THE ASSASSIN'S CREED series has always been one of my all-time favorite franchises. From the titular game of the franchise to Valhalla, Assassin’s Creed has always captivated me as a gamer and as a bit of a history nut. Also a disclaimer, don’t base your history reports on the AC games kids.
The recent Assassin’s Creed game was fun, but I felt it was far from what the series was about. So when Ubisoft announced that the new title Assassin’s Creed Mirage was a call back to the original I wanted to try it out and maybe relive my childhood along the way.

Traveling back in time to 9th Century Baghdad
Mirage is sort of a prequel to Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and follows the story of Basim Ibn Ishaq, a major character in Valhalla. I’ll just leave that there since it's under major spoiler territory for AC: Valhalla and I do recommend you play the game since it’s one of the best-looking games out there in my opinion.
Mirage is set in 9th-century Baghdad during the height of the Abbasid Caliphate and what is dubbed as the golden age of Islam. Ubisoft has always executed amazing world-building in the franchise and Mirage is no exception.
The world of 9th-century Baghdad is gorgeous. The architecture of the building and the overall layout of ancient Baghdad actually made me want to read up more on Middle Eastern history. Ubisoft did include some historical tidbits throughout the game detailing life under Abbasid rule.

Lackluster story
Assassin’s Creed: Mirage was initially conceived as another DLC for Valhalla for the franchise’s 15th anniversary but was eventually turned into its own game. That said it feels somewhat of a filler game as the franchise transitions into something more as Assassin’s Creed Infinity (Ubisoft’s planned AC platform) comes out in the next few years as well as the highly anticipated AC Code Red and AC Code Hexes slated for next year.
The story is short and pretty much straightforward, as it can be finished in just 20-25 hours at most. To put that in perspective Origins had around 30 hours, Odyssey around 45 hours, and Valhalla within 60 hours.
The short story, while refreshing for busy gamers, takes away from quality. The story was one of the weakest points of the game and did not do justice to Basim’s complex character. It likewise didn't help that the supporting characters were also forgettable and in some instances, poorly fleshed out.
I feel like there was so much more Ubisoft could have done. I was waiting for the traditional Assassin’s Creed twist we’ve come to know. I think there’s so much more Ubisoft can do for Mirage, after all there’s still some time before Basim meets Sigmund and sets the stage for Valhalla.

Return to the old order
The main selling point for AC: Mirage is its simplicity and it’s a return its roots, before the RPG-like systems in Origin, Odyssey, and Valhalla. While the last few games of the series were fun, it also felt different from what the franchise initially set out to do which was stealth.
There were also some callbacks to the original Assassin’s Creed game mainly the rooftop of Baghdad reminded me of Altair’s Constantinople. The stealth system was also reminiscent of older AC games, especially the notoriety system.
Mirage is a welcome return to old-school Assassin’s Creed. Players were encouraged to play with stealth foremost in mind and direct combat second (more on combat later). Most story missions forced players to carefully think of their approach to infiltrating enemy bases. Assassination kills were also more satisfying than straight up combat.
The removal of the level system and massive skill tree is also a welcome addition. No more level gap prevents you from outright assassinating bigger opponents. The skill tree is also pretty straightforward and to be honest not a major factor in beating the whole game.
Sure some are useful like Eagle Vision being active all the time, but you can always get by without it, and you’ll need to because skill points are only earned after completing missions which takes hours sometimes.

One step forward, one step back
While I enjoyed my time playing the game, exploring Baghdad, and doing some flashy aerial assassinations, Mirage still had some massive flaws. For one the parkour system still has a notorious mind of its own; sometimes refusing to do what you tell it. The new game glitches and bugs I can forgive, but the combat system is something I can’t.
Unfortunately, the combat system was also called back to the old games. There is only so much you can do with a single button for attack. The game has the similar dodge-parry-counter attack formula the older Assassin’s Creed games had.
In the end, the combat ended up being repetitive and boring, an unfortunate misstep for the franchise. This is why you’d rather play the game with stealth in mind rather than Leeroy Jenkins your way into a building.
There’s also the lack of playstyle customization. Basim only uses a sword (besides the iconic hidden blade) as his main weapon, and a dagger to parry. You cannot equip any other forms of weapon, a far cry (pun intended) from Valhalla where you’re free to have any playstyle.
Even with the lack of playstyle optimization, what I cannot fathom is the lack of combat kill animation. I think I saw only two to three different kill animations throughout my entire run. This made the game feel more unpolished than the last three Assassin’s Creed games.

Final thoughts
As an Assassin’s Creed fan, I still enjoyed the immersion of the game. While I want to recommend it to many, with the current pricing I couldn’t bring myself to. The game is fun, but not for what it's currently worth considering Valhalla is rough around the same price and offer a lot more for your money.
If you do find it on sale later this year or next year then, maybe you might want to try it out. Also if you’re an AC fan who wants the lore, you can relax since you’re not really missing much for this installation.
While Mirage may not have hit the mark, it still has something going for it. The return of the classic stealth-first approach, a much simpler and more friendly skill tree, and a return to the identity it once had.
That said Ubisoft needs to do something more for their upcoming Assassin’s Creed: Red (still a codename), where the setting will finally go to Feudal Japan. Ubisoft needs to do something big for AC: Red after all several stealth action games based in Japan have been absolute masterpieces, take Ghost of Tsushima and Sekiro as prime examples. I just hope when that time comes, AC: Red becomes the new Black Flag and a true revival of the franchise.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph