Review: Assassin’s Creed Mirage

destructoid.com:

The Assassin’s Creed franchise has been on quite a roller coaster since the original was released over 15 years ago. At first, each successive title seemed to enhance the core mechanics of the stealthy gameplay you’d expect from a game with the word “assassin” in the title. But then Assassin’s Creed Origins changed up the formula a bit. Assassin’s Creed became an open-world game, with more similarities to Far Cry than the original Assassin’s Creed games. The next two entries in the franchise, Odyssey and Valhalla, built upon that formula. With Valhalla, it felt like the combat had finally reached its peak, but something was lost along the way. It no longer felt like Assassin’s Creed. In fact, Valhalla often discouraged you from taking the stealth route.

Mirage seeks to return the series to its roots, so to speak. Instead of a sprawling open world, Mirage takes place in a single location: Baghdad in the year 861. It sheds the massive free-roam style in favor of a handcrafted linear experience, with a focus on the story and getting to learn the ins-and-outs of the bustling city of Baghdad. And while still keeping the polished and optimized combat from recent entries, stealth becomes the focal point once again. For the most part, Mirage achieves its goal of returning to its assassin ways. But in some ways, italso shows me why Ubisoft made the decision to take the franchise in a new direction in the first place.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage (PC, PS5 [Reviewed], PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One)
Developer: Ubisoft
Publisher: Ubisoft
Released: October 5, 2023
MSRP: $49.99

In Mirage, players take on the role of Basim, a character those who have played Valhalla will recognize. Mirage is essentially a prequel to Valhalla, taking