Assassin's Creed Mirage Review
On 16 Nov 2023 Posted by SAYYY | Filed under Game Reviews, AC Mirage | with Comments (0)
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Assassin's Creed Mirage: A Return to Social Stealth with a Historical Twist
Assassin's Creed Mirage, the latest installment in the long-running series, takes a different narrative approach, forgoing groundbreaking story developments in favor of a tale heavily reliant on prior knowledge of Basim's story in Valhalla. While the game revisits the franchise's roots by emphasizing social stealth and exploring the history of a city, a lackluster cast of characters prevents it from reaching the heights set by its early predecessors.
Ubisoft Bordeaux's portrayal of ninth-century Baghdad emerges as Mirage's standout feature. The vibrant, multi-layered architecture of Baghdad provides a diverse playground for players, with countless opportunities for navigating the city, sneaking past guards, and achieving objectives. The intuitive freerunning mechanics occasionally stumble in design, but the mishaps are infrequent, allowing players to focus on strategizing their movement across buildings
Baghdad comes to life through its rich history, incorporating iconic landmarks like the House of Wisdom into main story missions. The game showcases every discovery with new pages in an expansive codex, offering insights into the history, culture, and significance of the setting. Much like the early days of the franchise that made European history engaging, Mirage achieves a similar feat for Baghdad, shedding light on a city and culture often overlooked in world history.
Navigating the city introduces players to Basim Ibn Ishaq, a skilled street thief turned member of the Hidden Ones, the precursors to the Assassin Brotherhood. Basim's proficiency lies in subterfuge and stealth, encouraging players to embrace social-stealth elements, such as blending into crowds, scouting rooftops, and using various gadgets to mask their presence. The game rewards strategic thinking, providing an assortment of tools like throwing knives, sleep darts, and traps, allowing players to customize their approach to stealth.
While Mirage's enemy AI may be predictable, the emphasis on stealth and Basim's vulnerability creates a tense atmosphere. Being discovered has consequences, triggering citizens to report Basim to guards. The city becomes more perilous as Basim's notoriety rises, with citizens recognizing him and specialized bounty hunters pursuing him. Managing notoriety adds a layer of challenge, requiring players to balance risk and reward in their stealth approach.
Mirage's narrative unfolds within the framework of Basim's pursuit of the Order of Ancients, the precursors to the Templar Order. The concise storyline avoids the distractions of a secondary present-day narrative, offering a focused experience solely centered on Basim's journey. This decision results in one of the most streamlined Assassin's Creed storylines in a decade, allowing players to delve into Basim's character without the interference of a secondary protagonist.
However, Mirage's characterization of Basim relies heavily on the context provided in Valhalla. Without knowledge of his future arc, Basim's journey may seem lacking in depth, and the story's conclusion may leave players questioning the purpose of the entire narrative. The absence of a robust character arc within Mirage becomes evident, as the storyline hints at a tragic fate without fully exploring Basim's internal struggles.
The game introduces an engaging gameplay loop centered around the hunt for the Order of Ancients. Players undertake investigations, uncovering clues that lead to the elimination of lower-ranking members. The open-ended nature of these investigations, reminiscent of the original Assassin's Creed, allows players the freedom to pursue leads in their preferred order. The interconnected nature of the cases adds depth to the narrative, revealing the pervasive influence of the Order within Baghdad.
Despite its intriguing premise, Mirage falters in its portrayal of supporting characters. Beyond Basim's closest allies, Nehal and Roshan, the remaining cast feels underdeveloped, serving mainly as exposition conduits. The lack of meaningful interactions with these characters diminishes the impact of the overarching narrative. Nehal and Roshan, who could have provided valuable insights into Basim's character, are relegated to brief appearances, leaving their potential unexplored.
The culmination of the Order of Ancients investigations leads to satisfying assassination missions, reminiscent of the Black Box missions in previous titles. These missions allow for creative approaches, with players given the freedom to choose their methods. The variety in mission locations adds complexity, presenting unique challenges for each assignment. Successfully executing well-thought-out plans brings a sense of accomplishment as players progress through the narrative.
In conclusion, Assassin's Creed Mirage offers a compelling prequel to Valhalla, providing an engaging narrative arc for Basim within the context of the Assassin's Creed universe. The game excels in delivering a fun and educational gameplay loop, blending social stealth with a historically rich setting. While weak supporting characters and a narrative heavily dependent on prior knowledge may impact the overall experience, Mirage remains a noteworthy addition to the Assassin's Creed series.
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