Ubisoft’s most popular game franchise, Assassin’s Creed is set to release its 13th entry in the form of Assassin’s Creed Mirage. Let us see what the game has to offer!

Assassin’s Creed Knowhow?

Assassin’s Creed is an Open World, Action-Adventure and Stealth game franchise that follows the hidden conflicts between two societies. On one side is the Templar, which originated from the Knights Templar during the 12th Century and was formerly known as The Order. They believe that people cannot be trusted with freedom and wish to bring peace to the world by establishing Order.

On the other side, there are Assassins. Known originally as the Hidden Ones, their goals are in contrast to Templars. They believe that Freedom is a given right of the people and wish to bring peace to the world by giving people their rightful freedom. However, due to their methods of conduct, they are branded as Assassins, a title they carry for millennia.

Both parties wish to bring peace to the world, however, due to their methods and opposing views, they are in conflict with one another. From the Assassin’s perspective, the Templar wishes to control the world and its people in the name of Order. And in Templar’s perspective, the Assassins are a bunch of savages who will end up bringing chaos to the world in the name of Freedom.

A Brief History

Originally began as a sequel to Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, titled Prince of Persia: Assassins. The story was meant to focus on an Assassin tasked with the safety of a Prince next in line for the throne. Ubisoft however scrapped the idea because they believed that the story had little to no involvement for the prince. However, Ubisoft gave the green signal to develop the plot into a game of its own. And this resulted in a franchise more successful than the game it had originated from.

Since then, Ubisoft released 12 main games and many spin-off titles with the best being Assassin’s Creed II (2009), which improved upon the shortcomings of the first game and introduced a character that became a legend within and outside of the games. Another best entry in the franchise is considered Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag (2013), a tonal shift in the franchise that was praised by both fans and critics alike.

There had been a few duds, however. Assassin’s Creed Unity (2014), was considered the worst game at launch as it had multiple bugs and glitches when released. Ubisoft had to release an additional 40 GB patch for the game. But it was too late, as it had affected the sales of the following game titled, Assassin’s Creed Syndicate (2015). Despite the game having a better launch, gameplay and setting Victorian Era London, the game sold 55 Million copies and was considered the worst-selling game in the franchise.

With poor reception and performance from both Unity and Syndicate respectively, Ubisoft had taken a decision to halt their annual release cycle. Taking one extra year to work on the game, they released Assassin’s Creed Origins (2017).  Abandoning almost all the previous mechanics, the game introduced RPG elements and took place millennia before the first game’s setting. It was a huge gamble, but it paid off. Origins became Ubisoft’s best-selling game at that time and beat their competitors Super Mario Odyssey and Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, which were released on the same day.

Since then, Assassin’s Creed released two more games. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (2018) took place in Ancient Greece and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla (2020), takes place in Medieval England and Norway during the Viking Age. At this point, Assassin’s Creed became an Assassin’s Creed game in-name-only as the game continued and improved upon the RPG elements from Origins while keeping stealth optional. Critics and General audiences may have loved it. But die-hard fans of the series, such as myself, had lost interest in the franchise as a whole.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage

The 13th entry of the franchise, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, is developed by Ubisoft Bordeaux and it is set in 9th Century Baghdad, 300 years before the Third Crusade, where the first Assassin’s Creed game took place. The story will follow Basim, a character introduced in the previous game and his journey from being a street thief to a Master Assassin. Assassin’s Creed Mirage is a love letter to the fans of the original Assassin’s Creed gameplay and stealth mechanics.

Being reminiscent of older titles, Assassin’s Creed Mirage will be more linear and story-focused and the number of role-playing elements is reduced. Something that fans of older AC games such as myself are very happy with as it brings back the nostalgia and the feeling of the original games. Even though Black Flag focused more on Naval Combat, when it came to character design and assassination, it always felt like an AC Game. And with Assassin’s Creed Mirage bringing back the hood and the stealth, I am more than excited for this new release.

The map will not be as Open-world as the previous titles, as Assassin’s Creed Mirage is set principally in Baghdad, which is divided into four districts, but also features Alamut, the fortress headquarters of the Hidden Ones. Funnily enough, the concept for Assassin’s Creed came from a book titled Alamut, a novel by Vladimir Bartol published in 1938 which tells the story of Hassan-i Sabbah and the Hashshashin. You could say they are going back to their roots as they had done with Origins.

Like all previous protagonists, Basim of Assassin’s Creed Mirage will possess all kinds of weapons and tools including the signature Assassin Hidden Blade, smoke bombs, throwing knives, and poison darts. And to add a touch of heritage, he will possess a Chilli Powder Bomb, which acts as tear gas. Both weapons and tools can be upgraded through a skill tree which allows different effects to be applied to them.

Basim also has access to both Eagle Vision and an avian companion in the form of an eagle that can be used to scout nearby areas. Unlike previous games that featured avian companions, enemy archers can detect and shoot at your eagle in Assassin’s Creed Mirage. Similarly, guards will check out your hidden area (haystacks and bushes) should you act suspiciously. This adds a challenge to the game, but assassination has never been that easy in any Assassin’s Creed game.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage is set to be released on October 12, 2023, for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 & 5, Xbox One & Series X/S, and Amazon Luna. Ubisoft also announced that they would release an exclusive mission titled The Forty Thieves (a nod to Alibaba and the 40 Thieves) for players who have pre-ordered the game. A Deluxe Edition of Mirage will include the base game, a Prince of Persia-inspired pack featuring additional weapons and cosmetic items, the game’s soundtrack, and a digital art book.

Expectations From Assassin’s Creed Mirage

As mentioned before, I am a fan of the older Assassin’s Creed Games and my favorite one has been the second entry. However, when the game started focusing more on the RPG elements with Odyssey, I slowly moved away from the franchise. And when I saw the trailer for Valhalla, I thought to myself if Assassin’s Creed has lost its identity.

And as if my cries were heard, Ubisoft brought back the very nostalgia of playing an Assassin’s Creed Game, by bringing back their costumes, weapons, and the very settings that make an Assassin’s Creed game feel like an Assassin’s Creed game. I was hooked the moment I saw their Cinematic Trailer, and since then I am excited for their game to be released.

And as if that is not enough, Prince of Persia is also returning in the form of a 2D game. It’s as if Ubisoft is bringing all of their oldie-goldies back to life, starting with Splinter Cell in their Ghost Recon Wildlands. But that’s a story for another time. Hopefully, with Assassin’s Creed Mirage, I may finally get the excuse needed to play Odyssey and Valhalla, as it is connected to Basim and Layla Hassan. Who’s she? You have to play Origins to find out.

And then there’s the in-game Universe that Ubisoft is planning with their Assassin’s Creed, Ghost Recon, Splinter Cell and Watch Dogs franchises. And I personally want to see how it turns out. On another note do check out my review on Tokyo Revengers Season 2.