Assassin’s Creed Mirage Takes the Franchise Back to its Roots
Assassin’s Creed Mirage was just announced at the Ubisoft gaming conference, which is one of many installments coming in the near future. This franchise has seen a number of variations over the years, with the most recent entries being open-world RPGs. Which, by the way, was a drastic departure from the established mechanics it had since 2007. No doubt the series has experimented with varying features, ranging everything from sailing ships at sea to competitive multiplayer. Things have been hit or miss for the franchise and gamers worldwide all have their preferences on which direction the future should take. With Assassin’s Creed Mirage, it appears that things are going back to the original format of stealth, parkouring, and more intimate maps. This follow-up to Valhalla will actually be a prequel focusing on the origin story of Basim Ibn Ishaq during the days of ancient Baghdad.
Originally, this game was planned to be an expansion to Valhalla. Apparently, the developers decided to make this game a full-fledged campaign. The trailer that was shown did showcase a gamut of features that will be included in the game. Everything from realistic tactical combat to enhanced parkour moves. Generally, the parkour will have many of the same moves found through the Ezio trilogy, along with the nuances found in Unity. The map will be smaller in scope in comparison to Valhalla. However, it will also be denser. Teeming with places to hide, climb, escape and sabotage. Thus, the popular “Black Box” assassination missions will also be making a comeback. Much like the Hitman series, players will need to stalk their target, blend in, observe and wait for the perfect moment to strike. There will be many ways to approach the target, providing ample opportunities to assassinate along with cinematic special kills.
The Hidden Ones
This story of Assassin’s Creed Mirage is within the timeline of the beginning of the order of the assassins. The assassin’s headquarters of Alamut will be present in this game, however, it will be under construction. So, they are known as “The Hidden Ones” during this time. As far as the map, it will roughly be the same size as Paris was in Unity. Given the size of the game, the campaign will clock in around 20 hours in length. Even though this may seem short in comparison to the last three games, this is actually standard fare with the earlier Assassin’s Creed games. They have become “bloated” over the years and Ubisoft is trimming them back to make the newer games more digestible. It is unknown whether or not there will be a multi-player component in Mirage. Right now, it’s labeled as strictly as a single-player game in its listing. This can always change, of course, if the developers feel like tacking on an online feature. Speaking of which, there won’t be any loot boxes in this game of any kind.
There will be, however, some light RPG mechanics in Assassin’s Creed Mirage. Things like weapons and gear will have their own stats. No doubt there will be customization, as well. Which has been a staple of the series since the very beginning. It appears that Basim will also have unlockable abilities. One, in particular, is a multiple takedown feature that looks very similar to the one in Batman: Arkham Knight. Also, he can obtain gas mines to throw on the ground to knock out pursuing enemies. Basim is noted to be “light on his feet” and not much of a hardened warrior. Therefore, with this installment, players will be encouraged to run, hide and pick off enemies one by one. They won’t be able to effectively take on hordes of enemies in melee combat. Instead, players will need to find ways to take out enemies while on the move.
Everything Is Permitted
When it comes to moving, Basim will have new ways to traverse the map. One way, for instance, is by pole vaulting over walls. He will also be able to use smoke bombs to cloud his proximity in order to escape. Many of the other tropes found in other Assassin’s Creed games will be returning. However, this installment will have some extra graphical flare. Which will reflect the middle eastern motif. Hiding behind drapes and within stacks of hay will be making a comeback. Thus, there will newer ways to hide which will be implemented through the new detection system. Perhaps hiding in shadows, in the sand, and within the leaves of trees could be a factor. Only time will tell what the developers have in mind.
There is some excitement buzzing over the announcement of Assassin’s Creed Mirage. Players can actually wishlist it right now. Even if the announcement isn’t too much of a surprise, it’s still good to see this franchise go back to its original format. Mirage does have a Prince of Persia flavor to it, which many gamers have been clamoring for. So, no doubt that this is the next best thing. There are a number of new Assassin’s Creed games in the works, with Mirage being the first in line to be released. Hopefully, the newer games will return to form like Mirage is. With that said, the future looks pretty bright for this franchise. As long as the developers put in a little innovation with each entry, and do not go overboard, then future installments will be solid.
Nothing Is Sacred
As of right now, Assassin’s Creed Mirage is scheduled to be released sometime in 2023. It will be available for PlayStation, Xbox, PC, and Amazon Luna. There is still much to learn about Assassin’s Creed Mirage and Ubisoft will surely drip-feed some new details in the coming months. Hopefully, a gameplay demo will come out later this year to help lay out the new features this game will have. There is much to look forward to with this series, especially with one project announced to be going to ancient Japan. Thus, another will be about the ancient Roman empire and witches. No telling where else this franchise can go in the future.