Assassin’s Creed Mirage Review – Coming Home

For years, the Assassin’s Creed franchise has expanded the scope of its entries, offering ever longer adventures across increasingly vast open worlds. For players who first tried the series through those entries, Assassin’s Creed Mirage may be a shock. Set mainly within the single city of ninth-century Baghdad and playable to completion in under 20 hours, Mirage harkens back to the earliest entries starring Altaïr and Ezio. Fans of the original games will find that many aspects are familiar, including both highs (and lows) as they were in those first installments.

First introduced in 2020’s Assassin’s Creed Valhalla entry where he appeared as an older member of the Brotherhood, Basim is presented here in his early life. In this episode, we learn about his transformation from street thief and Master Assassin to the many plots he uncovers throughout the city. The return of the mysterious castle of Alamut, the hidden urban bureaus, and the cautious, structured approach to tracking and taking down primary targets – it’s all a nod to the early life of the series. Although the storyline is free-form and enjoyable at times, there are some moments when the dialogue can feel stiff.

Even a small number of enemies in open combat can be fatal. In one-on-one combat, melees can be clumsy and rigid. On the other hand, Mirage’s missions and contracts often present exciting and curated setups for stealth. Players are forced to move slowly and carefully, as the placement of enemy and objective is considered and planned. A high level of danger is present if the player’s identity is discovered, leading to increased tension.

The dense urban sprawl of Baghdad’s Golden Age is a joy to explore. While rusty sunsets color the sky, you’ll hear lyrical music as it follows along your rooftop. Pickpockets target unwary residents, street vendors hawk wares and chests hidden in the shadows. Guards and hunters will track you if you become famous. There is always the opportunity to engage in parkour. Moving along roofs, sliding down zillies, or diving into hidden spots are all great ways to have fun.

Each mission has some interesting twists, and the game makes you make choices when pursuing a specific target. It’s fun to select between two or more distinct tactics. Nailing a complete infiltration with no one the wiser only to slip away in the uproar surrounding your villainous victim’s death is deeply satisfying.

Although I enjoyed the missions, I felt that they relied on tedious investigation areas where I had to spend hours scouring a region until I located the perfect book or clue for progress. They often turned into meaningless exploration that was a waste.

The excesses that characterized the recent entries have, however, been curbed. Money and favour tokens are important and should be used with care. It’s a huge deal to get a brand new tool. This can transform the way that you fight. The side quests and activities available are less, but feel purposeful. It’s a more compact game, but I felt driven and engaged with everything I did along the path to its completion.

Mirage teases a larger mystery that connects to Basim’s role in the earlier Valhalla release. In this instance, however, it is not a satisfactory resolution to the mystery. It feels as if an unfinished story was wrapped up. Concerns about the conclusion aside, I still had a wonderful time in Baghdad’s ancient alleys and palaces. Not everything is perfect, but the “less is more” design philosophy goes a long way to making this one of the most consistently engaging titles within the series for some time.