The Assassin’s Creed series has always been about experiencing the past through the lens of the present. So that’s exactly what Ubisoft is doing with Assassin’s Creed Mirage, which is trying to get back to its roots after Valhalla perhaps strayed a little too far from the series’ usual DNA. I spent three hours playing the upcoming game last week (it should have been four, but Ubisoft’s preview sessions are probably more involved than any Animus machine) and came away with a good impression. In fact, very positive.
As most of you may have heard, we play Basim, who also had a role in Valhalla. The year is 861, and the young lad is still nothing more than a pickpocket in the city of Anbar in modern-day Iraq. In the first mission teased, we follow his childhood friend Nehal on a trip down memory lane, though it’s anything but a peaceful walk as we jump across rooftops and obstacles. Parkour is back as we gracefully negotiate obstacles, slide down ropes, scale walls, and even do some pole vaulting as one of the few new acrobatic mechanics. The rest is recycled, but that’s okay because parkour feels more fluid and natural than before. It still gets clunky, but not enough to break the immersion.
The intro is over quickly and we jump to Alamut Castle, a location in present-day Iran that has been featured in some previous games. The mountains serve as a training camp for assassins, and it’s fun to see Basim attempt the series’ signature leap of faith and have the needle in the haystack land on his ass. Luckily, there are plenty of opportunities to perfect your parkour, as Alamut probably wins the unflattering award for being the world’s least disabled-friendly destination. Each area, whether you want to visit a trainer or a vendor, requires deadly stunts to reach. Our primary training, however, was in the arts of combat, under the tutelage of our mentor Roshan, a strong woman with an almost comically hoarse voice. Phantom retains the combat system from Origins and recent Assassin’s Creed games, which means dodging moves and precisely timed parries are essential if you want to have any chance of overwhelming your enemies.
The combination of improved stealth and a more immersive combat system immediately proved to be the winning formula for my eventual release in Baghdad. With the ability to hide in the shadows and use classic tools like smoke grenades and poison darts, we have all the tools you need to covertly eliminate your targets. Unlike syndicates, these tools are not only nice to have, but absolutely necessary. Basin is not a fully equipped warrior, he can crush his enemies with brute force and powerful weapons. The role-playing mechanics are cut to the bone, and while there’s a small skill tree, you won’t be able to grind your way through levels and find better gear.
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Luckily, Baghdad is an assassin’s paradise, with more hiding places per square meter than any other city. The flat rooftop terrace is never more than a few hops or vaults away, and if you choose to move along the grounds, you can always disappear into the large, vibrant crowds that fill the markets and narrow alleys. Not only is this ancient metropolis fascinating as a meeting point of different cultures, it is reminiscent of Constantinople in the Book of Revelation, but on a completely different scale. As I zoomed out of the map, I realized to my surprise that what I thought was the entire city was actually just one of several districts. Unlike previous games, it actually seems like every little corner is filled with puzzles and secrets. Coming from Valhalla, it’s almost like going from linoleum floors to finely woven rugs.
Like the city itself, the missions are well structured and branch out quite a bit. While I was initially a little annoyed that they didn’t go back to the standalone GTA-like missions the series had before it became an RPG, my skepticism was quickly put to rest. Ubisoft Bordeaux went a step further, looking all the way to the original Assassin’s Creed for inspiration. At the time, Altaïr had to find clues to reach his ultimate goal, a good idea that was undermined by the core gameplay being made up of generic activities that were later relegated to side activities. Fortunately, the investigation involves more about the apparition.
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First, I found some loot for a Chinese trader kid, whom I recognized from a training session. I wasn’t just helping out for old times’ sake, though, as he promised to take me to an exclusive auction if I showed him how to fix a minor import-related issue. My help ended up costing the local portmaster his life, but then I was free to make my way to one of the city’s lively bazaars. Despite his promise, Mr. Tong couldn’t get me all the way into the auction, and I was left searching for the needle (or rather the hairpin) in the proverbial haystack before finally making it to the auction, where a bidding war ended Demystifying my purpose.
There’s a lot of variety, especially since the quest lines are anything but linear. At the same time, new command elements enhance the experience. Ubisoft Bordeaux appears to be inspired by Frogwares’ recent Sherlock games, as you’re no longer always guided directly to your objective via shiny spots on the map. Instead, I had to find locations by listening to vague descriptions or bribing locals for more information, which can be done with a kind of literal street cred gained from completing side objectives. At the bazaar, I wasn’t directly told what to do, but had to observe and explore my surroundings, and by eavesdropping on conversations and stalking the right people, I finally reached my goal. Thanks to these mechanisms, the city truly comes alive.
If I had to point out one negative (and it’s very difficult), it would probably be that the tone of the game didn’t really resonate with me. There are some lighter moments along the way and some good-natured banter between characters, but unfortunately the developers haven’t gone back to the humor of Ezio’s happier days. Mirage seems to be aseriousgames, and Ubisoft hasn’t been very good at writing them since the original Watch Dogs. I also encountered some graphical glitches, but that’s to be expected before the official release – especially if I’m streaming the game.
My roughly three hours with Assassin’s Creed Mirage was extremely positive. Until then, I was worried that this would simply be a return to a classic formula that already felt dated by the time Syndicate was released in 2015. But the mirage is much more than that. Ubisoft Bordeaux seems to have carefully selected the best elements from the series’ 16-year history that best bring the past to life. Assassin’s Creed was relegated to the shadows for a while during a tense October filled with big titles, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the game jumped out and assassinated the competition.
