A purely consumer perspective
Seldom does a high-budget video game align so perfectly with my preferences, yet Assassin’s Creed Mirage accomplishes precisely that feat. Originally conceived as an expansion for Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, it has evolved into a standalone experience that pays homage to the series’ finest elements: elegant assassinations, seamless mobility, and a focus on stealth over convoluted quest logs and gear scores. It hits the bullseye as a spiritual successor, right on target.
Mirage emerges as one of Ubisoft’s most genuine forays into stealth gaming in the 15-year history of the Assassin’s Creed franchise. Its game world teems with rooftops, zip lines, and delightfully fluffy haystacks, all set within one of the most visually stunning virtual cities ever crafted. When I find myself perched on a ledge, meticulously observing guard patrol routes, identifying hiding spots, or plotting a daring ascent, Mirage showcases Ubisoft’s game development prowess at its zenith. However, it’s disheartening that the game’s fluidity in stealth is hindered by lingering issues from the past six years of Assassin’s Creed RPGs — clunky combat, floaty character movement, and parkour that doesn’t quite flow as seamlessly as intended.
I fervently yearn for the return of the classic Assassin’s Creed experience that I believed Mirage could deliver, but over its entire 20-hour duration, it feels more like a transitional step in that direction.
Mirage’s Origins Assassin’s Creed Mirage marks an intriguing debut for Ubisoft Bordeaux, a relatively young studio established in 2017, previously contributing to larger Assassin’s Creed projects and Valhalla DLC. Defining what “classic” means in a franchise that has undergone substantial changes from one installment to another can be challenging. For some, it’s the era of Ezio, where stealth was optional, and dispatching hordes of guards was effortless and enjoyable. For others, classic Assassin’s Creed encompasses naval adventures, property ownership, or building an assassin brotherhood.
Bordeaux chose the original Assassin’s Creed as its guiding star, a groundbreaking game from 2007 with rudimentary stealth and repetitive missions. Mirage takes players back several centuries before Altaïr’s time, narrating the origin story of Basim Ibn Ishaq, an essential character from Valhalla who honed his skills while hunting the Order of the Ancients (pre-Crusades predecessors of the Templars) in 9th century Baghdad.
Mirage’s brilliance lies in its fusion of Ubi Montreal’s original concept of social stealth with a contemporary interpretation of excellent stealth-level design. Each mission functions as a compact sandbox, offering multiple routes and opportunities to eliminate or circumvent guards through thoughtful sneak tactics. With the added advantage of an eagle companion for scouting restricted areas from above, Mirage makes stealth more enjoyable than ever before in an Assassin’s Creed game.
Mirage’s toolbox goes beyond a mere array of assassination methods. Basim wields sleep darts, non-lethal traps, noisemakers, smoke bombs, and a handful of throwing knives for those life-or-death situations. When it’s time for a kill, Basim relies on his hidden blade, encouraging players to prioritize genuine stealth rather than the franchise’s old approach, which often boiled down to “eliminate every guard with a gun or crossbow before they spot you.”
I particularly appreciate the streamlined selection of gadgets in Mirage. Each item serves a distinct purpose and proves invaluable during critical stealth moments. Sleep darts, in particular, are a standout choice, as incapacitating a guard discreetly is more advantageous than leaving a dead body that would raise alarm levels. Mirage elevates the stakes when guards go on alert, with AI behaving unpredictably, checking hiding spots they would typically ignore, and even learning to look upward.
The significant story assassinations are presented as “black box” missions, offering multiple approaches to execute clean, cinematic kills, akin to Hitman’s “mission stories.” These missions take place in more extensive settings than the rest of the game and often require Basim to manipulate events, such as engineering meetings with the target or adopting a disguise. While some moments may seem overly guided, the payoff is satisfying. While I didn’t feel compelled to replay these missions immediately, I’m curious to see how different choices might influence the outcomes during a potential second playthrough.
Mirage also reimagines the franchise’s social stealth mechanics ingeniously. Many strongholds can be infiltrated by blending into crowds of concubines or disguising yourself as a personal merchant escort. A heavily fortified main entrance can be cleared by hiring mercenaries or diverting attention with a coin tossed to a nearby musician. Unlike previous games, where social solutions simply required in-game currency, Mirage introduces unique coins earned through completing side contracts for specific factions (merchants, scholars, mercenaries) or through pickpocketing.
Nowhere is Mirage’s strength more apparent than when stealth tactics fail. Mirage’s combat system attempts to recreate the series’ classic swordplay, complete with a counter-kill move that allows Basim to swiftly dispatch enemies following a successful parry. However, it shares the same unwieldy feel as Valhalla’s group combat, resulting in a functional but visually unimpressive combat experience. Enemies often fail to react convincingly to powerful blows, and character animations frequently clash, making the combat appear awkward. These issues first surfaced in 2017’s Origins and continue to be the weakest aspect of modern Assassin’s Creed games.
luckily, the shortcomings of combat do not significantly impact the experience, as I rarely found myself engaging in prolonged combat situations. Basim is a fragile character, susceptible to defeat after only a few hits, leading me to heed the game’s advice on the loading screens: either flee when facing more than three guards or allow them to eliminate me, restarting from a generous checkpoint. The counter-kill mechanic helped keep most fights brief, and I appreciated that breaking stealth in isolated encounters did not compromise my overall cover, a marked improvement from past titles.
Mirage’s parkour mechanics have also undergone a somewhat awkward transition. While it’s positive that you can no longer effortlessly scale every flat surface like in previous games, Basim’s movements sometimes feel unnatural. He occasionally stumbles on ledge edges instead of smoothly transitioning to the desired location, and his leaps up walls, while rapid, often undermine the need for strategic climbing. Some buildings are placed just out of reach, preventing Basim from leaping between them, which results in occasional frustration. Additionally, the game lacks the level of control seen in earlier entries — side leaps from wall runs have been eliminated, and Bordeaux chose not to reintroduce Unity’s intuitive “parkour down” button, which would have provided players with more agency in automated freerunning.
While a “descend” button is available in Mirage, it only functions when Basim is stationary and hanging from a ledge. This button also shares its function with sneak mode, leading to frequent accidental crouches and moments of frustration.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage offers a breathtaking rendition of Baghdad, a city that the game clearly adores. The urban environment is consistently captivating and bustling with life, making even transitions to the street level a pleasure. Building facades are adorned with intricate floral decorations, and citizens engage in dynamic conversations while you shop for weapon upgrades and attire, often conversing in Arabic even when playing in English.
I have never played an open-world game with such a deep affection for its setting as Mirage. One of the game’s most remarkable displays of this affection is the “History of Baghdad” codex, an encyclopedia featuring numerous collectible entries that explore the region’s economy, governance, and cultural contributions. The codex boasts surprising detail, featuring attached photographs of actual historical artifacts like pottery, scales, textiles, and artwork. These entries even provide information about the real-world museums where these artifacts can be found.
I spent a significant portion of my gameplay time diligently seeking out and absorbing every available codex entry. This is a remarkable feat coming from someone who often struggled to stay awake in history class. I never anticipated playing Mirage and becoming engrossed in the intricacies of market stalls or verifying whether vendors were manipulating their scales to deceive customers.
Regrettably, Mirage’s original narrative doesn’t hold as much intrigue as the historical period it represents. While the initial hours effectively introduce Basim and establish a mysterious thread involving a haunting djinni that lingers in his dreams (possibly linked to the Animus), this narrative quickly takes a backseat once players are set free in Baghdad. The core of Mirage’s story revolves around disjointed investigations into the Order members you’re pursuing. I was content with not investing much in Mirage’s underdeveloped plot until the conclusion, which felt abrupt, inconsequential, and bewildering for those who hadn’t completed Valhalla.
It’s perplexing how closely this game’s story ties to an unrelated title. To fully comprehend Basim’s backstory and motivations, you essentially need to play Valhalla or seek out an explanation online. This design choice renders Mirage more akin to an expansion than a standalone experience.
The game’s $50 price tag starts to make more sense in light of its focused design. While I appreciate Mirage’s intent to avoid the open-world bloat seen in RPGs, I admit that I miss some of that extraneous content, if only because Assassin’s Creed has historically integrated it rather well. Owning property, collecting feathers, and managing an assassin brotherhood provided enjoyable diversions from the primary storyline, enriching the world of previous titles. Even Black Flag’s sea shanties, among the best collectibles ever conceived, added charm and depth. I found myself wishing for more reasons to continue exploring every corner of Baghdad as Basim.
Mirage comes tantalizingly close to greatness, frustratingly so. Nevertheless, it provides hope for the future of the franchise. While it may not fully realize the return to form that fans have longed for, it stands as the best Assassin’s Creed title with a focus on stealth. I am eager to see what Ubisoft and Bordeaux can achieve with another opportunity — one that hopefully affords more time for the development of parkour mechanics, the creation of additional stunning cities, and a reevaluation of combat systems. For the first time in a decade, I am genuinely excited about Assassin’s Creed, and that feeling is undeniably rewarding.
