One Year Later, Assassin’s Creed Mirage Is Still a Reminder of Everything the Series Once Was

Assassin’s Creed Mirage is now one year old, which means it’s time to look back on what this particular installment meant for the series as a whole. While Assassin’s Creed Mirage may not have garnered the same acclaim as some of its predecessors, it is something that arguably needed to happen, and its impact can still be felt today.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage certainly isn’t for everyone, but that is actually a significant part of its unique appeal. The reason Assassin’s Creed Mirage isn’t for everyone is because its approach to gameplay and narrative are reminiscent of the earliest days of a series that is now almost 17 years old. As such, it has likely found it challenging to hold the attention of modern audiences and Assassin’s Creed newcomers, but it could be argued that it was made for the longest-standing fans of the franchise anyway. Assassin’s Creed Mirage accomplished what it set out to do, and that was to remind those who have kept up with the Assassin’s Creed series since its origins of everything it once was.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage Brought the Franchise Back to Its Roots

Assassin’s Creed Mirage Provided a Renewed Emphasis on Stealth

Perhaps the most significant appeal of Assassin’s Creed Mirage when it launched in 2023 was its renewed emphasis on stealth. After years of requests that the Assassin’s Creed series be brought back to its roots, Assassin’s Creed Mirage claimed it would, and it delivered. Whereas modern installments that came before it focused more on action-oriented gameplay — like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, for instance — Assassin’s Creed Mirage strongly encouraged stealth gameplay, much like the Assassin’s Creed games of old.

That stealth gameplay still holds up today as a modern reminder of what once was, as in the days of Assassin’s Creed and Assassin’s Creed 2, when tutorials centered around how to blend into crowds, escape pursuing guards, and lift money from innocent civilians. Assassin’s Creed Mirage‘s protagonist, Basim, is given a healthy arsenal of stealth-oriented tools to help him make his way through the guard-infested streets of Baghdad unnoticed.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage Exchanged Heavy RPG Elements for Story-Driven Character Progression

Assassin’s Creed Mirage‘s approach to its narrative may be a bit of a double-edged sword, but it’s more so a problem with the character Basim than the story itself. Assassin’s Creed Mirage was designed to be more story-driven than some of the modern installments that forsook narrative for massive open worlds, but its story is let down by a largely uninteresting protagonist. More specifically, rather than applying heavy RPG elements to Assassin’s Creed Mirage‘s progression as it had done in the few installments before it, Ubisoft opted for story-driven character progression led by the somewhat shallow Basim.

This move to leave behind the RPG elements of Assassin’s Creed Mirage‘s nearest predecessors was a prime choice for a game designed to bring the series back to its roots, as the makeup of early Assassin’s Creed games revolved around their worlds, characters, and the role of the Assassin Brotherhood in eliminating corruption. This opened the door for Ubisoft to craft what feels like a living world in Assassin’s Creed Mirage, where there is something new to witness around every corner. In a sense, Baghdad is one of Assassin’s Creed Mirage‘s main characters.

While Assassin’s Creed Mirage‘s progression being based on a bland protagonist might have been part of its downfall, it still succeeded in delivering the classic Assassin’s Creed experience that was highly requested for many years prior to its arrival. One year later, Assassin’s Creed Mirage remains itself a mirage of what the franchise once was, and there is still hope that the series will not forget its origins as it continues to evolve.