe Edition

Video games

Ubisoft Assassin's Creed Mirage Deluxe

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Luca Fontana

Senior Editor

Luca.Fontana@digitecgalaxus.ch

I write about technology as if it were cinema, and about films as if they were real life. Between bits and blockbusters, I’m after stories that move people, not just generate clicks. And yes – sometimes I listen to film scores louder than I probably should.

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