Back to the Roots
If you have played Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, the extraordinarily lengthy and excellent AC Game as you play a Viking Eivor, you do meet a mysterious character by the name of Basim Ibn Is’haq. This game uncovers the backstory of this character 12 years before the events of Valhalla, in the 9th Century, the Golden Age of the city of Baghdad. You do not need to play older games as new players get to experience a fresh new storyline, although AC fans will be able to make some connections with past games.
There are three different editions you can purchase. The Standard, Deluxe, and the Collector’s Case. The $59.99 Deluxe Edition includes the base game, a digital artbook and soundtrack, and a pack of skins for your outfit, your eagle, your mount, and weapons inspired by the Prince of Persia. The $149.99 Collector’s case edition includes all the deluxe goodies, but also a 32 cm Basim Figurine ready to strike from above, a steel bookcase, a mini artbook, Basim’s brooch, and Baghdad’s Map, all in a beautiful AC collector’s case. The standard edition’s price is $50.00, decent for an Assassin’s Creed 15th Anniversary title. If you pre-order the game as of now, you’ll receive the bonus quest “The Forty Thieves”.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage is based on Basim, who is torn between his roots and his destiny, as he was a mere thief before he was founded by the Hidden Ones. Basim is a complicated character, as he struggles to find answers in the name of freedom and justice and is haunted by nightmares from his past. The game will focus on his journey, from the streets of Baghdad, to his rise in the Assassin’s Stronghold in Alamut. In the Assassin’s Creed timeline, Mirage sits between Assassin’s Creed Origins and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. Basim plays a pivotal role in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla as he meets Eivor and mentors him in New England.
Stealth is Back
In a major contrast to AC Odyssey and Valhalla’s large maps with different towns and cities, this game focuses on just one city, besides a segment in the Hidden One’s Fortress in Alamut, a tribute to the original AC Title. The gameplay is more stealth and parkour this time as Ubisoft wanted to honor the humble beginnings of the Assassins Creed franchise. You can blend in the crowd, and use your assassination skills to take down NPCs from hidden locations, through poison darts, or various other methods that AC fans will be familiar with, making connections from Assassin’s Creed 2 and Brotherhood game styles. We saw an incredible new skill that Basim uses to slow down time to perform a trio of deadly killstreaks, a somewhat magical move never seen before in the series. The primary combat tool is your sword and dagger, unlike in Valhalla or Odyssey where you get a large cache of numerous kinds of weapons. Working with one main weapon means various ways to take down enemies and develop different attacks.
Just remember to escape if things get heated with the use of smoke bombs or blending in crowds or haystacks. Skill upgrades and progression is linear and story-driven, unlike what you have experienced in the past AC games. That means, it won’t overwhelm you with limitless choices as to what skill to unlock first. Dying your clothes has also made a nostalgic return and you can change the appearance of your outfit to your own preference. There are many new tools and skills that have not yet been revealed to the audience and it has been confirmed that the game can be finished in a shorter time than previous titles. Ubisoft describes it as “a shorter, more narrative-driven game than recent entries in the series.” A 60-hour Game such as AC Valhalla was a bit long for most people’s liking but a drop down to 30 hours seems okay to say the least.
The game is being released one week earlier than the previous date that was announced. The new release date is October 5th, of 2023, and is launching on the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. On PC, it will be available on the Epic Games Store and the Ubisoft Store, and there is no news on a steam release as of now.
