The new installment for PlayStation 5, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, made with the gameplay of the previous one, offers everyone a fun adventure . If you are a fan of the saga, or at least have played several of its titles, it will make you feel nostalgia and novelty because of how well the saga brings out its classic ideas . After its launch on October 5, 2023, we have all seen how developers can do a good job if they continue on this path.
If we analyze Assassin’s Creed Mirage in depth, it is easy to come to the conclusion that it was born as an expansion of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla . As much as the company Ubisoft remains firm in saying that it is an independent installment, there is no doubt about the legacy that the Vikings have left in this game.
The most Assassin’s Creed setting of all the Assassin’s Creed games
The most successful part of Assassin’s Creed Mirage is its setting. The game takes us on a journey through historical landscapes, places of great importance, a more than welcoming atmosphere and beautiful settings that will make the player feel a very immersive experience.
In addition, we were already missing a city with more buildings and barricades, which makes it perfect for developing stealth , which has characterized the saga since its beginning.
9th century Baghdad makes all this possible, roofs built with almost no sense, narrow alleys that make climbing possible, etc. This suits the saga so well that it is incomprehensible the idea they have taken over time to expand the scenarios to larger scales, which makes the gameplay counterproductive.
Visually, the city has a huge amount of detail that we don’t notice while we’re playing , but that is worth stopping to admire. We see how the interiors are adorned with perfectly recreated decorations . The carpets, walls and clothing demonstrate the hard work that has been done.
The story is interesting, although not very
In this wonderful city and its surroundings, there is a plot already known to the faithful of the saga, The Order , this is gaining strength , and it must be stopped at all costs. To achieve such a feat, we will have to interrogate all the henchmen of this organization , and thus find out who is the mastermind behind it.
This isn’t exactly a heartbreaking story, but it’s appreciated that the narrative is simplified, in order to emphasize what really matters in the plot: Basim . This character won’t be strange to many, since we already met him in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla as an experienced master assassin .
Perhaps Assassin’s Creed Mirage should have focused more on Basim , and it would have been a breath of fresh air in terms of narrative. They would have taken advantage of the fact that it’s the first time a character is beginning their role in the brotherhood. But it’s a huge amount of money invested, and they’d rather not experiment.
With this one, we will start as a rookie in a school, in a unique perspective of the saga, and the truth is that the duration of the campaign seems very short , since there was a lot of cloth to cut.
On the other hand, this character also seems a bit irregular in his design, despite having a great weight in the story. It is true that the plot deals with the evolution and maturity of our Basim, through interspersed scenes, but that also makes us feel that we are playing with two completely different protagonists .
Sometimes we see one personality, and then another completely opposite one, this is trying to show the evolution of the character. The problem with Mirage is that it is too obvious, and shows us in 2 minutes what we should see in hours of play .
Better Parkour thanks to its great stage design
But hey, we’re here to talk about games, so let’s move on to the plot. The Assassin’s Creed saga has always been linked to Parkour, although it has been a bit neglected in its latest games. This is one of the reasons why it has been desired for so long that this franchise looks more towards its origins.
Now Ubisoft has shown to be fully aware of this, and in this release it has improved this aspect, albeit with some marked limits.
Mirage’s gameplay is inherited from Valhalla and it is very noticeable, especially when it comes to moving the character . The gameplay when you pick up the controller is very similar to that of the previous main installment, without seeing any real changes.
However, parkour is not exactly the same, it is clear that in this new game, Basim has had some tweaks and some new animations. We see some changes to his way of running, climbing and jumping, but the key is in the level design , which has improved considerably.
Assassin’s Creed finally feels more like an assassin game than a casual adventure
It should also be said that Mirage has brought back classic mechanics, such as the climbing limitation , so you will be forced to find a pattern to climb a building or a wall. The game does not feel so rough in this regard, on the contrary. Some impossible moves have also been kept to ensure the fluidity of the game .
The watchtowers have taken center stage again , and now require a bit of thought to reach the path to them. Some are even blocked by puzzles.
Parkour isn’t just about climbing walls, but also racing through the city feels very satisfying, fun and exciting, especially in chases. The game feels like an amusement park perfectly designed to be run through , from one side to the other, with our protagonist.
The truth is that we missed an architecture of this level, which allows you to run across the rooftops, or sneak through the alleys to leave the guards behind.
What role does Mirage play in the saga?
Assassin’s Creed Mirage is not the reboot of the series that many expected . It is rather a tribute to its beginnings, in which some mechanics, setting and other ideas are recovered. Its spin-off nature is noted in terms of how similar its gameplay is to other previous installments of the series.
Overall, the game leaves a good impression. It has a very fun story to play, and an exquisite setting. In addition, it has a certain touch of nostalgia for the most veteran of the series. This is able to mask how repetitive its secondary missions are, as well as its stealth and combat system.
Its length, though a bit short, is almost perfect, something that previous Assassin’s Creed games have struggled with due to their tendency to drag out their games. In this case, in addition to the main plot, it provides enough secondary content to be a super fun game to play .
And that’s all, let me know in the comments what you think of this new installment.