Assassin’s Creed Mirage Review: Rekindle the Stealthy Flame

Ubisoft’s latest entry in the Assassin’s Creed franchise, Mirage, is a game that harks back to the series’ roots while also incorporating elements that have evolved over the years, a prime mix of nostalgia and modernity. The result is a title that is both familiar and fresh but not without its flaws.

“Assassin’s Creed: Mirage” takes us to 9th-century Baghdad, a setting that is both visually stunning and rich in historical context. You play as Basim Ibn Ishaq, a character who was introduced in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. The game aims to be a throwback to the original Assassin’s Creed, focusing on stealth and social dynamics. Dense with rooftops, ziplines, and the series’ iconic hay carts, Mirage offers players a playground for their assassination missions. The game’s missions are designed as small sandboxes, offering multiple routes and approaches, a feature that brings back the purest stealth gameplay in the series in over 15 years.

While “Assassin’s Creed: Mirage” aims to be a return to form, it also inherits some of the less favorable traits from recent entries in the series, such as spammy combat and floaty character movement. The parkour mechanics, a franchise staple, lack the fluidity one would expect. Mirage also seems to struggle with its identity, caught between its ambition to return to its roots and the modern mechanics it has adopted over the years.

One of Mirage’s newer, more unique features are its “black box” missions that are reminiscent of the Hitman series, offering multiple ways to approach and eliminate your target. These missions are larger and more complex, requiring players to use social engineering tactics or even disguises to get close to their targets.

Gone are the days of an arsenal filled with various weapons; Mirage opts for a simplified toolset that encourages actual stealth. Basim’s toolkit includes sleep darts, non-lethal traps, noisemakers, and smoke bombs, each serving a unique purpose and adding a layer of strategy to the gameplay.

“Assassin’s Creed: Mirage” is a commendable effort by Ubisoft to return to the franchise’s roots while also trying to keep pace with modern gaming trends. It offers a visually stunning world filled with opportunities for stealthy gameplay but is more of the same for long-term AC fans versus the next big game.

RATING: 3.5 out of 5.

Assassin’s Creed: Mirage is now available for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S/X.

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