Assassin’s Creed: Mirage Proves Stealth is Still King

Taking us back to where it all started!

The Assassin’s Creed franchise has been a heavy hitter in the gaming world for over a decade. By blending historical events with a stealthy Action-RPG, the franchise carved out a new niche and crowned itself as king. The series has been through some changes since then, at times moving away from its original formula. Assassin’s Creed: Mirage takes us back to where it all started, choosing to focus on stealth and story instead of the action adventure that came before it.

The gameplay mechanics will feel familiar to anyone who has experimented with the series in the past. There is a lot of parkour and sleuthing involved. But this entry has improved those base mechanics in ways that truly add to the feel of being a stealth assassin. The most notable of these improvements is the ability to pickpocket people within the game.  This ability allows you to acquire various materials that can come in handy throughout the game.

When transversing the world of Assassin’s Creed: Mirage players will notice that the parkour system has been adjusted to make it more realistic. Players will no longer be able to climb up entire buildings simply using the mortar lines of the bricks. This again adds to the realistic feel that the game is trying to achieve. This comes as a rephrasing change after the previous three entries focus on the more action elements of the game.

Combat has also become more realistic within the game. Running into a prison and attempting to brute force your way through is still possible but much more difficult than in the previous entries to the series. There is still a leveling system in the game, but the system has been streamlined. This allows the player to focus on mechanics as opposed to trying to combine skills to make the most overpowered build.

I Cannot Shed My Past Like A Snake Sheds Its Skin. - Bayek Of Siwa

While the graphics used during cutscenes can be amazing to watch, the engine’s ability to apply that to actual gameplay is nothing to write home about. The graphics are similar to that of Odyssey of Valhalla, which was very good when those games were released but feel a bit outdated in 2023. There are the normal clipping and frame rate drops that Assassin’s Creed players are likely familiar with but nothing that should impede anyone’s enjoyment of the game.

As is always the case with Assassin’s Creed games, the sound design is amazing. From the beautiful music that players are treated to upon reaching a new height to the heart racing battle music, Assassin’s Creed has always been one of the best franchises to make use of sound within their games. Even listening to the crowds within a bustling city can be its own source of enjoyment within Assassin’s Creed Mirage.

The controls in Assassin’s Creed Mirage feel snappy and responsive. Although it’s not impossible to get stuck in an awkward position or to be unable to reach a ledge that is close by, it happens far less frequently than in previous entries in the series. This is important as having a strong sense of control over the character is more important in Mirage than it has been in the past.

This game, like most game releases, will feature a microtransaction store. This store will allow players to spend real world money to buy cosmetic goods. After facing some backlash on a perceived pay to win wall in Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, Ubisoft has decided not to include XP boosts or anything that will affect gameplay.

Assassin’s Creed: Mirage is available on PS4, PS5, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Amazon Luna as of October 5^th, 2023. Unlike Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, this game does not feature cross-progression between these systems at this time.

Assassin’s Creed: Mirage is a much-needed return to the origins of the franchise. In this entry, a player’s ability to strategize and work within the game’s systems is central to coming out of an altercation unscathed. We all enjoy playing as a Viking god or some mythical hero from days of yore but sometimes it’s nice to just be an assassin.