The most recent Assassin's Creed games have been getting dragged down by outrageously large maps, uninteresting characters, and maybe most importantly, the loss of identity of what these games used to be. Can this most recent introduction rewind the clock and bring us back to some of the old glory days of the AC games like the Ezio trilogy and Black Flag? Let's find out if AC: Mirage is the real deal or if it's just the final fleeting bits of hope wavering in front of our eyes.
Mirage begins with a small introduction of Basim from, William Miles just before Basim awakes from a nightmare. His friend, Nehal calms him down before the two set off to earn some coin and this is where we're introduced to most of the general gameplay mechanics. Shortly after, things kick-off as we get a look as the latest masked group are introduced and a heist goes wrong that forces Basim to hurriedly leave his town and friend behind.
Basim is then trained by the Assassin group in the area where we quickly learn the combat basics by our mentor, Roshan. It doesn't take long before Basim is made a full-fledged member by the sacrifice of a finger and it takes even less time for the plot to find him again. Basim and Roshan are sent to Baghdad in order to stop the Order of Ancients gaining anymore power and to cease whatever plans they have in the works.
From the moment we enter the map, the game gives us the ability to venture out and explore to our heart's content. Thankfully for most, as you'll notice the map size is much smaller than anything we've seen from the last 3 games. Baghdad is certainly the largest city we'll be exploring but there are smaller towns as well and a small collection of ruins and landscapes to explore as well. Exploration around the map is done mainly through on foot travel or with your horse/camel, no ships with crews to worry about here, although that does mean we miss out on shanties.
A wide variety of tools are at our disposal as we progress through the game, or should I say through the skill tree which has been toned down significantly. Basim starts out with throwing knives but you can amass an arsenal of; smoke bombs, noise makers, proximity traps, and a blowgun. Each of the tools can be upgraded to become much better than they were originally and also to change their inherit properties. For example, the throwing knives can be upgraded to the point where an enemy killed with a knife will have their body dissolve away a moment later. While things like this are great, they quickly become a problem as Basim can effortlessly destroy a group of guards with ease. The combat in Mirage is already stripped bare but with the use of tools, combat may as well not exist frankly.
Side activities in the game come down to; pick-pocketing trinkets, collecting gear and upgrades from chests, enigmas (treasure maps), and taking on extra contracts each with their own side objective. Most of these are fairly simple and easy to do, sometimes there are slight puzzle elements to get into certain buildings but you'll rarely have an issue finding the solution. The contracts offer a bit more content but it's just that, a bit more. While the contracts do have a side objective to complete, they're certainly not mandatory and while they do offer more supplies you may find the juice isn't worth the squeeze sometimes.
Now how about we talk about what should be the main allure of these games, the assassinations themselves. Due to this game being a smaller project, this does directly affect how many targets we have available for the big kills. We only have 5 Order members this time around and while most do have a unique kill you can aim for, getting the special kill sometimes feels forced upon you or it can feel unsatisfying when it's achieved. For instance, one of the targets we have cornered in a small room with low ceilings yet despite us being on the other end of the small room in clear view, the target somehow can't spot us, which is made more ridiculous as they should be on high alert at that point. Overall, I found the big kills left me wanting as their buildup was weak and with how railroaded you can feel to get the elaborate kill it doesn't necessarily feel like something you earned.
To speak some more about the story and character some before we wrap this up. I found most of the characters forgettable and unremarkable. Basim doesn't even escape the throes of mediocrity as other than his night terrors, nothing makes him stand out from the rest. Arguably the best character, Roshan should have been our playable character as she is the only one that seems to have an ounce of interesting character as she's a veteran Assassin, has a great voice actress, and you're going to be wanting her outfit the most. Everyone else is incredibly unremarkable and the only reason you may remember them is thanks to the shortness of Mirage.
The story unfortunately doesn't do itself any favors in helping bring the game up in any regards. After the Order members are killed the finale kicks off and after 20-30 minutes the credits roll and it's all unsatisfying. If you're a fan of AC, there's devastatingly little for you to love here, especially if the last few games burned you out. Basim's story will very likely leave you shrugging your shoulders and asking, 'Okay... but what was the point of that?'. And the modern day story is non-existent here which is disappointing as we get no idea as to what may be going on with Desmond's friends and family. I was hoping the plot and Basim's part in it would come together nicely as we've seen done in past AC games, but there wasn't really anything that could spark my desire to see more from this.
Before we wrap this up, to talk briefly about achievements. This has got to be one of the easiest AC games to complete in a long time. There are only a couple achievements that may be a little finicky or not track quite right but by thanks to the guides found on this site you can find swift methods to mop up the rest. After only 12-18 hours, you'll have another game's achievement list completed, relatively stress free.
The Assassin's Creed series has had it's ups and downs and as the series continues to expand in the future, I'm sure that trend will continue. I wanted Mirage to be a true to form return to an older style of AC games that I enjoyed but instead, I got my hopes up again. While it is refreshing to not get another AC game that has an enormous map and a plot that is stretched thinly over dozens of hours... when what we get is a bare-bones experience with no real story to offer, I have to ask you, is that any better? I wanted to believe that Mirage wasn't just trying to fool me with an illusion of what could be but in the end, I'm left with nothing but my fleeting hopes for what could have been.
2.5