Assassins Creed Mirage: A Nostalgic Return to Stealth, But Lacks Character Depth

I don’t mean to sound critical, but I’ve never been a fan of Assassin’s Creed’s recent foray into the vast open-world trend. This franchise, once celebrated for its precise stealth missions, has gradually transformed into a chaotic RPG focused more on gathering quests, a complex gear system, and overt combat. The newer installments of Assassin’s Creed bear such little resemblance to the original games that a strategic rebranding by Ubisoft wouldn’t raise any eyebrows. While they achieved commercial success, the formula became repetitive, revealing an urgent need for renewal. Consequently, the studio’s answer is to return to its roots, crafting a familiar Assassin’s Creed experience that appeals to devoted fans by reimagining a previously intended AC Valhalla DLC as an independent title — a nostalgic journey set in the dusty yet lively backdrop of ninth-century Baghdad.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage review: Limitations in story and character

Assassin’s Creed Mirage quickly sets its stakes by introducing its protagonist, Basim Ibn Ishaq, a skilled street thief aiming to become a cloaked assassin and operate from the shadows. Raised as an orphan on the streets, his desperate efforts to gain recognition for a greater purpose often come off as desperate, showcasing his abilities in an unrefined manner, displaying a childlike disregard for his own safety. This changes when an early palace heist spirals out of control, leading to violent repercussions. At the palace, Basim encounters the Order of the Ancients, a mysterious and perilous masked cult predating the Templars, and manages to seize an Isu artifact, aligning him with the Hidden Ones clan. Despite incurring heavy personal losses and a bounty on his head, Basim achieves his long-held dream of joining the Assassins — and strangely, he seems to relish it. The narrative suggests this as his means of channeling fear and revenge, but the swift pacing denies any space for him to process his grief.

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Transforming Basim swiftly into an assassin may well have seemed advantageous if it simply served as a channel to action. However, the dialogue fails to shine, depicting him as a bland character who consistently makes the right choices. His interactions exhibit no flaws, and as the credits rolled, I struggled to identify a unique characteristic in him. Not long after he establishes his assassin prowess, there’s a poignant moment where Basim reconnects with an old friend, but the emotional impact is lost due to the calm and almost casual nature of the exchange. There’s no awkwardness typical of old acquaintances now grown apart, no disparity in their initial greeting, and no emotional tension in their dialogues, worsened by the fact that this hurried scene wraps up in less than two minutes. Throughout my playthrough, I noticed frequent breaks between lines, giving the impression that the voice actors may not have even been in the same environment during recording.

Characters never overlap in dialogue, and sometimes their roles seem completely disregarded when specific actions occur, resulting in a disconnect between gameplay and cutscenes. One notable moment involves infiltrating a heavily fortified prison to rescue a tortured rebel leader. The game’s overemphasis on this mission’s urgency is clear, depicting you as you silently eliminate guards and navigate blood-stained underground cells — leading to a disappointing encounter with the warden. My immersion broke when the survivor stood up entirely unharmed, prepared to fight. There were no signs of injury, no trace of distress in his voice, and given he had been in captivity for hours, his clothing was inexplicably clean. With the NPCs lacking depth and realism, the only aspect preventing me from skipping over tedious dialogues was the enigma of a shapeshifting, nightmarish Djinn wrapped in tattered bandages, haunting Basim during cutscenes.

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I found Basim’s nightmares to be the game’s most engaging narrative thread
Photo Credit: Screenshot/ Rahul Chettiyar

Moreover, I can only see long-time fans being intrigued by Basim’s origin story, wanting to explore its connection to the Norse themes of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, where the Middle Eastern assassin played a significant supporting role. Unfortunately, this development is crammed in at the very end of AC Mirage, introducing yet another ancient Isu Temple as a plot device and meddling with supernatural elements in a manner that feels completely detached from preceding events. It seems that in its original DLC form, we might have been intended to traverse key moments in Basim’s life through time jumps. But when Ubisoft Bordeaux was assigned to develop it into a complete adventure, they filled the gaps with superfluous content and depicted all villains as caricatures of evil. It’s disappointing because once you push through the monotony, scaling rooftops and dispatching enemies is genuinely enjoyable.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage review: Limited scope enhances immersion

Some of the disjointedness stems from poorly structured missions, branching into separate ‘Investigations’. The concept is to track down minor leads before uncovering the identity of the major antagonist responsible for Baghdad’s corruption — typically an Order member — and dealing with them. However, these tasks play out like isolated narratives that are very loosely connected, making it difficult to get to know the main villain before ending their life with the hidden blade. The experience is anticlimactic, and the assassin remains static over the course of the game since these missions can be approached in any order. If the choices made in earlier encounters influenced later missions through dialogue or provided logical resolutions, the disconnect wouldn’t be as glaring — but here we are, stuck with the familiar Ubisoft compartmentalized mission structure.

The selling point of Assassin’s Creed Mirage was its commitment to a classic style reminiscent of hallmark assassinations from earlier entries. Mirage is also supposed to signify a departure from the never-ending open-world bloat of its recent predecessors, refining its focus as a standalone experience. In this regard, Ubisoft delivers a 16-hour journey priced at Rs. 2,499 / $49.99 that does not overwhelm players with extensive dialogue trees or a sprawling map cluttered with icons. The open-world trilogy — Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla — prioritized quantity over quality with numerous DLC expansions, making it challenging for both newcomers and veterans to keep abreast of the lore.

Whether one agrees or not, these expansive adventures define the future of the franchise, though I fervently hope AC Mirage isn’t just a fleeting detour. Undeniably, navigating the lively streets of Baghdad will awaken dormant memories, as you don your hood and blend into bustling crowds or stealthily maneuver behind them to pilfer overflowing coin purses. Successfully doing so involves a timed button press, allowing you a clean escape. However, miss the timing, and the individual will call you out, causing any guards nearby to rush to your position.

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Controlling Basim during parkour is remarkably smooth and fluid
Photo Credit: Ubisoft

Crimes, whether minor or witnessed brutal slayings, increase the notoriety meter — a feature returning from Assassin’s Creed 2 that adds realism to the experience. I hadn’t realized how much I missed it until my actions began to elicit varied responses from the populace. The notoriety meter comprises four levels of escalating hostility, where the lowest may only see you recognized by a few unfortunate souls before you fade into obscurity. At the highest level, you become a wanted criminal, with every civilian in the city shouting and pointing at you, compelling you to remain hidden or leap across rooftops, which are lightly guarded. To be honest, some of us aren’t very good at staying out of sight, so the heat can be reduced by tearing down wanted posters or paying special tokens to the local Munadi. I genuinely appreciate how this feature encourages cautious play, akin to a genuine assassin, while also taking me down memory lane, reminding me of the love I once had for this series.

Regrettably, the nostalgic appeal is virtually all that Assassin’s Creed Mirage offers in terms of gameplay, as Ubisoft once more refrains from innovating its fundamental mechanics. While not groundbreaking, this return to the core of the franchise offers incredibly enjoyable moment-to-moment gameplay. The studio employs new technology to develop a fluid parkour system that allows easy sliding into narrow spaces, edging along tight ledges, and scaling tall structures. It’s not without its faults — Basim occasionally gets stuck while navigating corners and can abruptly halt after jumping from heights — but overall, the controls feel tight and responsive. I often found myself wishing to erase all memories of prior Assassin’s Creed games and experience this as my first, due to how flawlessly Basim maneuvers — undoubtedly the best in the series.

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Baghdad is vividly animated with its bustling crowds, shops, and gardens
Photo Credit: Screenshot/Rahul Chettiyar

Furthermore, the immersive city of Baghdad serves as a cultural hub, animated by its lively inhabitants, from merchants shouting in the markets to street performers entertaining passersby, or even stray cats wandering around seeking affection. Baghdad feels authentic and inhabited, enhanced by pervasive conversations in Arabic, lending Mirage a sense of place that previous installments lacked. Often, one might notice a reddish hue in the water — fearing it to be blood, you rush over, only to discover the path leads to a cluster of clay homes supported by wooden structures. Inside, you find workers laboring over vibrant dyes, skillfully navigating through hanging fabric that will soon transform into exquisite carpets. The rich details cultivate an unfolding narrative within the beautifully chaotic design of the ancient city.

However, confining the setting to a singular location makes it challenging to distinguish between Baghdad’s districts, as parts of the city appear somewhat homogeneous. This monotony extends to other dimensions of Mirage as well. Yes, there are some notable landmarks that become apparent during ground exploration, but the overall atmosphere remains static throughout the playthrough — no fresh enemy types, no unique shops linked to specific regions, nor visual diversity beyond a few greener areas or an oasis on the outskirts.

Once you’ve thoroughly explored one section, you’ve essentially seen it all, prompting me to summon my dependable camel to dart to the next goal. Nevertheless, delving into these areas reveals codex entries, continuing Ubisoft’s longstanding tradition of offering historical knowledge through Assassin’s Creed. During tranquil moments, I found it intellectually enriching to pause and read descriptions of actual historical sites and the evolution of art, science, and religion in Baghdad over the ages.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage review: Stealth, combat, and assassin’s tools

All the assassination techniques honed in earlier titles feel right at home in Mirage, with stealth becoming increasingly essential. The gameplay demands a quieter approach, compelling you to linger in shadows and foliage, using distractions to eliminate guards with a swift strike from your hidden blade — revealing inconsistencies in the enemy AI, as guards rarely express concern over their missing comrades. It’s a familiar routine, making it frustrating when the game fails to present new challenges, whether through fresh enemy types or environmental obstacles that complicate initial strategies. Even ten hours in, the core gameplay loop remains unchanged, albeit with some new gadgets that introduce diversity only by making play excessively easy. In truth, the sole reason I leaned on these tools was due to the monotony of the stealth scenarios, rather than creatively overcoming challenges.

The assassination devices are largely variations of one another and feel somewhat optional
Photo Credit: Screenshot/ Rahul Chettiyar

Five assassination gadgets exist, all being minor variations of each other. I particularly enjoyed throwing knives, enabling me to eliminate guards from short to medium distances, and utilizing exploding spice bags to create clouds of red smoke, temporarily blinding them and allowing me to strike with my blade. Other items felt either overpowered or useless. Sleep darts incapacitated foes but if I had already mastered hiding bodies or scouted thorough fortresses using my eagle, why opt for them over my basic throwing knives?

There’s also a noisemaker for distractions, proximity traps for incapacitating soldiers, and a smoke bomb for escaping tight spots. The noisemaker functions just like a more versatile whistle, while the traps create the same effect as sleep darts but with a loud din. Do you catch my drift? These gadgets draw too much attention and seem to be a fallback for botched stealth missions, presumably Ubisoft’s attempt to balance the nerfed player character. You do ultimately obtain a supernatural ability — reminiscent of Red Dead Redemption 2’s Dead Eye — that allows Basim to teleport around the combat space and chain-kill guards, which feels rather jarring considering the game’s grounded theme. Fortunately, this feature remains entirely optional, allowing me to disregard it.

Finding oneself surrounded by enemies in Assassin’s Creed Mirage is practically a death sentence
grindy XP-centric leveling system. Instead, Assassin’s Creed Mirage adopts a simplistic skill tree aimed at combat, gadgets, and predatory scouting, which can be unlocked through allocated skill points. In my view, these upgrades effectively grant you a god mode, rendering an already simplistic stealth cycle even easier. Sure, they offer convenience and make combination assassinations visually appealing, but the game never presents difficult circumstances warranting their use — in simpler terms, upgrades are rarely justified.

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Skill enhancements effectively grant god mode within this game, diminishing elements of challenge or strategy
Assassin’s Creed Mirage review: Conclusion

While not revolutionary, Assassin’s Creed Mirage serves as a more streamlined and enjoyable nostalgic return for long-time fans. It doesn’t transform the franchise’s approach to stealth but effectively trims the excess from previous titles, presenting an intricately crafted Baghdad, perfect for parkour, basking in its sunlight. It stands as a remarkable recreation of a historic locale, allowing you to immerse yourself in its rich culture, flourishing trade, and impressive artistic heritage. However, the reduced size comes with a simplified narrative that I found lacking in profundity, given Basim’s character is portrayed as a directionless do-gooder.

The sparse narrative is often hindered by a fragmented mission structure that stretches for time. Combat, when necessary, feels clunky, promoting stealthy tactics, which may not resonate with fans who prefer RPG-style, action-oriented Assassin’s Creed titles. This back-to-basics approach genuinely encapsulates the essence of an Assassin’s Creed title, and I truly hope Ubisoft remains committed to this direction. Despite its shortcomings, the thrill of traversing rooftops in Mirage, with my hidden blade ready for action, remains as exhilarating as it was in the past, confirming that the original AC formula still has merit. Ubisoft merely needs to inject new vitality into it.

Rating (out of 10): 7

Assassin’s Creed Mirage was launched on October 5 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X.

Pricing begins at Rs. 2,499 for the Standard Edition on Epic Games Store for PC, as well as EUR 49.99 (approximately Rs. 3,499) on Ubisoft. The PlayStation and Xbox versions are priced at Rs. 3,499.