Assassin’s Creed Mirage now has a full release date, and it’s sooner than we thought. Not only that, but we’ve now seen extended gameplay for AC Mirage, and even a look at how the story will start out. By the looks of things, this game is absolutely aiming to evoke the very first entry into the long-running series.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage stars Assassin’s Creed Valhalla‘s Basim as its central protagonist. This means the return of Assassin’s Bureaus, as well as a Middle-Eastern setting. Of course, this will no doubt be familiar for fans of the series, especially those that have been playing since the very first game.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage looks set to be a return to form in terms of what the series used to offer. From what we’ve seen so far, it appears to have a great chance at ranking among some of the best Assassin’s Creed games of all time. Here’s everything we know about Assassin’s Creed Mirage so far, including a look at the map size, and gameplay details.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage: cut to the chase
- What is it? Assassin’s Creed stealth-action game set in Ninth-Century Baghdad
- When can I play it? October 12, 2023
- What can I play it on? PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC
- Who is making it? Ubisoft – specifically Ubisoft Bordeaux
Assassin’s Creed Mirage release date and platforms
Assassin’s Creed Mirage will release on October 12, 2023.
In terms of platforms, Ubisoft has confirmed that Mirage will be a cross-generation release. As such, expect to see it on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC, and cloud streaming service Amazon Luna. There’s, unfortunately, no free upgrade between generations, but it’s also cheaper than recent big releases, launching for $49.99 / £44.99 RRP.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage trailers
The latest trailer that’s been revealed for AC Mirage is titled ‘Master Assassin’. It details Basim’s story, specifically, where he will start off. It seems we’ll be dropped in 12 years before the start of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. Customization and leveling are also touched on. Watch it below:
Once you’ve got your fill of the video above, you can enjoy the clearest look into Basim’s story that we’ve had so far. We knew he would go from street thief to master assassin, but this trailer divulges more of his journey – and some key moments in it.
But if you’re looking for even more, then you’re in luck! Along with the two headline trailers above, Ubisoft also releases a video with developer commentary breaking down the in-game action. you can check that out below.
Beyond those, however, and looking a bit further back for context, we had an Assassin’s Creed Mirage trailer from earlier this year, during the May 2023 PlayStation Showcase that showed off protagonist Basim’s infiltration of Ninth Century Baghdad.
In this trailer, we saw a first proper look at the game’s return to the series’ fundamentals, placing an emphasis on stealth and traversal over combat – a change of pace that many welcome. Basim sneaks through crowds, climbs rooftops, and deftly assassinates guards in this gorgeous and slick gameplay reveal trailer.
If you’re looking to complete the set, then there’s one other trailer for Assassin’s Creed Mirage that has been revealed, which you can check out on Ubisoft’s official YouTube channel.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage story and setting
Assassin’s Creed Mirage is set in Baghdad 12 years before Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. Basim Ibn Ishaq, who was introduced in Valhalla, takes center stage. According to reports, Mirage began as a Valhalla spin-off before escalating into its own fully-fledged entry.
Basim is part of the first Assassin Brotherhood, and Mirage takes us on one of his earlier adventures. Here, he’s being taught by Roshan, a Persian assassin portrayed by Shohreh Aghdashloo. Rather than the open-world RPG gameplay of more recent years, Assassin’s Creed Mirage focuses on stealth and parkour once again.
As such, expect a smaller experience overall, likely around 15 to 20 hours. When asked about the game’s length in an IGN interview, executive producer Marc-Alexis Côté said, “Not everything has to be a 150 hour RPG, right?”, confirming:
“It is a smaller Assassin’s Creed project. This was conceived [and] built to celebrate the 15th anniversary. So that’s why we’re using our modern Valhalla engine to build a smaller game that pays tribute to our original game by focusing more on stealth, on close-quarter combat, on parkour, and a denser city that goes back to our roots in the Middle East, with Baghdad as the centerpiece.”
Mirage’s story begins follows Basim from when he was a young thief living on the streets, to an apprentice in the Brotherhood, and onwards to being a master assassin. Just how much we’ll see of Valhalla’s cast of characters remains to be seen, but there’s certainly potential for certain characters to make an appearance.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage gameplay
Ubisoft has confirmed that Baghdad is the only city in the game, split into four zones, though we’re also visiting Alamut. Each one contains a boss ready to be thwarted, but it’s unclear how that unfolds in-game. What we do know, according to narrative director Sarah Beaulieu, is that this story will include various historical figures.
As for how you’ll navigate Baghdad, lead producer on Assassin Creed Mirage Fabian Salomon said in an interview with Arab Hardware (via PCGamesN) that Mirage’s parkour will take some inspiration from the mechanics in Assassin’s Creed Unity:
“We are seriously trying to reach this level with Mirage, and since Baghdad is dense as I mentioned, we want the players to enjoy their time in the city through parkour, which was and still is one of the important pillars that we depended on in the style of playing with Assassin’s Creed Mirage”.
In fact, as part of going back to the series’ roots, Salomon said Mirage will take inspiration from other early titles. This includes the return of Assassination Contracts from Assassin’s Creed 2 and Brotherhood. He does also, however, mention “new and different opportunities to interact with the environment in Baghdad”, including “new mechanics” in hiding and in assassination among crowds.
What we’ve seen so far certainly confirms this. The gameplay reveal shown earlier this summer saw Basim stalking a target, using tools and traps to dispatch enemies. He used a new multi-assassination ability as well, which allowed him to quickly warp between marked targets, killing them quickly.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage map size
One aspect of Assassin’s Creed Mirage that has been a little bit murky since the game was revealed is the question of how big its map is. Well, we finally have an answer, and that’s that Mirage’s map will be a similar size to the Paris map in Assassin’s Creed Unity. This was revealed in an Easy Allies video, in which Michael Huber notes that he spoke to a Ubisoft spokesperson regarding Mirage’s map size. Apparently it’s also comparable to Constantinople.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage news
There are no plans for any Assassin’s Creed Mirage DLC “for now”
Chatting to fans in a recent Reddit AMA, and spotted by VGC, the game’s creative director Stéphane Boudon said that “For now, Mirage has no plan for DLC or extensive post-launch.”
Progression and customization is tied to the story
During the recent ‘Master Assassin’ trailer, it’s revealed that progression is entirely tied to story, ditching the XP-based system from the last few games. Basim will receive new gear as you progress, and can then be customized with dyes, instead of being bought. As you complete missions, new tools will become available too, while Skill Points will allow you to customize Basim even further.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage to get a full Arabic dub
In what’s a first for the series in all its years, Mirage will be the first game to ship with full Arabic localisation. As reported by our sister site GamesRadar+ at the end of May, while the news of the dub itself was quietly announced previously, it was only recently confirmed that Middle East film and TV star Eyad Nassar will start in the Arabic dub – something rightly bringing the localisation back to the headlines.
Along with a return to its route in terms of setting and in-game action – a City location and a focus on stealthy assassination – the Arabic dub is a welcome link back to the first game which had an Arabic protagonist in Altaïr Ibn-LaʼAhad, and it’s, obviously, a great link to Basim and the Baghdad setting.
That’s all we know about Assassin’s Creed Mirage so far. For a look at other games that are still on their way this year, check out our Upcoming Games 2023 page.
Source: techradar.com
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