A Rediscovery of the Assassin’s Creed Origins: Assassin’s Creed Mirage

Be careful, Ubisoft has been clear. Assassin’s Creed Mirage will not be an Origins game! Forget gigantic open worlds and lengthy adventures. The idea is to go back to basics with a more linear, shorter game but with more parkour, stealth, and assassination.

Returning to the Roots

In fact, the goal is to allow fans to rediscover the experience of the first ACs. To find the Middle East, the secret blade, the creed, and everything that goes with it. But by trying too hard to play it old-fashioned, doesn’t Mirage risk having the air of a simple remake? Well, on played it a little and on can tell you that you might be very surprised!

The Story of Basim Ibn Ishaq

Who says new AC, says new assassin. Finally new… The protagonist of Mirage is a character already known to Valhalla players. You will indeed play Basim Ibn Ishaq, but younger. Mirage takes place a few years before the adventures of Eivor and the idea is to follow the evolution of Basim, from a young penniless thief (but who has nothing to do with Aladdin) to a master Assassin, with all the levels, the questions, and missions that this implies. The opportunity to completely immerse yourself in the rites and atmosphere of this secret brotherhood, then known under the name of Those Whoon do not see.

In addition to that, Basim faces an internal conflict. He doesn’t know who he really is, asks himself dozens of questions and obviously, it won’t be easy for him every day. Especially since all these changes, well, they are part of a great History that is at least as complex.

Exploring Baghdad

Mirage chose the 9th-century city of Baghdad as his playground. And on is a far cry from the desert and depressing Baghdad of FPS games. At that time, Baghdad was one of the rare cities with more than a million inhabitants. It is above all the capital of the Abbasids, a dynasty that allowed the Arab world to enter a true golden age. But everything is not beautiful and rosy.

The round city will gradually sink into turmoil. Clashes with the population, conflicts between the richest and the poorest, beginnings of a revolution… That’s the context of Mirage. And inevitably, the developers will add to all this the conflict between Those Whoon do not see, in other words, between the Assassins and the Templars.

The Splendor of Baghdad

The indelible memory left to us by our game session is without hesitation the splendor of the city of Baghdad. It’s colorful, detailed, animated, segmented… Discovering the city is a pleasure at all times and for all the senses. Baghdad is seen, heard… There is music, merchants shouting, very different people, very different languages, animals (and yes you can pet the cat), children playing, sellers of carpet… There is life, interactions with Basim, and it’s a real pleasure. Special mention to the bazaar area which is particularly successful. We really believe it, and we already look forward to being able to get lost there again.

The devs were right: Baghdad is the perfect playground for an Assassin. With its narrow streets, flat roofs, and scaffolding, parkour is as pleasant as can be in Mirage. Between the fluidity of Unity and the nostalgia of the first opus, the sensation level is just right. But, it would be a shame to keep this filter and miss out on the sumptuous colors of Baghdad. Note that Mirage will not be limited to the round city. During our game session, we were able to discover the base of Those Whoon does not see at the foot of the famous Alamut fortress. A unique atmosphere that allows for diversity and further supports the desire to return to basics.

Back to Basics

Mirage is openly a love letter to the first ACs. It smells like the work of fans for some fans and it smells good! And who says back to basics, says return to the three fundamentals: parkour, assassination, and discretion. Clearly, everything is done to encourage players to respect this credo. Blend into the crowd, assassinate your targets, offer help from groups of people, complete objectives while discreetly undertaking Black Box missions, using tools, discreetly listening to the conversations of important people… Lots of mechanics are making a comeback directly for this purpose.

Obviously, getting noticed will not be a cakewalk. The higher your level of notoriety, the more stressful the atmosphere becomes. The music changes, passers-by shout at you… Unlike a GTA, you will give everything to make it turn down.

In Mirage, the codex, the offices, and everything we said previously make for a rather coherent whole. The game is more interesting than a simple remake which does not say its name.

A Game Apart

And yes, if Mirage draws a lot from its cousins, it has its own identity and therefore its own mechanics. We had already been able to discover Assassin Focus, a skill allowing Basim to assassinate on a chain basis. The latter is completely optional, but can really help you get out of complicated situations. It’s as easy to use as it is smart!

Mirage has also completely redesigned the quest interface. The latter looks more like a grand investigator’s panel on which on little by little add new clues or things to do. And it’s not for nothing! Investigation is an integral part of Mirage’s gameplay. It will be up to you to find the information necessary for the success of your mission. You can approach this research in different ways. But a priori, you shouldn’t expect much freedom either, unfortunately.

But that’s not all! There are lots of little things that are unique to Mirage. The dyeing of costumes, the faction system and their token which will allow you a certain number of things, the improvement of tools, but also a new combat system. Limited like the old one but more fluid and pleasant.

And then there are many things to do in Baghdad and its surroundings. The contracts, the stories of Baghdad, the objects to steal, the historical sites… Completionists will get their money’s worth, without having to cut themselves off from the world for months like for the last ACs. This is the advantage of limiting yourself to one city… or almost.

Unfortunately, we were not able to see them with our own eyes during our 3-hour session, but there will be more open areas around Baghdad. Desert or oasis-like areas that will remind players of the open worlds of the latest opuses. The game is therefore more ambitious than on thought so, even if on of course feels that it is of a lesser scope, especially on the technical side. There is a bit of that in Mirage, yes. But nothing to spoil this experience, which is both new and nostalgic.

A Successful Return

Mirage was largely successful in its bet, and even more! The game is clearly a love letter to the first AC, a brilliantly orchestrated return to basics. We love the return of the secret blade, we like searching for information, we like planning our attacks to be as discreet as possible… We love all these things that remind us of our gaming sessions of yesteryear. But we also like the well-thought-out and coherent modernity of certain elements.

Like its ancestors, Mirage certainly has some flaws. But we forget them quickly in the face of the splendor of Baghdad. The city is not only beautiful and vibrant but also the perfect playground for an AC. It’s simple, we already want to get back into it.

It remains to be seen what the teams plan to tell us. But if Mirage’s story is anything to go by its gameplay, we perhaps hold the Assassin’s Creed game that will make everyone agree. But we’ll have to wait until October 5 to find out!