General Gaming Assassin's Creed Mirage (PC/Xbox/PlayStation) - update: Digital Foundry PS5/Xbox Series Technical Review

[Keyser_Soze]

Xbob plays every game so he can have a say in every conversation.

[Nokra]

Under Xbob's beard there is no chin; there is only another fist. 

 

 

 

 

Am I doing it right? 

[Xbob42]

5 hours ago, AbsolutSurgen said:

You're now bitching about my bitching about your bitching.

Ah, but now the shoe is on the other foot.

[Xbob42]

1 hour ago, Keyser_Soze said:

Xbob plays every game so he can have a say in every conversation.

Partly true! I love talking about games, but when people are hyped they don't like hearing negative things because it... brings down their buzz or something? I dunno, when I'm hyped for something nothing anyone says can change that because typically I've already considered most ways something could be bad. Like I'm very excited for Baldur's Gate 3 as I massively enjoyed Divinity Original Sin 1 and 2, and hearing about consensual sex with a sexy ass bear only makes it more exciting!

 

Hearing about Ubisoft backsliding to appeal to whoever still prefers the old games is massively disappointing, on the other hand. And seeing that they appear to be killing off other projects to make more Assassin's Creed is baffling and worrying. Ubisoft has a pretty good catalog of varied stuff, but like Activision and many other companies, they seem to want to laser focus on running one or two franchises into the dirt and then presumably blaming the fans before going out of business or something. I really have no idea when it became the wise publisher move to literally put all your eggs in one basket but it seems like a recipe for disaster.

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

Quote

 

Assassin's Creed Mirage has gone gold and is coming out a week early! 📀

 

On behalf of the entire team, we can't wait for you to explore 9th Century Baghdad with Basim.

 

Your journey now starts on October 5. Save the new date! 

 

 

[best3444]

Awesome 👌 

[stepee]

Yaaaaaas

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

 

[Pikachu]

 

[Pikachu]

 

[best3444]

Fuck. This and Spiderman 2. I have so much to do in Starfield I just feel so blessed this year. Absolutely incredible year. 

[Xbob42]

1 hour ago, Pikachu said:

 

"A bigger emphasis on stealth-"

"Thank god"

"And linearity-"
"Thank god"

"Thank god!"
 

Yup, don't even think this one's going on the "on sale" list, haha. That footage alone felt like I was watching just random bullshit from any random AC title. And I mean that in terms of everything. Visuals, gameplay, animation. It's like no ambition to improve or change anything besides "what if we regressed back to our old games."

 

Ubisoft has shut down so many creative games just to do this shit. How incomprehensible. 

[Biggie]

I haven’t played a AC game ever. Never really had any interest in them. Don’t think this game will change that. 

[best3444]

9 hours ago, Biggie said:

I haven’t played a AC game ever. Never really had any interest in them. Don’t think this game will change that. 

 

Nope. Xbob is 100% correct on this upcoming game. I will probably not even get this unless it gets rave reviews. I doubt it.

[stepee]

Gonna be worth it for the virtual tourism alone! I’m pumped.

[Biggie]

31 minutes ago, stepee said:

Gonna be worth it for the virtual tourism alone! I’m pumped.

lol. Bro you get every game. Btw really enjoying the Series X. You brought me happiness my friend. 

[stepee]

25 minutes ago, Biggie said:

lol. Bro you get every game. Btw really enjoying the Series X. You brought me happiness my friend. 

 

Happy to hear! Glad it worked out and they didn’t have issues delivering to “Biggie Smalls” lol

 

Im looking forward to getting back and diving back into all these gamessssss

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

Recent hands-on previews:

 

Assassin’s Creed Mirage is a course correction, not a reset

WWW.VG247.COM

---

Assassin's Creed Mirage isn't a quasi remake of the first game, or even much of a back-to-basics reset for the series. …

 

Quote

I’m not sure if Mirage will be a good place to return to the series for those of you who got tired of it years ago. Narratively, it’s quite heavily tied to certain lore-critical revelations in Valhalla. And as a jumping on point for newcomers, it would be absolutely baffling. Whatever the beancounters at Ubisoft HQ are projecting, on an artistic level Mirage feels more like a reward for the faithful than it does a back-to-basics reset. Unburdened though it may be from the bloat that weighed down its immediate predecessors, it still has plenty of baggage.

 

But that’s OK. It’s fine for a series as enormous and seemingly unstoppable as Assassin’s Creed to assume a lot of prior knowledge. It’s part of the thrill of sticking with a series for so long. At some point, you can only preach to the converted, and Assassin’s Creed is at Supernatural Season 13 levels of being entrenched in its own mythology. So yes, it is More Valhalla, but in the best possible way: at the end of our preview session I couldn’t help but wish the rest of Valhalla had been like this too.

 

 

Assassin's Creed Mirage feels a clear-sighted return to the series' roots

WWW.EUROGAMER.NET

---

Assassin's Creed Mirage marks the first time Ubisoft Bordeaux has led development on a full game release. It's a relati…

 

Quote

Once I did get to The Round City, it quickly became clear that the main core of the gameplay revolved around 'Investigations', which make up the backbone of Mirage's story. By opening a menu called The Investigation Board, you'll be presented with something that looks fairly similar to one of those cork boards you see in detective movies - where individual clues and suspects are linked together by threads. By consulting this board, you'll be able to track objectives and in turn hunt down clues that will ultimately unlock a Black Box mission, which are missions with a main assassination target who you'll need to track down and kill. In my hands-on session, these investigations had me chasing stolen tea leaves for a trader named Kong, which then put me on the trail of a stolen hairpin artefact. After a great deal of sneaking around and stabbing people in the back of the head, I discovered that this hairpin was due to be auctioned off at bazaar later in the day and, once I reached it, I was then tasked with gathering intel that would eventually lead me to the location, and the identity of the target.

 

I won't go much more into that due to spoilers, but the things I had to do to find them included eavesdropping, bribing, basic platforming puzzles that involved moving things and blowing things up and of course, a fair amount of murder too. The pace of the gameplay may be a bit slower, and despite the illusion of choice this section felt a lot more linear than other parts of the game, but still I was a fan and it had a satisfying conclusion. All in all, I enjoyed my time being more of a Batman-style assassin in a smaller, more contained area far more than I did wandering around in the bigger open areas of recent Assassin's Creed games. Mirage certainly captures that nostalgic feeling of hunting for targets, back on the rooftops like Assassin's Creed 1.

 

 

Preview: Assassin’s Creed Mirage fulfils the promise of the original | VGC

WWW.VIDEOGAMESCHRONICLE.COM

---

The latest entry takes the series back to its roots…

 

Quote

Finally, the main thing that we took away from our time with Assassin’s Creed Mirage was so basic that it almost seems ridiculous, but it’s emblematic of how the series turned away from what built the massive fan base in the first place – you can instantly kill enemies from behind.

 

As the series has evolved, that absolute staple of Assassin’s Creed has been so watered down, so dependent on what level your enemy was and other random factors, that it’s got to the point where sneaking behind enemies had become pointless.

 

Mirage brings back the absolute joy of sneaking through an enemy encampment and silently killing all of them in one swift strike. It’s so much fun.

 

Assassin’s Creed Mirage feels like a remake of a 2008-era Assassin’s Creed game that never existed. There’s just enough of the modern comforts of the RPG fork of the series so that it doesn’t feel dated, but the true joy in Mirage is in the tiny things.

 

Sitting on a bench and listening to a conversation. Pickpocketing merchants. Not to mention the fact that the map isn’t the size of the continental United States.

 

 

 

Assassin’s Creed Mirage Hands-On Impressions – Slicing Up Some Comfort Food

WCCFTECH.COM

---

Assassin's Creed Mirage promises an old-school experience, and it delivers, but is that a good thing? Check out our full impressions.

 

Quote

Ubisoft has promised an old-school experience with Assassin’s Creed Mirage, and based on my hands-on play session, they’ve largely delivered… for better and for worse. Parkour and stealth have received some subtle improvements, but their strengths and limitations remain largely the same as before, and combat, as always, is kind of a drag. Baghdad seems like a lively-enough sandbox and the Blackbox mission I tackled was multifaceted enough that I’m definitely interested to see what other challenges the game may serve up. Assassin’s Creed Mirage is killer comfort food that ought to prove satisfying on some level to anybody who’s enjoyed the franchise in the past, but I’ll have to play more before I can definitively say whether this is an order worth pledging your time to.

 

 

Assassin’s Creed Mirage feels like more of a throwback than it should

WWW.POLYGON.COM

---

We’re detectives again, for better and worse

 

Quote

After three hours with Mirage, I came away excited for it in theory more than in practice. I rave about Assassin’s Creed Syndicate to anyone who will listen, and Mirage already reminds me of the former’s focus on methodical stalking through bustling city streets. It’s also possible that my frustrations are the result of a pre-release demo build, and they may be mitigated by the state of the final game when it’s released in less than a month. I’m hopeful that’s the case; Mirage has tons of promise, and it’d be a shame for so many mechanical frustrations to get in the way.

 

 

Assassin’s Creed Mirage Hands-On Preview – Knives Back Out

PRESS-START.COM.AU

---

Assassin’s Creed Mirage Hands-On Preview – Knives Back Out

 

Quote

Mirage’s Baghdad is a playground of classic Assassin’s Creed tomfoolery and some refreshing new mechanics though. Pickpocketing has been completely reworked with a QTE minigame that flashes a prompt as you try and nab someone’s stuff, requiring you to hit the shown button at just the right time or else get caught. Some truly gaudy UI aside, this small addition turns a basic function of the series in an engaging, endlessly repeatable moment. Social stealth makes a return too, Basim able to slip into crowds, and even hire some, to mask his movements through the city. Elsewhere citizens can doll out side-quests and activities, tailors can dye your clothes, and cats can be cradled. These small slices of Baghdad life eventually lead you back into the game’s black box missions, major set piece assassinations that require a fair amount of pre-planning to execute.  

 

 

Assassin’s Creed Mirage Preview – Just Like Old Times

WWW.WELL-PLAYED.COM.AU

---

Assassin's Creed goes back to the basics

 

Quote

Although Mirage has dropped the RPG systems, there’s still plenty of tinkering to be done within the menus. Basim will acquire skill points that can be used, with Phantom, Trickster and Predator the separate trees that you can utilise (thank the heavens there’s a kick skill included), and you can play around with Basim’s loadout so that it suits your style.

 

I dabbled with Assassin’s Creed Unity after my time with Mirage to get a feel for what has changed and just how much, and let me tell you, Unity has not aged well. However, Ubisoft Bordeaux isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel with Mirage. Instead, it’s more of a refinement of systems and ideas that have evolved over the course of the Assassin’s Creed’s games.

 

In some ways, Ubisoft has taken a leap of faith by going against what has arguably made the series more popular in recent years and reverting to a more contained experience. If you’ve been hankering for Assassin’s Creed to return to its roots with some of the modern trimmings, Mirage is going to be the game you’ve been yearning for.

 

 

Assassin's Creed Mirage Preview - So Long Gear Score, Hello Parry! | TechRaptor

TECHRAPTOR.NET

---

Basim, a street thief with aspirations to become a Hidden One, shows us classic AC gameplay in our Assassin's Creed Mirage Preview.

 

Quote

While I only got to spend a few hours at important moments in Basim's life, as a fan of earlier Assassin's Creed titles, I was extremely happy with what I experienced.

 

Basim's story of becoming a Hidden One and the mysterious Jinni haunting his dreams immediately hook the player, while familiar assassination and combat will keep them wanting to explore Baghdad and other locations. Seeing minimal skill trees and cosmetic options to style Basim, it feels like Assassin's Creed Mirage has shed the bloat that I felt when trying to get into Origins and Odyssey.

 

 

I played Assassin's Creed Mirage, and it really is a throwback to the best of the series | PC Gamer

WWW.PCGAMER.COM

---

Two hours with Ubisoft's love letter to classic Assassin's Creed.

 

Quote

A few other observations from my demo that may interest longtime fans:

• Mirage feels like classic AC, but controls like Valhalla: you can run without holding a trigger, combat has the same Souls-like button scheme as Valhalla (light, heavy, dodge), and Basim can pivot his feet on a dime
• Notoriety is back: My scrap with the harbormaster left me with a notoriety status that made guards more attentive, but I was able to tear down wanted posters to clear my name like it was 2009
• Pickpocketing, too: Just about anyone can be pickpocketed, but there's a quick minigame to pull it off
• There's a crouch button: Newer AC games have this, but most of the old ones didn't. I like it as both a useful tool against guards at your elevation, but they won't instantly notice a standing Basim on a roof above them (a great touch, because who wants to crouch all the time?)
• Climbing is realistic again: The AC RPGs had a simplified version of climbing where you could grip onto basically anything. Mirage goes back to the old style, where you have to steer your way across handholds

 

Assassin’s Creed Mirage Preview: A Return to Form - IGN

WWW.IGN.COM

 

 

Quote

 

o that end, Stealth combat is where Assassin’s Creed Mirage truly shines. Moving around the shadows and hiding in plain sight feels more rewarding and engaging this time around, and I quickly found myself trying to stay as hidden as possible as often as I could, even if it was in a busy street among crowds or hidden in the shadows. For the first time in a long time, Assassin’s Creed feels like a proper stealth adventure again, similar to the series’ early days.

 

To put it bluntly, Assassin’s Creed Mirage seems set to bring the series back to its roots in the best way possible. The story and gameplay feel more like what made AC so popular in the first place, and its new setting and social stealth-heavy gameplay mechanics feel like the series has finally realized what was promised back in 2007. While some may not be too happy with the scaled-back RPG elements, Mirage’s focused setting, intuitive controls and fun stealth gameplay has me excited to dive back into the franchise.

 

 

 

Assassin's Creed Mirage Puts The Best Of Unity And Odyssey Into Old School AC - GameSpot

WWW.GAMESPOT.COM

---

Mirage feels like a return to the series' roots but the smart implementation of mechanics and features from later games ensures it still feels modern.

 

Quote

In my time with Mirage, I got to play through three different parts of the game. First, I played through what's likely the first level of the game, with Basim living as a talented street thief, yearning to be a part of the Assassin Brotherhood's precursors, the Hidden Ones. All the trademark narrative set-up for an Assassin's Creed game is on full display in this first part. Basim is a cocky and brash individual who's good at climbing and has at least one dead parent, just like every Assassin's Creed protagonist that predates him. After playing through that introduction, the preview skipped ahead to Basim's early training days with the Hidden Ones before then skipping even further ahead to a story mission where he's tracking down one of the leaders of the Order of Ancients, the precursor to the Templar Order.

 

The final part of the preview was my favorite. Being let loose in an open-world city with a main objective to pursue and side missions aplenty is my ideal Assassin's Creed experience. I didn't have enough time to explore the entire city of Baghdad (it's pretty big) but a quick glance at the map did remind me of Unity's Paris in terms of size. Buildings are densely packed together, providing ample opportunities to parkour from one point of the city to another. Freerunning is sadly not as smooth and fast as seen in Unity (which still holds the crown for the series' best parkour system) since Basim feels surprisingly heavy at times. It reminds me of how Connor or Edward control in comparison to Arno and the Frye twins--Basim jumps where I tell him to, but he does not descend from rooftops all that gracefully and can occasionally get stuck on a window corner. It feels far better than the past few games at least, as Basim is thankfully much easier to direct and more nimble than the likes of Bayek, Aya, Kassandra, and Eivor.

 

 

 

Assassin’s Creed Mirage parkour feels like coming home, and that’s exactly what I’d hoped for | GamesRadar+

WWW.GAMESRADAR.COM

---

Preview | Assassin’s Creed Mirage brings classic stealth into the modern age

 

Quote

I didn't expect Assassin's Creed Mirage to feel so good. It's been almost eight years since we tumbled across rooftops in the last 'traditional' Assassin's Creed game in Syndicate, and since then we've been to Egypt, Greece, and Viking England in a trilogy of RPG Assassin's experiences that looked to redefine what an Assassin's Creed game could be. Before we set off to Japan for another RPG adventure with Assassin's Creed Red, Ubisoft Bordeaux is tackling a more compact, more grassroots experience by telling the origin story of Basim Ibn Ishaq in 9th Century Baghdad. And damn it feels great. 

 

With some 1000 odd-hours spent across Assassin's Creed Origins, Assassin's Creed Odyssey, and Assassin's Creed Valhalla, I've certainly more than enjoyed how deep and rich an experience an RPG romp can be. Still, seeing the old prompt of "left analog stick + A" to freerun, made me realize just how much I'd been hankering for the Assassin's Creed of old. Watching Basim tiptoe across ropes, vault parapets, and trundle across rooftops took me straight back to the days of Ezio Auditore – especially when watching him swing around the corners of buildings on those excellently placed rope pulleys. 

 

 

Assassin's Creed Mirage harks back to Ezio's glory days, for better and worse

WWW.ROCKPAPERSHOTGUN.COM

---

RPS give their impressions of Assassin's Creed Mirage after spending three hours with three of its opening missions.

 

Quote

I don't know about you, but after spending 100+ hours in both Assassin's Creed Odyssey and Assassin's Creed Valhalla, I'm well up for an AC game that reins its open world in a bit and goes back to the sort-of single city stab-athon the series used to be. The ones where stealth actually mattered, and you felt like a proper assassin working from the shadows. Assassin's Creed Mirage is all this to a tee - as Ubisoft have taken great pains to remind us over the last year as they gear up to celebrate the series' 15th anniversary.

 

And after spending three hours playing some of its early mission sequences, I can confirm this is very much a game whose sole purpose is to scratch that nostalgic itch good and proper (before we inevitably hurl ourselves into the still very ambiguous void of whatever the heck Assassin's Creed Infinity is). If, however, you don't have much fondness for those older games, and prefer the more action-oriented RPG-ing of recent Creeds, Mirage is probably going to feel like a step backward from all the things you know and like - and you may be better off waiting until the next big open world entry set in feudal Japan pitches up instead.

 

 

Assassin's Creed Mirage preview: A throwback in the best of ways

WWW.ENGADGET.COM

---

After playing three hours of Assassin's Creed Mirage, it's too early to tell whether Ubisoft has successfully condensed the formula into a shorter game. But that certainly feels like the case, which is a very good thing.

 

Quote

Mirage feels like a throwback in the most positive of ways. It's a return to a format that feels fresh rather than dated. Basim's movement feels fluid and he has enough tools at his disposal to give you a lot of strategic options for enemy encounters. Stealth-based combat and the return of social blending are welcome. However, I completely forgot to try Basim's chain-assassination ability, which looked cool whenever Ubisoft showed it off.

 

 

Assassin’s Creed Mirage is almost the AC game you’ve always wanted | PCGamesN

WWW.PCGAMESN.COM

---

Our Assassin's Creed Mirage preview takes a leap of faith into how Ubisoft is creating a different kind of AC game, and mostly succeeding in doing so.

 

Quote

From my three or so hours with Assassin’s Creed Mirage, it was abundantly clear that new protagonist Basim’s adventure through Baghdad isn’t quite the straightforward ‘return to roots’ you might expect. Instead, Mirage plays more like a modern version of Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood with a handful of mechanical and quality-of-life features lifted from the modern Assassin’s Creed RPG games.

 

What I really love so far about Assassin’s Creed Mirage is how it gives you ample reasons to explore every nook and cranny of Baghdad, interacting with its people in underhanded ways to collect resources that directly play into progression and gameplay.

 

 

Assassin's Creed Mirage Preview: A Blade in the Crowd

GAMERANT.COM

---

Assassin's Creed Mirage's back-to-roots approach nails everything that makes the franchise special, though with a few compromises.

 

 

Quote

At the end of the day, it's clear that Assassin's Creed Mirage's return to roots approach specifically means the earliest games in the franchise, triumphs, technical elements, and all. There are some things that later action-adventure titles did better before the open-world RPGs that are missing here, but the story glimpses we saw, the excellent core stealth gameplay, the various characters we met, and the detailed construction of Baghdad all eliminated our smallest woes. For any AC fan, Assassin's Creed Mirage is a love letter well worth reading.

 

 

Assassin’s Creed Mirage Is One of the Best Ubisoft Games I’ve Played in Years

WWW.ESCAPISTMAGAZINE.COM

---

Ubisoft spent the last six years distancing itself from the formula that helped make Assassin’s Creed popular. It’s a strategy that has seen the stealth-focused gameplay of titles like Assassin’s Creed 2 and Syndicate traded out for unending RPG experiences like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Valhalla. These more recent entries carry over the historically based settings the series is known for, but apart from that, the slick, stealthy identity has faded...

 

Quote

Not everything in Assassin’s Creed Mirage is a teary-eyed return to a bygone era. For the most part, it feels like Ubisoft Bordeaux adopted the elements from modern entries that worked, such as the option to scour areas with a winged ally. You’ll also absolutely find yourself rummaging around to collect hidden treasures and resources that can be used to upgrade Basim’s weapons and wardrobe. So, yes, Mirage feels old school, but it still feels like a modern entry, too. The difference between Mirage and games like Valhalla is that some of the rough edges have been sharpened.

 

During my time with Assassin’s Creed Mirage, it became increasingly clear that this trim, streamlined experience exists because Ubisoft Bordeaux wanted to handle its return to stealth-based missions with care. I didn’t even get to talk about some of the finer details, like how a curtain of heat waves lifts as you load into an area, but that’s only because the core gameplay, settings, and characters steal the show. If the final build is as solid as the demo I played, then Mirage will mark a welcome return to the structure that originally propelled Assassin’s Creed into relevancy. I don’t know how the next few years of the franchise will play out, but I do know that right now, this is the first time I’ve been enthusiastic about Assassin’s Creed in a long time.

 

 

Assassin's Creed Mirage: I Spent Three Hours Hands-on

COGCONNECTED.COM

---

Assassin's Creed Mirage is seemingly a good return to the series' original form while adopting positive aspects from the more recent games.

 

Quote

As gameplay started, I immediately loved the parkour, similar to Unity. Every aspect of Baghdad’s environment and architecture can be interacted with. You can ascend and descend at will and free run endlessly. Mirage features a city that’s both stunning in presentation and game design.

 

At the start, Basim and his friend Nehal visit a market to steal from some wealthy bystanders. The pickpocket mechanic is simple but fun. It’s similar to achieving an active reload in Gears of War. You have to stop an animation within an emblem that appears on screen briefly. 

 

I then jumped into the end of Basim’s trial with the hidden ones, where I was introduced to the meat and potatoes of Mirage’s gameplay: stealth and combat. In previous Mirage previews, stealth gameplay has shown off chain attacks and other cool abilities, not all of which were seen in the series before. I didn’t have the opportunity to experience those moves, but I did have fun sneaking around multiple compounds and silently taking out targets.

 

 

Assassin’s Creed Mirage preview - a fluid and clinical blend of old and new | TechRadar

WWW.TECHRADAR.COM

---

Teaching a new game old tricks

 

Quote

Is Assassin’s Creed Mirage the series’ “Michael-Jordan-’I’m-back’” moment? Possibly. But I have now had several moments that gave me that exact feeling - there really is a greater focus on parkour, stealth, and assassinations in Mirage’s DNA that comes straight from those brilliant games of Altaïr and Ezio. Throw in a modern perspective and take on elements from those games, and the result is like a new dog being taught old tricks.

 

It’s definitely cut from the same cloth as the recent RPG installments to the series - it feels and handles like a modern AC game - But there’s no denying the older, traditional stealth-focused Assassin’s Creed-isms that have been injected into Mirage. The results look to be something excellent; something that could well offer the best of both worlds or ‘eras’ of the series. It’s got its hooks into me, and I’m eager to peel back all its layers.

 

 

Assassin's Creed Mirage Preview - Returning to Basics

WWW.CGMAGONLINE.COM

---

Assassin's Creed Mirage is a triumphant return to what made the past games in the series a blast

 

Quote

There were a few big takeaways from my time with Assassin’s Creed Mirage. The toned-down nature of its open world immediately made it feel like a more intimate story in the universe. The return of some of the older mechanics, like how they are handling the tailing system along with the more realistic free-flow climbing, but at the same time bringing things from the newer entries like environmental puzzles and the visceral combat makes it feel like a great way to marry the two styles of games. Not to mention, the story of Basim is fascinating, and his dreams and visions have me on the edge of my seat, waiting to see what comes next.  

 

Overall, Assassin’s Creed Mirage will feel like an excellent return for fans of the older games and a fantastic evolution for fans of the newer entries. Between the marriage of mechanics, the more petite but more toned feel of the world, and snippets of a great story, I can’t wait to play more Assassin’s Creed Mirage when it comes out October 5th for PC, Xbox Series S/X, and PlayStation 4 and 5. Also, yes, you can pet the cats, which are loving, animated, and detailed.

 

 

Assassin's Creed Mirage preview: A franchise throwback for better & worse

WWW.GGRECON.COM

---

Assassin's Creed Mirage claims to take the series' design back to basics, revisiting the formula that first put it on the map - but is that to its detriment?

 

Quote

Despite some grumblings, Assassin’s Creed Mirage does show promise. The actual mission structures are laid out like an investigation board, tasking Basim with chasing down leads and closing cases as he edges ever closer to the centre of the villainous operation.

 

It’s an engaging way to set up the story that not only harkens back to the very first Assassin’s Creed but also draws inspiration from some of the best parts of the RPG entries - particularly the Cult of Kosmos from Odyssey.

 

A combination of the complete refocusing of gameplay on stealth mechanics, and the return of a satisfying rooftop playground to parkour across once again, Mirage really does feel like slipping into a comfy pair of old trainers.

 

It seems that genuine effort has gone into taking Assassin’s Creed back to the drawing board, figuring out what makes it tick, and building upon those bits that matter. Just like the bigger brother RPG games, Assassin’s Creed Mirage might not be for everyone. But it will almost certainly find an audience that it wholeheartedly appeals to.

 

 

Assassin's Creed Mirage Hands-On Preview

WWW.GAMEREACTOR.EU

---

The upcoming Assassin's Creed looks to deliver an enchanting experience by blending the best elements from the series' long history.

 

Quote

If I had to point out a negative (and it's surprisingly difficult) it would probably be that the game's tone didn't really resonate with me. There are light moments along the way and some good-natured banter between characters, but the developers have unfortunately not returned to the humour of the happy Ezio days. Mirage seems like a serious game, and Ubisoft just hasn't been very good at writing those since the original Watch Dogs. I also experienced some graphical glitches, but that's to be expected before the official launch - especially as I streamed the game.

 

My roughly three hours with Assassin's Creed Mirage were extremely positive. Beforehand, I had feared that it would be a simple return to the classic formula already felt old back in 2015 when Syndicate released. But Mirage is much more than that. Ubisoft Bordeaux seems to have carefully selected the exact elements across the series' 16-year history that best bring the past to life. With an intense October filled with big titles, Assassin's Creed has for once been relegated to the shadows, but I wouldn't be surprised if the game jumped out and assassinated the competition.

 

 

Assassin’s Creed Mirage is the stealthy return to form I’d hoped for | The Loadout

WWW.THELOADOUT.COM

---

Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Mirage is a wonderful balance between the series’ past and the series’ RPG-heavy present that Xbox and PS5 players just need to play.

 

Quote

 

After playing the early stages of the game for close to three hours in a hands-on Assassin’s Creed Mirage preview, it’s hard not to think that this is a near-perfect Assassin’s Creed game and a wonderful amalgamation of everything Ubisoft has done with the series so far.

 

The first aspect of Assassin’s Creed Mirage I want to discuss is the gameplay itself; this is something of an elephant in the room that could make or break the experience for a lot of long-time fans of the series. With early reports claiming that Mirage is adopting the Unity parkour system, but rigid gameplay footage showing that this game is clearly built in the same engine as Valhalla, it has been quite hard to get a proper read on what Mirage is actually going to play like. The two are, at least when it comes to this series, near-polar opposites.

 

 

 

Assassin's Creed Mirage preview: A return to the series' roots

WWW.TRUEACHIEVEMENTS.COM

---

Assassin's Creed Mirage is creeping ever closer, and we had a chance to try it out lately in a preview session. Here's what we thought...

 

Quote

 

I was encouraged to focus more on the main quests themselves while playing, but the world was clearly full of other activities, and it’ll be interesting to see how Mirage balances that. Stealth and subtlety are clearly key in Mirage. Like it promised, the bits of the main story I saw focused on this, and it’s important to bear that in mind. There might be other activities, but the main missions that I played fell into a pattern of “steal this and bring it back to me, now infiltrate there and get that for me” — if you’re looking to roam over a large area with a range of options, and not a purely stealth-focused experience on a consolidated map, then perhaps Mirage will seem confining.

 

While I’d had fun with Odyssey and Valhalla, it did feel like I’d become lazier with the stealth aspects of the game; relying on Eivor’s many superpowers or status as “unstealthy viking” to get me out of situations. All in all, Mirage did a great job of nudging me into being consciously careful with stealth and assassinations again. Visually, the game looked great too. I saw a fair few cutscenes, but the game itself also held up its end when I was running around as Basim. The Assassin’s Creed games are always good at “city clutter,” but Mirage’s characters also seemed more distinctive from each other than I’ve seen in the latest AC games. I would have liked to check out more of those side activities for a bit of variety rather than going straight from retrieving one thing to another, but the overall experience had me wanting to play more.

 

 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

 

 

 

 

 

Assassin’s Creed Mirage introduces custom settings to respect Islam | PCGamesN

WWW.PCGAMESN.COM

---

Assassin’s Creed Mirage gets custom settings that allow players to disable music in Ubisoft’s stealth game so it doesn’t clash with the Islamic call to prayer.

 

Quote

 

A customizable setting is being added to Assassin’s Creed Mirage to ensure that the soundtrack does not coincide or clash with in-game instances of the Islamic call to prayer. Taking place before Valhalla, Assassin’s Creed Mirage follows Basim  on his journey to become a fully-fledged member of the assassin order. With the Assassin’s Creed Mirage release date incoming, Ubisoft says it is taking “uttermost care” with how the setting, time period, and culture are represented in the stealth game, and is adding a new option to disable music during the Islamic Adhan.

 

“In regard to the Athan [an alternative spelling for the Islamic call to prayer], while the in-world music is designed to pause as the Athan is being recited, we are aware that some of the players invited to preview the game encountered instances where the in-game music would overlap.

 

“The team is already hard at work to provide an alternate setting for players who want to ensure this cannot happen during their playthrough, which will be available to all players via an update shortly after the game’s launch.”

 

 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

 

[best3444]

3 minutes ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said:

 

 

@stepee 

[stepee]

21 minutes ago, best3444 said:

 

@stepee 

 

Actually pretty depressing because the “pc features” is just one upsampling option that isn’t even the best one (better than fsr at least)! But the real current gen AC is next year, so I shouldn’t expect too much here. But after playing the demo of The Crew Motorsport which graphically felt super outdated for a publisher like Ubi, I’m sorta bracing to be disappointed with this one graphically.

[best3444]

16 minutes ago, stepee said:

 

Actually pretty depressing because the “pc features” is just one upsampling option that isn’t even the best one (better than fsr at least)! But the real current gen AC is next year, so I shouldn’t expect too much here. But after playing the demo of The Crew Motorsport which graphically felt super outdated for a publisher like Ubi, I’m sorta bracing to be disappointed with this one graphically.

 

I'm confused then. What's the AC coming out next year?

[stepee]

20 minutes ago, best3444 said:

 

I'm confused then. What's the AC coming out next year?

 

The one next year is rumored to be the one by the Odyssey team that takes place in China and uses the new engine update.

[best3444]

9 minutes ago, stepee said:

 

The one next year is rumored to be the one by the Odyssey team that takes place in China and uses the new engine update.

 

Oh ok, that's the AC game I'm looking forward to then. 

 

I'm with @Xbob42 with his opinion on this particular game. 

[AbsolutSurgen]

I’m not going to let y’all ruin my hype for this. 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

21 minutes ago, stepee said:

 

The one next year is rumored to be the one by the Odyssey team that takes place in China and uses the new engine update.

 

* Feudal Japan.

[stepee]

57 minutes ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said:

 

* Feudal Japan.

 

Oh that’s right even better!

[Brian]

Outside of 3, I have enjoyed all of the main assassin creed games. I’m excited for Mirage. Let’s go

[Keyser_Soze]

3 hours ago, stepee said:

 

The one next year is rumored to be the one by the Odyssey team that takes place in China and uses the new engine update.

 

Isn't the China one a mobile game?

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

2 minutes ago, Keyser_Soze said:

 

Isn't the China one a mobile game?

 

Sure is.

[BloodyHell]

On 9/12/2023 at 10:38 AM, Xbob42 said:

"A bigger emphasis on stealth-"

"Thank god"

"And linearity-"
"Thank god"

"Thank god!"
 

Yup, don't even think this one's going on the "on sale" list, haha. That footage alone felt like I was watching just random bullshit from any random AC title. And I mean that in terms of everything. Visuals, gameplay, animation. It's like no ambition to improve or change anything besides "what if we regressed back to our old games."

 

Ubisoft has shut down so many creative games just to do this shit. How incomprehensible. 

I mean, the original trilogy is far better than anything since, and I welcome a return to the style, as well as shortened campaign, over more bullshit like Odyssey and Valhalla.

[Spork3245]

 

It's nice to see a AAA title without f'n insane requirements for max settings. I feel like most games lately are like "yOu NeEd A 4080 oR bEtTeR fOr 4k"

[AbsolutSurgen]

2 hours ago, BloodyHell said:

I mean, the original trilogy is far better than anything since, and I welcome a return to the style, as well as shortened campaign, over more bullshit like Odyssey and Valhalla.

They are a different styles of games, but the last three games are great in their own way.

[Xbob42]

On 9/20/2023 at 6:37 AM, BloodyHell said:

I mean, the original trilogy is far better than anything since, and I welcome a return to the style, as well as shortened campaign, over more bullshit like Odyssey and Valhalla.

I disagree with every part of this post with every fiber of my being.