Geek Review: Assassin’s Creed Mirage

Progress is about moving forward – with new innovations, fresh ideas, and better ways of doing things and so on, but for the Assassin’s Creed franchise, which is celebrating 15 years of stealth and surprise kills from the shadows and leaping into bales of hay, the next step forward… is going back. Assassin’s Creed Mirage, the 13th major instalment, takes the opportunity to honour legacy without necessarily breaking the mould, and elevating stealth gameplay back to the fore.

Central to this new adventure is Basim Ibn Ishaq, a street thief in 9th-century Baghdad, whose journey to becoming a master assassin is guided by the player’s hands. A familiar face for those who have played Valhalla, the narrative-driven experience chronicles the rise of Basim and his eventual acceptance of who he is, setting him on a path that will culminate in the events of the 2020 game.

For fans who have been heavily invested in the series, it allows Mirage to be more than just a new playground, giving us more glimpses of what makes Basim who he is and why he will go on to do what he does, with references that will bring a smile to your face, like meeting a certain young man who will go on to become a trusted protege. Yet, at the same time, even for newcomers, the core narrative presents a complete story that can be appreciated.

Conspiracies and hidden agendas are the norm in the series, and the story continues the good form of folding in historical events and the divergent paths of the Hidden Ones and the Order, all while making sure the gameplay is tight. This is largely due to the pared-back but still intriguing nature of this new journey, which forgoes the open-world stylings of Valhalla and Origins for a more focused, refined experience that harkens back to the earlier adventures of Ezio and Altaïr. 

Throughout 15-20 hours, players will undertake investigations to unmask the members of the Order of the Ancients, take in the sights of beautiful Baghdad, learn more about history, and problem-solve a variety of situations and Blackbox missions that are key milestones for each story arc. There are also a ton of historical sites and collectibles to be found to keep you busy 

There is no denying that stealth is of paramount importance in Assassin’s Creed Mirage, with ample opportunities to partake in clandestine fun in the name of pursuing your target. Eagle Vision returns to help players highlight vital targets and objects, and unlike the earlier days, the presence of Enkidu the eagle makes scouting that much easier as long as there isn’t a Marksman around.

Eavesdropping and tailing targets make a return as well, although the reduced frequency and generally better environmental design make these activities much easier to stomach and overcome. The more natural and intuitive way of social blending certainly helps as well, with organic crowds and useful benches always there to help Basim out.

The nature of being a street thief also means our hero has a nifty set of hands, which makes pickpocketing an integral tool. This can lead to key items like keys as well as favour tokens that can be used in several ways. Musicians, merchants, and mercenaries can all be bribed using their respective tokens, acting as distractions that will further help players stay in the shadows as they plot their next move.

Naturally, all that skulking around will lead players into restricted areas that can be heavily guarded. Rather than rely on combat, which is usually a last resort as Basim is not a brawny fighter, Mirage provides an excellent suite of stealth tools that can help maintain that veil of stealth. 

From blowdarts that send enemies to sleep, smoke bombs to cut the line of sight, to noisemakers that can lure enemies, making full use of these tools is essential to the current assassin’s way of life. A particular favourite is the throwing knife, which, when upgraded, can be modified to corrode bodies and leave no evidence behind. Pair that with a skill that makes retrieving knives possible from dead enemies, and outposts can be cleared efficiently without causing a din. 

Speaking of skills, progression is not tied down to an XP system, with story progression and side activities being the main avenues to accrue more skill points. What this does is allow players to enjoy the main narrative without feeling the need to grind, and see Basim’s growth as more organic in terms of both his skills and the tools at his disposal. 

As the Hidden Ones continue to unearth more information on the shadowy machinations in the background, the path towards major targets becomes increasingly clearer, setting things up for monumental Blackbox missions that serve to spotlight all of the significant improvements that have been made for stealth to shine. 

Each scenario sees changing enemies and environments, with plenty of options to choose from when trying to find the right moment to stick a hidden blade into the target’s throat. Do you bribe the eunuch for keys to locked rooms, peruse secret correspondences to find hidden tunnels, or use a coveted item and a false identity to establish an audience for a face-to-face? Either way, gathering information and choosing the path that best suits you is the name of the game, and it is usually a fun one.

While Assassin’s Creed Mirage doesn’t necessarily make it hard to spot these choices to be made, it is still enjoyable to see what is available to the players at any given point. The freedom and flexibility here are key to ensuring that stealth, no matter what form, is the main driver for actions and the subsequent consequences. 

That said, the game comes with some niggling issues, particularly in the areas where the more recent formula has been adjusted for this throwback. Combat against hostiles is predictably intense, as Basim can be easily decimated when faced with multiple foes. Having better gear and weapons can help, but it would have been nice to position combat as more of a matter of skill rather than sheer numbers.

Basim’s agility and ability to parry are his main defences, but more often than not, it is the incessant and nonstop attacks that mark his demise, which is not helped by the fact that occasional glitches see the hero stuck against a corner waiting for his death. One might argue that an assassin shouldn’t be in open combat anyway, and that’s absolutely spot on, but when it is just a case of more enemies with the standard attacks being the problem, a better balance would have been preferred. 

At the same time, the aggressive AI can be a tad dense when it comes to detecting Basim and his party tricks. How many times can you be distracted by fireworks and not wonder why your colleagues get fewer in numbers? And when a fellow guard gets dissolved into nothing right next to you, the lack of urgency or even alarm can break the immersion of a game that wants to champion stealth. 

Parkour is also a potential sticking point. While Baghdad is full of structures and helpful shortcuts to make the journey from point A to point B a fun exercise, there are still situations where the climbing and leaping aren’t exactly pinpoint perfect. At least loading doesn’t take forever with the new consoles and PCs, but it can be frustrating for those hoping for a solution to an ever-present issue. 

When played on the Samsung Neo QLED QN90C TV, the sands of Baghdad come to life. As wisps of sand dance across the screen, no detail is lost even in the darker moments in the game as the TV does well in ensuring that enemies remain visible as a mistake can lead to an untimely death.

Ultimately, Assassin’s Creed Mirage is a game that comes with the question of balance. By shining the spotlight on stealth, the game should deservedly get plaudits for the foundational refinements made to the formula. But at the same time, removing much of the bloat also means closer scrutiny of everything that’s left. Depending on your preference, this could be the soft reboot of the established recipe that many have yearned for or a step backwards, albeit one that comes with many quality-of-life tweaks. But, it represents a choice, and it is one that we are glad that Ubisoft Bordeaux has taken in giving players the flexibility to enjoy the franchise in its modern guise through a lens of the past.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage will be available on 5 October on all major platforms.