Assassin’s Creed Mirage is a promise kept by Ubisoft when they declared the return to roots during their 15-year anniversary. The past couple of years had been dissatisfactory for AC fans due to the shift to the RPG genre. However, all of that changed with the newly released franchise.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage takes place almost three centuries before the events of the first original game. Players explore the story as Basim, who used to be a petty thief before joining the Hidden Ones.
However, the most defining feature of the game is the rollback to older AC gameplay which is making fans happy. With that said, we have highlighted five things about the latest game and what it has to offer to the players.
5 changes that make Assassin’s Creed Mirage better than before
The most dissatisfactory thing about the past few Assassin’s Creed is the introduction of RPG-based storytelling and gameplay. Thus, long-term fans of the franchise have been skeptical about the last few titles. However, all of that changes with the arrival of Mirage:
1) Return of old parkour system
Parkour is one of the most defining features of the Assassin’s Creed franchise and it is finally returning with Mirage. The detailed building-to-building parkour system was quite beloved by the fanbase, however, this was stripped with the shift to the RPG genre.
Ubisoft used their Anvil engine which was used for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and tweaked it to support Mirage. Due to this, the visuals of the newly released game remain similar to its predecessor. Visuals aside the smooth parkour system is something fans are largely talking about.
O parkour voltou!
Já reservou seu Assassin’s Creed Mirage?
AQUI >> https://t.co/EtQhzTOMwg pic.twitter.com/a98aWG44YE— MeuPlayStation (@meuplaystation) September 27, 2023
Mirage takes inspiration for the parkour system from older games like AC2 and Brotherhood. This is why fans find the return of the old parkour nostalgic as it implements old features that made them iconic. Additionally, the newer title also adds a few other gameplay features that shift the parkour system in the title.
Why parkour is so connected with the franchise can be blamed on the departure of the Prince of Persia franchise. Other than AC games, the PoP franchise was the only one to feature thrilling parkour with great combat. Over the years, fans grew habituated to the parkour system with Assassin’s Creed games and are currently celebrating its return.
2) Focused story without bloating
The last two Assassin’s Creed games, Odyssey and Vahalla featured complete RPG-based storytelling. This took each of these games over 100 hours to complete at 100%, which was tedious for many. However, the reason why this took so long is that players had to travel from one place to another quite too often making it feel bloated.
With the return to roots, the developers of Assassin’s Creed Mirage made sure to keep the story focused on its objective. Players could explore the whole life of Basim from start to finish in 10-12 hours. However, if players which to take on every side quest and other activities, it is likely to take around 25 hours.
FYI Assassins, to ensure everybody can experience AC Mirage spoiler-free, we want to remind you the embargo around content creation and streaming lifts on 4th of October at 1PM Paris Time. Please be mindful of your fellow community members and fans! https://t.co/eRwX9mBPVb
— Assassin’s Creed (@assassinscreed) October 2, 2023
The lack of bloating makes the story experience of the game feel good without any unnecessary objections. Additionally, players were also locked out of certain storylines before due to the lack of level requirements. The removal of the level system also helps with the storytelling of Mirage and improves upon the old RPG titles.
3) Removal of RPG-based mechanics
The addition of RPG-like elements took the Assassin’s Creed franchise into a new direction with Origins. However, the system didn’t feel so punishing as the storytelling was pretty much linear with a great open world to explore. However, the complete shift to RPG storytelling and gameplay with the later two games made it unbearable to many.
In Assassin’s Creed Odessey, the iconic hidden blade was replaced with a broken Spear of Leonias. This caused a lot of commotion in the community as the hidden blade is a crucial part of the franchise. Furthermore, AC Origins also featured the hidden blade, which made this replacement seem outrageous.
Coming to combat, the RPG leveling of foes made it mandatory for the players to level themselves up by completing side quests. In case a player failed to level up, the upcoming fights were punishing which made it mandatory. Additionally, weapons were also capped according to level, which made them unusable without leveling up.
Before the RPG system, players could just buy the required equipment they wish to use and continue the gameplay. Thus, the RPG system was stripped with the latest Assassin’s Creed game and is being welcomed with open arms.
4) Polished combat system
With the shift to RPG-based gameplay, the combat system of the franchise was also changed. The combat of the past few games was mostly focused on dodging and slashing enemies, with the least focus on parrying. With multiple enemy types, the health also varied with made each combat last longer or be done with one slash.
The combat system has been completely overhauled to match the older games. In Assassin’s Creed Mirage, the combat system closely resembles pre-Origins games and feels more natural. A new stamina bar has been added to the combat, which affects player decisions during combat.
Whether you’re an Apprentice, or Master Assassin, we’ve put together a comprehensive guide on the essential stealth and tool tips to get you refamiliarized with the roots of Assassin’s Creed.#AssassinsCreed
— Assassin’s Creed (@assassinscreed) October 2, 2023
The enemies in Assassin’s Mirage have also been improved and attack independently instead of waiting. Whenever in combat, the enemies in older games usually waited for their turn to strike the player. However, this has been changed and the enemy can attack at any time. Thus, if a place is abundantly filled with guards, players have to eliminate each of them carefully to engage in combat.
A new focus bar has been implemented in the game as well, which will allow players to immediately eliminate foes. However, the focus bar can only be filled by successfully taking down enemies stealthily. Thus, players have to combine their approach to a combat situation more carefully than before.
5) Return of tools by ditching special attacks
One of the biggest changes in Assassin’s Creed Mirage is the return of tools and the removal of one-button special attacks. Special attacks were first introduced with AC Odyssey and gave players a one-button solution to certain combat situations. Moreover, it also eliminated the need for stealth as players could approach a situation without it.
Without the need for stealth, Odyssey and Valhalla strayed far from the core meaning of the stealth franchise. However, Ubisoft is fixing their mistake with the return of tools like throwing blades, smoke bombs, and more.
Each of these tools can be upgraded independently to function in unique ways. From increasing the range of throwable blades to improving the effects of smoke bombs, players have full freedom to pick their loadout. In fact, players will get a total of six tools which have their own effects. Most of these tools are focused on stealth and make players truly feel like an assassin.
