'Assassin's Creed Mirage' returns the series to roots in more ways than one as the game takes place in Baghdad. (Ubisoft/TNS)
Life has finally come full circle for “Assassin’s Creed.” The series that began as a sequel to a “Prince of Persia” project and turned into Ubisoft’s flagship franchise is finally returning to a setting close to the original.
“Assassin’s Creed Mirage” is a prequel in several senses. It follows the origins of Basim Ibn Ishaq, an important character in “Assassin’s Creed Valhalla,” and it’s set a few centuries before the original game in an area of the globe that echoes the story in the Holy Land.
It’s almost like a linchpin bridging two eras of the franchise together. Unlike the previous trilogy, “Mirage” resembles the first game in more ways than one. In fact, the main team at Ubisoft Bordeaux said it’s an homage to the title that started it all in 2007. That’s evident in the gameplay and the focus.
Echoes of the past
“Mirage” feels like a throwback with a focus on stealth, scouting and using tools to gain the upper hand against foes. In terms of gameplay, it resembles an Ezio adventure with elements of more recent games thrown in.
The game starts off with Basim’s life as a master thief in Baghad. He can use his eagle vision to see marks and he can pickpocket them via a quick minigame. He can parkour around the city and its relatively low-slung streets. He can swing around corners or accelerate up using pulleys. As usual, the key to getting around is reading the environment and steering Basim down the right path.
'Assassin's Creed Mirage' returns the series to roots in more ways than one as the game takes place in Baghdad.
What’s notable is that the developers brought back more puzzle-like elements such as the one in climbing. Players can no longer just scale up walls. They’ll have to look for hand holds and search for a general path up cliff faces or buildings. It’s a refreshing nod to what made the first series of games so intriguing.
A new take on combat
That old-school feel extends to the combat. Players no longer have a normal and strong attack on the shoulder buttons. Now, there’s one attack button that can be tapped for a light attack and held down for a heavy one. Players will have to watch enemy patterns in order to parry and open up an enemy for a counter-attack. Meanwhile, bigger elite foes swing sword attacks that flash red and can’t be blocked and must be dodged.
It’s simple but effective but not an emphasis in “Mirage.” Instead, campaign places more importance on the tools, which are unlocked as Basim becomes accepted into the Assassin Order and they develop new pieces of gear for him. Smoke bombs, daggers and other darts are used to distract foes and open them up to quick assassinations.
Interactive environments and a new technique
Unlike the early games, the environment is also more interactive. Basim can toss daggers to cut ropes and send cargo crashing on enemies. During a fight, he can bait an attack in spices and when the enemy hits it, it creates a distracting noxious cloud that leads to an easy kill. That’s how I killed a tough harbormaster during a mission.
The emphasis of “Mirage” isn’t on the one-on-one combat. Crossing blades is a move of the last resort. Instead, Basim specialises in killing foes from the shadows, hiding bodies and even performing a special “Assassin Focus” technique. It’s a new move that built up with stealth kills and lets him take out several enemies quickly. In addition, other moves can be unlocked through the three skill trees and include techniques like a quick knife throw that kills enemies after you eliminate a previous one. It’s like a “Far Cry” chain attack.
Modern touches
Although “Mirage” does pay heed to the original, the campaign has modern elements as well. Part of the game loop is scouting with Enkidu, Basim’s eagle. Players can mark foes before infiltrating an area. If that weren’t enough, the developers brought back social blending. The protagonist can blend into crowds or even hire people to cause a distraction and then sneak in behind the guards. And of course, if players build up notoriety, they’ll see wanted posters that they’ll have to tear down to lower the heat on Basim.
One of the bigger differences between “Mirage” and other entries is the need for different tokens to open up some options. Players will run across chests that can only be opened with a merchant token while another can bribe people for distractions. Players can acquire them via pickpocketing, which players will need to do often in some circumstances.
Despite those old-school elements, players will still do a lot of looting and scavenging, but this time, gear like new swords appear less frequently. Players can upgrade gear using materials they find, but don’t expect them to find a hundred daggers or eight pieces of armor. Again, “Mirage” is more like the original in that aspect when it comes to fewer pieces of gear.
And perhaps, that’s not a bad thing. “Assassin’s Creed” and the previous revamped series may have gone too far down the “Witcher” route and the series lost its identity because of that. “Mirage” is a way to rekindle that dedication to stealth and a more focused adventure.
The subject matter and focus on a coming-of-age tale will draw fans in and marks a good entry point for newcomers. They’ll explore the Assassin lore and see a street thief become a master assassin. Meanwhile, longtime fans will appreciate the callbacks and touches that mesh what they loved early on with the series to more modern sensibilities.
“Assassin’s Creed Mirage” is scheduled for release Oct. 5 on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X and Series S and PC. – Bay Area News Group/Tribune News Service
