Assassin’s Creed Miragetakes players back in more ways than one. It explores Basim’s past prior (chronologically) to his role inAssassin’s Creed Valhalla, it is an action-adventure game as opposed to an action RPG, and it returns to the Middle East. Indeed,AC Miragehas been billed as a love letter to the earliest entries in the franchise since its announcement, and it’s clear how closely connected to the original games it is.
As a whole,Assassin’s Creed Miragegenuinely feels like a sequel to 2007’sAssassin’s Creed, which may be a bit of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it encapsulates what makes the original action-adventure games so great, but on the other, it sometimes feels like a game stuck in the late 2000s. The result is a fun, nostalgic experience that walks a fine line between being an homage and feeling dated, but it’s clear from the onset that the good far outweighs the bad.
WhereAssassin’s Creed Miragetruly excels is in its sandbox, as it will quickly let players loose inside and outside its walls. Baghdad is divided into a few districts: Abbasiyah the cultural hub; Karkh, the market district; Harbiyah, the industrial district; and the Round City at the heart of it all. Beyond the city’s walls, players will find the Wilderness, complete with sandy dunes that divide a caravan here, a major historical site there, and a bandit camp elsewhere. Players will spend most of their time on the roofs of Baghdad, and while the changes between districts are minor, they are enough to keep players engaged by just taking in the city. Not to mention, Baghdad truly feels alive, as players will engage with crowds and various NPCs.
InAssassin’s Creed Mirage, players gather tokens (Power, Merchant, and Scholar) by pickpocketing NPCs, completing contracts, and by doing a few other odds and ends. Power Tokens can be used to get mercenaries to fight guards, allowing players a swift, stealthy entry. Merchant Tokens can be used to bribe merchants or get lower prices from them, while Scholar Tokens can be used to blend in with the crowd. There are more uses for each of these tokens, but the system itself encourages players to be involved with the living world around them.
That doesn’t mean the city of Baghdad is a huge fan of Basim’s, though.AC Miragebrings back the notoriety system, and it has three stages that dictate how guards react when players are in sight. Standard citizens will also react based on the notoriety level, calling out for guards if they spot Basim. Depending on where players are, it is easy to get surrounded by guards on the streets of Baghdad, meaning the roof is always the safest place for Basim. But, ultimately, the notoriety and accompanying detection system are top-notch. It’s no secret that guard detection inAssassin’s Creed Valhallawas so sensitive that stealth wasn’t a real option, but it’s the opposite here. Everything aboutAssassin’s Creed Miragepushes players to engage in stealth.
OneAssassin’s Creed Mirageloading screen message tells players to avoid combat with more than four enemies, and that’s a worthwhile recommendation to live by. Players, when in open combat, can use their sword and dagger to chip away at enemy health or to parry an attack, which opens enemies up for a quick kill. Parrying an attack for that opening requires players to focus on timing, and unlike many olderACgames, enemies are not limited to attacking one at a time. In other words, while it’s possible to parry one’s way to victory, it doesn’t come easy, and Basim is easily overwhelmed asAssassin’s Creed Mirage’s combatintensifies.
Given that a lot of missions involve infiltrating locations and performing assassinations, it means players have to be focused on stealth.Assassin’s Creed Mirage’s toolsare a great supplement to this, as players can use stealth bombs offensively or defensively, take out enemies from afar with Throwing Knives, or make openings with Noisemakers. On top of this, players can use their Eagle Vision to detect nearby enemies, while Enkidu (Basim’s eagle) serves as a scout. Players have all the tools they need to be deadly, silent, and efficient.
Assassin’s Creed Miragedoes have a couple of RPG-like upgrade systems to support its gameplay. Tools can be upgraded among three tiers, improving how they operate, how many players can carry, how much damage they do, and what kind of status effects some can apply. There is also a very simple set of skill trees inAssasin’s Creed Miragethat are divided into three trees: Phantom, Trickster, and Predator. Phantom largely focuses on improving thenew Assassin’s Focus ability, which is a fun addition that lets players build charges from stealth kills for instant eliminations (another feature that pushes stealth gameplay). Trickster is focused on unlocking tools and some general improvements. And Predator focuses on improving Enkidu and some stealth options.
When it comes to assassination missions, players are often presented with a couple of avenues. The game will suggest they, for example, bribe merchants to gain entry to a location, or they’ll hear NPCs murmuring about a hole in the wall that’s a perfect entry point.Assassin’s Creed Mirage’s Black Box missionsaren’t overloaded with options like this, with the game only typically presenting two or three, but players can completely ignore these opportunities and find their own path. Indeed, the sheer freedom players have inAssassin’s Creed Mirageis why its sandbox stands out so much.
There’s so much to the core gameplay and sandbox ofAssassin’s Creed Miragethat its shortcomings are easily overlooked. Mileage may vary depending on what fans exactly want going into the game, though. Parkour is fine, largely thanks to the city structure and sandbox design, but it’s lacking a lot of thefine-tuning the later action-adventureAssassin’s Creedgames had. Social stealth, such as assassinating from crowds, is workable, but never really the best option. Things like tailing missions, eavesdropping, and chases return, but they are so easy players will have to try to fail them to get a Game Over screen. The franchise has done a lot with these elements before, and while they have their place inAssassin’s Creed Mirage, they are a lot of the reason why it feels like a late 2000s game at times.
A lot of this may be sacrificed for the larger workability of the sandbox, which also seems to be the case forAssassin’s Creed Mirage’s story. While the game opens up strong, players are eventually given free rein to complete a handful of core missions, which take up the majority of the gameplay time. The story is drip-fed to players, with basically every important aspect of the story taking place in the last two missions. It’s an interesting structure overall, but it’s something some fans may love and others will hate. If someone wants gameplay freedom in a fun, engaging sandbox, thenAssassin’s Creed Mirage’s story offers that. If someone wants an intense story, they’re going to be kept on the hook for some time. It’s worth noting, without going into spoiler territory, that understandingAssassin’s Creed Mirage’s story ending requires players know what happens inAC Valhallaand know a lot of the series' mythology, as the big reveal comes out of the blue and won’t make sense otherwise.
Part of the story structure is the roleHidden Ones and the Order of the Ancientsplay too. Players will encounter plenty of Hidden Ones inAssassin’s Creed Mirage, and it’ll truly feel like a game focused on Assassins and the Brotherhood. This is indubitably a big boon for those who have missed this focus in the last couple of games. In exchange, though, the Order of the Ancients feels more like set-dressing than anything driving the plot, and their surrounding story misses the mark.
Another area whereAC Miragedrops the ball is its overall stability, but that should improve with patches. During our time with the game, we suffered no shortage of hard crashes, stutters, physics issues, and general bugs. While it’s not possible for us to confirm at this time, it seems there is a bug preventing certain collectibles from being found or made available on the map, as we’ve searched high and low but otherwise cannot get them to spawn or show up. Even the most bug-blind player is going to notice these issues, but luckily, nothing was ever game-breaking.
Assassin’s Creed Mirageis a game of compromise: some things fall behind for others to soar.Assassin’s Creed Miragefeels more like a sequel toAC1than a 2023 game, and if that’s a compromise players are okay with, then they are going to have an absolute blast in the sandbox.AC Mirageis a love letter to these classic games, and luckily, the sheer freedom of its design makes sure it is players who draft that letter.
Assassin’s Creed: Mirage
WHERE TO PLAY
Play as a cunning young street thief seeking answers in this majestic Middle Eastern open world. Experience the home of the original Assassins in this exciting new narrative-driven, open world adventure. 15 years since the first Assassin’s Creed redefined adventure, experience the franchises' trademark parkour and stealth like never before - in Assasin’s Creed Mirage. In this smaller scale, back to basics Assassin’s caper, you play Basim, a young street thief seeking answers. Roam the richly-detailed, reactive and vibrant streets of 9th century Baghdad, uncovering the mysteries of the past as you fight to secure your future. Stalk the shadows. Become the ultimate assassin.
Assassin’s Creed Miragereleases October 5 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Game Rant was provided an Xbox Series X/S code for this review.
