Review of Assassin’s Creed Mirage – a letter of apology to fans of old parts

It’s amazing how the Assassin’s Creed series divides society, like elections or Hawaiian pizza. Some people love the old details and criticize the modern concept with RPG elements and huge open worlds, while others argue that the game needs to move somehow. Some complain about the reworking of themes, gameplay, or even simple graphical elements, others don’t understand the complaints – why reinvent the wheel if it works? There are often huge gaps between camps that even the strongest killer cannot jump over. The new Mirage installment should satisfy at least some players.

• Platform: PC (Epic Games Store, Ubisoft Connect), PlayStation 4 and 5 (review version), Xbox One and Series X/S.
• Publication date: 05/10/2023
• Developer: Ubisoft Bordeaux
• Publisher: Ubisoft
• Genre: action adventure
• Czech localization: No
• Multiplayer: No
• Download data: 32.17 GB (PlayStation version)
• Game time: from 20 to 25 hours
• Price: 1249 CZK

Let’s tell each other where we stand so we can argue under review. Because this one is going to be a little more subjective just because of the aforementioned harshness. Old parts or modern: definitely old. Favorite part: Assassin’s Creed II. Favorite Assassin: Ezio. Well, we’re done.

Ubisoft studio stated in advance that Mirage should be a return to roots. That it should appeal to all those who already have huge worlds full of question marks and deviations from silence creeping down their throats. Thus, the developers have high expectations, which are not easy to meet. But just look at something as simple as opening a barricaded door and you’ll truly feel the old-world atmosphere. In the previous part they had to be broken with weapons and force. Now your dark-haired assassin removes the wooden barrier and quietly places it on the ground.

Nightmares and hallucinations

The main character Basim is a street thief with his heart in the right place. But don’t expect the stereotypical vain flutist, rather an ambitious boy who wants to help others and at the same time “prove something.” He is torn between his desire for justice for the poor people of Baghdad and his own ego. This internal contradiction constantly spills out in him, and when an important turning point occurs in his life, he joins the mysterious Hidden Ones, the predecessors of the Assassins. Here, at least for a while, he finds peace. However, he gradually returns to terrible nightmares and hallucinations in which he is haunted by terrifying ghosts.

Those who played the previous part with the subtitle Valhalla have an idea of ​​​​what we are talking about. Those who don’t know and want to be surprised should skip this paragraph. Viking Valhalla takes place eleven years later, when Basim has already undergone peculiar changes. He is actually the reincarnation of one of the Isu, known in mythology as the Norse god Loki. In Valhalla, he searches for Odin, who once imprisoned and tortured his child, the wolf Fenrir. And finally he finds it: in Eivor, the protagonist or hero of the entire game. It’s important to note that Mirage is a prequel to all of this and gives us a glimpse into a time when Basim was more or less normal. Essentially a sleeper agent, a nice guy plagued by psychological problems. As the player levels up, he immediately understands where his story is leading.

Valhalla was full of cruel power, one of the frequent activities was the plunder of monasteries. Stealth could solve some problems, but sneaking wasn’t as effective as pulling out two axes and swinging enemies in front of you. They climbed cliffs or wooden towers rather than famous buildings and beautiful palaces. And parkour, with the exception of a few cities, has lost its meaning. Mirage turns this on its head in the early hours when you first learn how to steal, sneak, or strangle enemies in the tutorial. The classic fight will come later.

When it comes to battle, it usually means something has gone wrong.

It also resembles the old parts that did not have special knobs and combining different buttons. It should be noted that contact combat in such an Ezio Trilogy was both clumsy and, for me personally, unfunny. The Mirage doesn’t offer any complicated grabs, but it’s not just about pressing one button – Basim can also counterattack and dodge. But when it comes to battle, it usually means something has gone wrong. Especially at the beginning, if you come into conflict with a lot of enemies, you will most likely die. And this is good.

You must learn to rely on your “cheat” tools and procedures. Imagine a seemingly impossible situation: you need to walk through the courtyard of a luxurious Baghdad palace, you are against five enemies. If you face them blindly, you might win, but you might also end up in a puddle of blood because these aren’t pencil sharpeners. It’s much better to plan everything. So, you lure the first guard into the booth you’re hiding in, stab him, and hide inside. You put the second one to sleep with an arrow from a blowgun and, while the rest of the soldiers are huddled around him, you throw a red dust bomb on the ground, which blinds them. In a cloud of smoke, you cut down two in turn and destroy the last one, who runs towards you from afar, with a throwing knife.

Wish granted

Remember the fame system where you have to tear down posters on the streets or your lovely fellow citizens will beat you up? Or eavesdrop on passers-by? What about pickpocketing? These are all elements Mirage also uses in the main missions, and it’s not just filler to appease older players.

At the same time, the creators borrowed some ideas from newer parts, but they turned out to be among the best. Basim has, for example, Enkidu’s eagle, which can survey the fortress from above, find a target, mark enemies and even reveal a useful hole in the wall. However, to do this is not so easy, he must avoid shooters – if he is hit, the killer will penetrate the complex without the help of birds. There is also a concentration system, very similar to the adrenaline in Valhalla or Odyssey. Successful silent kills earn you points, which you can then exchange for highly effective chain kills on up to five enemies. The visuals, which seemed like something out of science fiction, have already divided players in the trailers and will likely cause controversy in the game itself. But in reality it’s more of an effect.

Overall, Miragi doesn’t have much magic or “Isu” elements most of the time. Of course, without them, Basim’s life story would not be complete, but it is certainly not the case that he regularly communicated with Odin. There is also no present, which in Assassin’s Creed often drags (you know those moments when you are absorbed by the central story, but suddenly you have to return to the 21st century).

So, from a gameplay perspective, Mirage is a dream for many people. That is, for the camp of nostalgic players who want to once again remember the beginning of the series in at least one, even a shorter part. Baghdad is a friendly little city surrounded by desert, but that’s about it. Vast plains give way to narrow streets, water canals and markets full of people with bags of money casually hung. Parkour on the roofs of houses is natural and fun. Basim jumps a little more ferociously and aggressively than Ezio, but compared to Eivor he seems more graceful, as if he were flying. Climbing still isn’t too difficult, but you’ll still have to find handholds in the wall, and your killer is no longer the Spider-Man of yesteryear.

The gameplay is simply great. Of course, there is still room for improvement, such as the artificial intelligence of the enemies, who sometimes go in groups to search a suspicious pile of hay and know how to screw you, but sometimes they are just idiots stupidly heading towards their death.

Uncover the conspiracy and stop it

So what’s the big deal? Story. Assassin’s Creed Mirage is a welcome addition, but it feels like it was originally intended to be DLC for Valhalla. Even though Basim is a sweet and dude, for me even one of the best main characters of the series due to his problems and a certain tragedy, but the plot around him is very flat. Together with his mentor Roshan (by the way, with the wonderful scoundrel Shore Aghdashlu) and other members of the Hidden Ones, he goes to Baghdad, where the predecessor of the Templar is at large. Gradually he discovers a conspiracy and tries to stop it. No more, no less.

Several quests have interesting content, such as one later in the harem when Basim becomes painfully aware of how his ego and ambition can blind him. First of all, the middle part offers nothing more than “go kill, bring information.” It’s a shame that the makers didn’t focus on the stronger part of the story, namely Basim’s personal problems. The fact that Mirage is a linear game, simply depicting an important stage of his life, might have helped.

What’s new about Assassin’s Creed Mirage is that it’s “old.” But good old.

Then the main line is supplemented by several more or less interesting side quests and several very ascetic tasks where you have to steal spices or save a loquacious poet (which again looks like old works). The game, including all activities, lasts about 25 hours and, in its compactness and limited length, is a bit reminiscent of Assassin’s Creed Liberation. A spin-off of the trilogy, in which we looked at New Orleans, the swampy South of America in the 18th century.

But here we are moving through sun-drenched Baghdad, which, by the way, is full of interesting places, again well-researched in the codex. Even the setting is the complete opposite of the previous work – Baghdad is a modern 9th century city inhabited by scientists and intellectuals. Astronomers argue that the Earth is round and may not be the center of the Universe. Everything is complemented by beautiful music with Arabic motifs.

But those expecting a thoughtful plot or “something new” won’t find it in Miragi. This episode recycles a lot of ideas from the past and even uses some character moves you’ve seen before. What’s new about this is that it’s “old.” But good old. And you’re either on the aforementioned side of the divide, where you don’t mind it and want to enjoy running around the clear world and cooking the poor soldiers to the maximum, or you’ll be disappointed.