"A Triumphant Homage" - Assassin's Creed Mirage Review

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is a triumphant homage to its earliest predecessors, but it still suffers from issues endemic to the series. The stealth action game from Ubisoft Bordeaux is singularly engaging and refreshing in its constricted scope; still, tiresome trends from the series at large return, making key components of its story vapid distractions from its true strengths. While is clearly built upon the back of 2020's, that foundation has been morphed into an experience heavily reminiscent of the original from 2007. is a more than worthwhile entry to the long-running saga in its own right, but it also shows that the original vision of the series still has immense potential.

takes place in 9th century Baghdad, under the rule of the Abbasid Caliphate. An 11-year prequel to, tells the backstory of its progenitor’s Basim Ibn Ishaq, a street thief who is taken in by the Hidden Ones, a precursor organization to the Assassin Brotherhood. Playing is not necessary to enjoying, however; the latter’s narrative revolves entirely around Basim’s induction to the Hidden Ones, and his uncovering of the extent to which the Order of the Ancients (precursor to the Templar Order) is controlling Baghdad society. fires on all cylinders when it immerses itself in the city, its culture, and its history, but an inability to recapture ’s original mystique leaves its macro narrative at times confounding.

My personal experience with is likely not unique. The original was something of a revelation in both gameplay and story. Scaling walls, leaping off buildings, and escaping from guards in the 12th century Holy Land felt like a proof-of-concept for something greater, and the story – both Altaïr’s and Desmond’s – was tantalizingly mysterious. When came out, I was