Throughout its history, Assassin’s Creed has charmed and beguiled gamers with its ingenious mix of stealth, parkour, and engrossing narrative. But, the recent open-world and RPG-centric outings have left much to be desired, especially as far as being an Assassin’s Creed game goes.
Now, Ubisoft is looking to rediscover the series’ winning formula with Assassin’s Creed Mirage, consciously dialing down its grandeur to create an experience that whispers more of Unity and less of Origins, Valhalla, and especially, Odyssey.
Since the franchise’s pivot towards an RPG-centric model in 2017’s Assassin’s Creed Origins, players have been accustomed to vast open worlds spanning roughly 80 to 94 square kilometers. However, as the gaming industry has come to learn, size isn’t everything. The massive landscapes of Odyssey and Valhalla, while visually striking, sometimes diluted the gameplay experience. Enter Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Ubisoft’s answer to the clamor for a return to form.
Ubisoft’s creative director, Stéphane Boudon, clarified the goal is to deliver a more compact and intricately designed game. The map size of Assassin’s Creed Mirage is touted to be comparable to that of Unity’s Paris or Revelations’ Constantinople, which were closer to 2.4 square kilometers and one square kilometer respectively.
Ubisoft’s decision to shrink the map, which is a drastic departure from their recent trend, signals their commitment for a more narrative-driven and intimate gaming experience, akin to the Ezio trilogy that garnered the franchise so much critical acclaim and commercial success.
With Mirage, Ubisoft Bordeaux are meticulously handcrafting a dense world filled with opportunities and adventure, one of the most sought-after changes from the almost overwhelming excess of side activities that recent games have thrown at players. Comparatively, Unity had a total of 23 viewpoints scattered mostly around Paris, while Odyssey and Valhalla offered a staggering 95 and 72 viewpoints respectively. Mirage’s map, despite being smaller, promises to surpass the depth and richness of its predecessors.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage isn’t just about size reduction; it’s about quality enhancement. Along with a more condensed map, the game will see a return to the stealth-first approach reminiscent of the franchise’s early entries. Players will once again don the shoes of an assassin, this time in the form of Basim Ibn Ishaq, operating in the shadowy underworld of Baghdad. The gameplay loop in Mirage will re-emphasize the thrill of covert assassinations and agile parkour, with combat as a last resort.
The parkour system in Mirage, as stated by senior game designer Marco Maresca, is a throwback to the Ezio games that’s focused on fluid movement and momentum when maneuvering rooftops and terrains. Players won’t be climbing mountains like Bayek and Kassandra but instead, they’ll experience a closer adherence to the series’ iconic feel, thereby maintaining a seamless flow when traversing environments.
Despite these evolutions, Ubisoft also ensures the inclusion of features that fans have grown to love. The game will still include mounts such as camels and horses for the players to traverse the cityscape, divided by bodies of water that can be navigated by small boats.
All these revelations about Assassin’s Creed Mirage indicate Ubisoft’s commitment to reinvigorating the franchise. By choosing to provide a smaller, denser world that harks back to its origins, Ubisoft isn’t just trying to recapture the magic of its earlier successes; it’s trying to refine it. And if Assassin’s Creed Mirage lives up to its promise, players across PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series, and PC will have an engaging, nostalgic, yet fresh Assassin’s Creed experience come October 12.
Fingers crossed, this promised return to form for the Assassin’s Creed franchise isn’t just a one-off, with Assassin’s Creed Jade, Codename Red, and future entries all following Mirage’s lead.
