Assassin’s Creed Mirage is the first game since Black Flag to hold my attention past the first dozen or so hours, thanks to the coherent and linear story, unintrusive side activities, and tighter gameplay that rewards planning and stealth when setting up the perfect assassination.

The problem is the more I played – and let’s not pretend 25 hours is a “short” time investment – the more it had me thinking about the legacy and future of the IP. Why, after 13 mainline games in 16 years, is it acceptable for the core mechanics and mission structure to barely evolve – to the point I’m worried what feels like comforting nostalgia is actually wearisome familiarity?



Assassin’s Creed Mirage tells the origin tale of aspiring street thief, Basim, living on the streets of Baghdad during Abbasid Caliphate. It’s the start of the Islamic Golden Age, a period of cultural, scientific, and economic growth centred in the city – but also a time of stark inequality and injustice, while the “Order of the Ancients” manipulates leaders of the Caliphate behind the scenes.

Son of a dedicated public servant cast aside by an increasingly corrupt government, his misguided attempt to steal an artefact to aid the “The Hidden Ones” results in tragedy, forcing him to flee the city for their Alamut settlement, providing him with a second chance in life to train as an Assassin before returning to Baghdad and striking back at the Order.



To its credit, Assassin’s Creed Mirage works as both a continuation of Valhalla’s story and a potential entry point for newcomers and those who have drifted away from the IP. If you recognise Basim’s name, that’s because there’s still an overarching plot dealing with the convoluted genetic memory/advanced pre-civilisation angle – but it rarely intrudes outside of the opening and closing cutscenes.

To its credit, Assassin’s Creed Mirage works as both a continuation of Valhalla’s story and a potential entry point for newcomers and those who have drifted away from the IP.

That makes Assassin’s Creed Mirage easy-to-follow historical fantasy, with some real-world inspirations and embellished characters. It also helps that aside from a few optional “Tales of Baghdad” missions – which give some insight into the lives of its 9th Century inhabitants – every major quest is plot-related. Even during the mid-game, when you can pursue three leads and assassinations in any order, you’re always unravelling more of the Order’s plans and building towards the finale.



Trying to highlight what’s “new” in an Assassin’s Creed sequel is an almost farcical endeavour, but Assassin’s Creed Mirage does benefit from the idea that “sooner or later, everything old is new again”.

You still roam a sprawling historical city and surrounding wilderness on foot or by camel; free-run up, over, and through structures so fluidly the world might as well be flat; talk to dozens of charismatic NPCs to receive quests or information that’ll direct you to a target; use eagle vision or actual eagle to scan and tag enemies; avoid detection and stealthily pick off targets on the way to your objective using a variety of tools; and, if stealth fails you, engage in competent third-person swordplay that rewards defensive moves like dodges, parries, and counter-attacks.

There is also plenty of classic filler for those that want it – think historical sites, collecting miscellaneous items, and finding rare gear chests – but it sits firmly in the background and the map never becomes an unnavigable cluster**** of icons.



What is different about Assassin’s Creed Mirage is how restrained and focused it feels in contrast to its recent predecessors.

There are still too many hands-off cutscenes for my liking, but each mission culminates in a significant story beat or flows swiftly and organically into the next. Missions themselves are typically a mix of investigations, stealthy infiltration, and open combat – sometimes as a result of your mistakes, other times as dictated by the developers – which reward your ability to plan and adapt.

There are still too many hands-off cutscenes for my liking, but each mission culminates in a significant story beat or flows swiftly and organically into the next.

For fans of the original Assassin’s Creed (2007) and subsequent investigations-based games like Unity and Syndicate, there’s a lot to like. The most significant (re)addition is the investigation board, which contextualises your actions and provides a clear overview of your goals and progress. There’s the focus on (potentially) combat-free missions to observe or lure out targets, there’s the return of social stealth elements like mingling among crowds and on benches, and even the classic design of the Assassin’s Bureaus.



In a similar vein, you’ve got a more grounded selection of tools, weapons, gear, and abilities that progressively unlock. There are still tiered upgrades and unique gear buffs, but they're more manageable in number aned most only have two upgrade levels. Similarly, Basim only has three short skill trees – with “Chain Assassination” the only skill feels remotely overpowered. Basim can survive scraps with lesser foes, but heavily armoured enemies will take you down in two or three hits and there’s no option to simply grind for a higher character level or gear score.

That said, other returning features include recurrent Assassin’s Creed flaws – like getting stuck while free-running, input glitches foiling an escape, and a notoriety system that can lead to repetitive chases as you try break line of sight and tear down wanted posters. Thankfully these rarely lingered in my mind for long as I was constantly distracted by great vistas, an impressive attention to architectural detail, great voice work, and an immersive atmosphere.



Looping back to my opening paragraph, there is no denying the benefits that come with years of refinements and engine updates. Basim controls as you’d expect from a dedicated third-person action game; free-running is more fluid and reliable than it ever was; you can fast travel between synchronisation points to avoid backtracking; and you can scuffle with small groups of guards without necessarily alerting everyone in the area. There are manual saves anywhere outside of missions, and auto-saves within missions so you don't have to repeat large chunks if things go wrong.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage is a more enjoyable game to play as a result – but that doesn’t change the fact it still feels like I'm going through many of the same motions I started 16 years back. It lends the IP an almost timeless quality – in that you could go back and pick up the earlier games without much friction – but that also makes it harder to praise the sequels in context. Assassin’s Creed, alongside Call of Duty, must be one of the most consistent video game IPs, for better and worse. If you love your yearly fix or want to return to the IP without having to invest 100 hours, Assassin’s Creed Mirage is easy to recommend. If, however, you’ve been desperately waiting for some evolution of the IP, you’re out of luck yet again.

*Xbox Series Review code provided by Ubisoft