The last couple of Assassin’s Creed games gave us a gigantic world to explore filled with quests and countless environments to explore. Although these modern Assassin’s Creed games are great to play, they changed the original formula a lot. Sneaking around became less important and a straightforward storyline was hard to find. Enter Assassin’s Creed Mirage, a game that takes the franchise back to its roots while still maintaining some modern improvements. Is this the game the fans were waiting for? Let’s take a leap of faith.
Basim Ibn Is’Haq
In Assassin’s Creed Mirage, we follow the story of Basim, a cunning street thief who’s looking for answers and justice after an act of deadly retribution. Basim flees his home in Baghdad to join the mysterious brotherhood known as the Hidden Ones. If you’ve played Assassin’s Creed Valhalla you already know Basim. In Valhalla, Basim helps Eivor find out the truth behind some ancient mysteries and teaches Eivor the way of the Hidden Ones. In Mirage, we see the start and rise of the young assassin in a tightly crafted narrative-driven action-adventure. This is one of the game’s main differences compared to modern Assassin’s Creed games but will feel like a homecoming for fans of the first hour, like myself. I really appreciate the smaller scale of the game and the fact that the story finally takes center stage again. Right from the start, I was hit in my feelings. There’s something magical about discovering a new setting accompanied by a gorgeous new soundtrack. From the start, this game feels like a true Assassin’s Creed game and I couldn’t be happier.
Sadly for Basim, he doesn’t really share this happiness in the opening hour. He started as a thief in the streets of Baghdad until something went horribly wrong and he was forced to flee his home and train with the Hidden Ones to serve the light by operating in the shadows. As a trained assassin, Basim returns to Baghdad years after he left the city in order to find some answers. The story in Mirage is linear and tells the story of Basim as an apprentice and eventually a master. It reminded me a lot of the stories found in the earlier Assassin’s Creed games like Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood and Assassin’s Creed Revelations, really focussing on character development through story rather than through exploration. I really like the return to the old format, since it makes the story way more impactful and relatable. Thanks to the story, you’ll feel a deep connection to Basim and you want to find out where the story will take him.
Welcome to Baghdad
Assassin’s Creed Mirage takes place during the 9th century and takes you to the vibrant city of Baghdad. Baghdad was one of the most populated and bustling cities found in the Middle Ages and offers a gorgeous new environment to explore. As one of the most important trade nerve centers on the Silk Road, Baghdad is a crowded city filled with opportunities. It’s one of the most immersive and fun playgrounds I ever experienced in an Assassin’s Creed game and that’s possibly because the team scaled down on the map but scaled up on the details. There are tons of things to do and explore besides the main story development. Just like in the other Assassin’s Creed games, you can go crazy on the side quests and hidden objects. In Baghdad, you can spend your time pickpocketing, complete a couple of world contracts, find lost books, learn about the history of Baghdad, and many more. Running around freely and discovering all those little secrets is definitely part of the game’s charm and since the city and its inhabitants are so realistic, it’s a pleasure to spend your time in it. It really feels like you’re transported back in time and thanks to the power of my Xbox Series X, I truly got immersed instantly. Sure, Mirage focuses a lot more on the main story development but that doesn’t mean the free-roaming disappeared. It’s the perfect marriage of free-roaming and a smaller map size that allows for a lot more immersive details and way fewer bugs compared to the bigger entries in the franchise.
Discovering Baghdad also offers some variation, it’s not like you’re bound to the city walls, and you can easily travel outside on the back of your horse or camel to discover the outskirts of Baghdad and its impressive biomes. The playground might be smaller, but it still offers a lot of different environments to discover and explore, throughout your adventure, it’s pretty safe to say you won’t get bored of this new location.
Investigate and assassinate
That being said, let’s talk about the main missions and the way you tackle those. All quests and related elements are found in the investigation board, which you can easily access through the menu. There’s no quest log in Mirage but instead, you see hints on the investigation board that you can investigate. Most of the time, these hints will take you to certain locations or persons which will trigger the further development of the story. Finding the right location and person is fun and takes me back to the original Assassin’s Creed game with some fun modern twists. Basim is a versatile assassin as he can use a lot of tools and skills to get the job done. Enkinu, you’re companion eagle can spot important locations and persons for you, while you can use your Eagle Vision to highlight important items or the locations of your enemies while sneaking around. These are gameplay elements that aren’t new for Assassin’s Creed fans but since the gameplay forces you to sneak around more, you’ll use these abilities a lot more in Mirage. It isn’t wise to attack groups of enemies, sure Basim can defend himself with his sword and dagger but it’s smarter to sneak around and silently assassinate your targets in order to reach your goal. Trust me, if you think like a true assassin, you’ll die a lot less compared to when you just want to rush your enemies.
The more you progress the story, the more powerful Basim will become. There’s no XP loop, the story has a more linear way of progressing and Basim only gets stronger by reaching new assassin ranks, you reach those by clearing story missions, just like back in the old games. Some of the modern RPG elements are kept in place to welcome the modern Assassin’s Creed gamers, you still have access to a skill tree and you can also upgrade your weapons and gear along the way. It’s great to see these options in a classic Assassin’s Creed game like this but keep in mind that everything is created with stealth gameplay in mind. Besides your main weapons, you can use a lot of sidearms and small traps to confuse your enemies and open up a path for you to escape. From throwing knives and darts to smoke bombs and traps, Basim has all the tools to take down his enemies as a true assassin. The combination of stealth gameplay with the classic free-running movements really offers a fun and modern take on the early Assassin’s Creed games and I like the fact that it becomes more than just an homage to the first Assassin’s Creed game. This is far more than just that, this is a reimagination of the original Assassin’s Creed game brought to life with modern technology and everything that makes modern Assassin’s Creed games so immersive. If you’re feeling really nostalgic, however, you can switch on the classic blue filter to make you believe you’re playing a modern version of the first Assassin’s Creed game, a fun touch for the fans.
Conclusion:
Assassin’s Creed Mirage is a true return to form and offers a classic Assassin’s Creed experience combined with everything that makes a modern Assassin’s Creed game so good. The city of Baghdad offers a smaller yet more immersive playground to explore and is filled with fun side missions and captivating story missions to keep you entertained. It won’t take as long to finish the game compared to the larger Assassin’s Creed games but the story will certainly leave a more lasting impression. As a fan of the first hour, I loved every minute I spend in Mirage and I hope we get to see more of these ‘smaller’ Assassin’s Creed games in the future.
