We are now under four months away from the release of the next instalment in the Assassin’s Creed saga and fans of the franchise cannot wait. Ubisoft kept their cards close to their chest ever since the upcoming game was announced but we’ve seen a lot more of the game’s features since the new trailer was released at the PlayStation showcase. Now we know that Basim will be gracing our screens in October this year courtesy of that trailer, anticipation is at a fever pitch. Creed fans were already excited to see the game return to the series’ roots in a move away from the expansive open worlds and RPG route environments of more recent editions of the game. Stealth-based gameplay has been at the core of the series since its inception in 2007 and with this latest part of the saga set to deliver a greater focus on that aspect of the series, fans will likely be raving about Mirage from the moment they get their hands on it. This game aims to remedy the more diluted experiences of the last few releases and already looks like it has the potential to rival some of the best editions in the saga. Here’s everything we know about the game so far.
When is Assasin’s Creed: Mirage going to be released?
Ubisoft has confirmed the Assassin’s Creed Mirage release date is October 12th of this year and when it arrives, it’ll be available on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One and PC through the Ubisoft Store and Epic Games Store meaning the series will keep up its trend of being available on all platforms bar Nintendo consoles. If the fact that we’re just over 100 days away from the new game’s release then the first look at our familiar protagonist would surely have upped the intrigue. A return to the series for Basim but back in the days of his youth wandering the streets of Baghdad is one that every Assassin’s Creed fan will be excited for. The setting is not only a beautiful one, but a landscape that offers more chance for traversal of tight spots and rooftop exploration that was part of the parcel of the first five releases in the saga. Fans of the original games in the series will undoubtedly enjoy a return to some of the mechanics that had them falling in love with the series in its earliest stages.
What is the story?
From a storyline perspective, we don’t know much; only that it will be a more linear experience with a clear beginning and end and that we will be exploring Basim’s adventures a few decades before his appearance in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla as he becomes a master assassin. As part of this journey, we’ll also get more of a look at The Hidden Ones and the evolution of the organization that was founded in Assassin’s Creed Origins. But given the return to some of the classic features of the game, we can expect a narrative-driven experience rich in character development similar to the adventures of Altair and Ezio. While not set in the same time frame as either of those characters, the setting will allow for an amazing exploration into the historical significance and culture of Baghdad as is the case with all of the Assassin’s Creed games that pay homage to some of humanity’s most fascinating eras. Ninth century Baghdad will be no different having been a hub for innovation, art and commerce and once again for this series, the research that has gone into informing the design of this cultural epicentre has been extensive.
All the signs are positive thus far despite some controversy when the game’s Xbox store listing said it included ‘real gambling’ – which suggests there would be microtransactions that critics say are no different from sites that offer the best paying slots in the UK, but Ubisoft have come out and said the game will not include them. For longtime fans though, the latest trilogy has weakened the overall appeal of the saga and so Mirage will either be a welcome return to glory or another disappointing inclusion in the lore of the franchise. For some the open-world settings were too experimental and took away some of the features that made the game unique and appealing. The same cannot be said for this installment though. Another promising sign is how long it took to develop. Gaming fans can often be an impatient crowd but even the most ardent of fans would have to admit there was an element of franchise fatigue with the annual releases being churned out as they were. It often led to a few subpar copies from what fans would expect from one of gaming’s most iconic series but now Mirage has been given enough time for the developers to provide the most detailed edition to date, there is no reason this game shouldn’t deliver everything fans want from it upon initial release.
But perhaps the most exciting aspect of this game will be the return to old-school combat and assasination mechanics. One of the criticisms of Origins was its divergence from the timing-based counter-attacking style that had defined the first few releases in the saga and given it a place amongst the best triple A franchises in the gaming world. It was some of the most satisfying combat in video game history until the Batman Arkham series came and blew it out the water. Even though it felt repetitive at times, the stealthy assassinations and encounters with large groups of enemies never felt stagnant to the fanbase across the first ten years of the series; it was a tried and tested formula and it worked. The decision to abandon it was a controversial one and split opinion; some preferred the new hack-and-slash system while others yearned for a return to the combat that put the series on the map. Either way, it doesn’t matter now because Mirage will return to that counter-attacking combat system and, with a few minor tweaks, could even perfect it.
By all accounts the new release in the Assassin’s Creed series is set to provide a more focused, narrative driven experience with a popular character and beautiful setting to match the anticipation that surrounds this latest adventure. Gamers are unlikely to be disappointed as a new era for the franchise is on the horizon.
