Assassin's Creed Mirage Reviews
Assassin’s Creed Mirage harkens back to the franchise’s past as it shines light on a criminally overlooked setting for videogames and the culture of islam in what’s one of the most concise entries in modern Assassin’s Creed.
If Ubisoft’s mission with Assassins Creed Mirage was clearly to create something that paid tribute to the series’ roots while acting as an entry point for new fans, and perhaps a re-entry point for lapsed ones, then that mission has been well and truly accomplished. The razor-sharp focus on throwback stealth gameplay, stripping back of RPG systems, and de-emphasizing of melee combat all come together to create the most focused entry in years. Melee combat may feel awful, and the wilderness regions woefully underutilized, but when the streets of Baghdad itself are as joyous to explore as they are, and the stealth combat represents not just a return to form, but a series high, it’s hard to see those flaws as anything other than minor blemishes. I have no doubt that the future of Assassins Creed largely lies in more sprawling RPGs, but Assassins Creed Mirage shows that the classic formula still holds value, so here’s hoping Ubisoft sees a world in which the new can exist with the old.
The joy of abusing enemy AI through the use of social stealth and corners. An open-world city to explore and parkour through, pickpocketing everyone. And the sandbox black box missions are fantastic, a culmination of the franchise at its best. Sure, overall the formula for the game is a collection of Ubisoft classics. But isn’t that what we’re here for at this point? Exploring a city, solving small puzzles, collecting stuff, and going stabby stabby while looking cool doing it. This is an Assassin’s Creed game, unapologetically, and it’s much better for it in my opinion.
There is no denying how Assassin’s Creed Mirage represents a notable return to the franchise’s roots, offering a fresh yet familiar experience for long-time fans. While the game takes place in the bustling city of Baghdad and explores the origins of Basim Ibn Ishaq, it successfully recaptures the essence of the earlier Assassin’s Creed titles, whilst retaining the personality and mechanics introduced in recent entries. Mirage’s tight and tiered rooftop traversal, along with its one-shot assassinations, hearken back to the franchise’s origins, but it seamlessly incorporates modern gameplay elements from titles like Valhalla. Despite occasional parkour hiccups, the game’s movement feels fluid and responsive, making it one of the best feeling entries in the series. Basim’s glass-cannon playstyle encourages stealth and clever tool usage, reminiscent of Sam Fisher from Splinter Cell. With its compelling narrative, engaging gameplay, and a balanced blend of old and new, Assassin’s Creed Mirage proves how the franchise’s evolution continues to surprise and captivate players, offering a golden return to form for this iconic series.
Assassin's Creed Mirage represents a welcome throwback for the series to a dynamic and fascinating urban setting, providing a good amount of content and a welcome new focus on stealth components. What it lacks is a splash in graphical quality and greater depth at the narrative level (including the modern sections, which are completely absent here). The road taken, or rather retaken, is a good one, however, and we hope Ubisoft has further titles in development in this vein.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Assassin’s Creed: Mirage is a solid entry in the release-filled series. Featuring a far shorter campaign than previous titles it sacrifices “value in hours” for “valuable hours”. Mirage is a tight package that any Assassin’s Creed fan, new or old, will enjoy.
Assassin's Creed Mirage is a nice mixture of old and new. The look and feel of this more focussed adventure match that of earlier entries, whilst going back to it's roots with the focus on stealth. Deep skill trees and a gigantic map have been swapped for a slimmed down Bagdad and a few skills to choose from. Fans of the Ezio and Altaïr era are going to feel at home right away, and even the mediocre story and the nagging bug now and then, are not going stop you from having a fun trip down memory lane.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Assassin’s Creed Mirage takes the franchise back to its roots in a number of ways that should delight long-time fans, while still appealing to newcomers.
Assassin's Creed Mirage takes us back to the "glory days" of Assassin's Creed.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage gives you an engaging Assassin experience that enhances gameplay. Doing additional work to reach your target immerses you in the assassination experience. Using different weapons and objects is engaging and lets you find your preferred playstyle. Finding items and exploring locations have several benefits that make it worthwhile. There are some visual glitches and indoor navigation is difficult, but it’s a solid game that is worth exploring.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage is the best revisit to the nostalgic experience and truly pivots to be the OG Assassin’s Creed game. With the city of Baghdad being highly detailed and dense, the game will often keep you hooked on how magical the city looks and feels. The combat is light but makes you prefer stealth since each area is well-designed, allowing multiple approaches and infiltration opportunities. The game’s story may not be the most memorable, especially with the shorter length, but the closure leaves more options for future content.
Assassin's Creed Mirage is the game that returns to franchise to its glory days.
Indeed, in my humble opinion, AC Mirage is a good candidate for one of the worst installments of Ubisoft's Assassin's series. The whole thing is rather embarrassing, disappointing, and synthetic in a bad way; forced. However, I must praise the creators for a quite successful combination of old and new gameplay formulas.
For me, Assassin's Creed Mirage is the return to basics that many gamers have been hoping for. Infiltration makes a major comeback, without making the gameplay too rigid. The city of Baghdad is particularly dense and representative of the period. Even if the experience doesn't reinvent anything, it's pleasant to have a narrative put forward and a logical lifespan for this kind of game. While there are still a few technical problems, particularly with collisions, and there are few new features, the overall experience is fun. Now Ubisoft will have to roll up its sleeves for the next generation of this iconic franchise. A return to basics works for this time, and we mustn't repeat the mistakes of the past.
Review in French | Read full review
This is one of the few games that makes me realize that I don’t need over the top graphics or an Excel sheet’s worth of mechanics to experience something fun. Assassin’s Creed Mirage is the experience I've wanted for the last six years.
Assassin's Creed Mirage revitalizes the franchise by refocusing on stealth and assassination, set against the richly detailed backdrop of 9th-century Baghdad. While it modernizes the series' core mechanics and offers a compelling narrative, it retains some gameplay elements from its predecessor, Assassin's Creed Valhalla, which may not appeal to those seeking a completely new experience.
Assassin's Creed: Mirage is a game with moments of pure splendor, where you will find yourself standing still absorbing the scenes as if you wanted to breathe the city and the places where Basim passes. The classic gameplay, focused on the stealth element, simplified for immediate fun and without artificial elements to prolong longevity, conquers, but the enemy AI constantly breaks the immersion and removes satisfaction from your interaction, to the point of almost making it banal to play as Ubisoft intends you to play.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Assassin's Creed Mirage is a nostalgic trip to the past, dressed into a modern graphic robe. It combines a more lineare action-adventure approach while providing a lot more freedom than in its role models like Assassin's Creed II. This way, Mirage is made for long-term fans of the series. But because of some inauthentic gameplay mechanics in combat and stealth, it cannot fulfill the highest expectations.
Review in German | Read full review
Assassin’s Creed Mirage is a triumphant return to form for the franchise, shedding its action RPG-heavy influences from previous installments and creating a smaller and tighter adventure that is centered on the key pillars of stealth, assassinations, and parkour. Assassin’s Creed Mirage is a great fusion of new and old, and simply goes to show that when Ubisoft listens to what fans want, they can go on to build something that many will enjoy and appreciate, especially an entry from a beloved franchise such as Assassin’s Creed.
One of the best compliments I can give Mirage is that it took me 20 hours to beat, not 100. Nothing about the game is intimidating, from the map size to the progression system. It’s a callback, not only to old-school Assassin’s Creed but also old-school open-world games in general. There is no hiding that Mirage was once an expansion but I will take it over a bloated open world any day.