We got to see the gameplay footage of Assassin’s Creed Mirage at Ubisoft Forward 2023 and I was very excited about the game. Ubisoft promised to take the franchise back to its roots with Mirage and the setting took me back to the original game. While Ubisoft is deviating from the RPG formula and going back to the “roots” it seems that Assassin’s Creed Mirage is shaping into a nostalgic cash grab.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage Already Looks 5 Years Old
One of the things that disappointed me the most is that the game already looks 5 years old. The graphics and animations are pretty similar to that of Origins or Odyssey. These games came out in 2017 and 2018. 5 years later and with the release of the new generation of consoles, you would imagine that the graphics would improve, but that is not the case for Assassin’s Creed Mirage. At least not as far as I can see.
One of the reasons why the graphics look so outdated is the fact that the game is coming to Xbox One and the PS4. So the older generation of consoles is holding the graphics of Mirage back by a fair bit. At the time of writing, we don’t know if there is going to be a special patch for the PS5 or Xbox Series X that is going to improve the visuals and the presentation that we saw is a work in progress but I doubt that Ubisoft is going to overhaul the graphics of the game this close to release.
In regard to animations, I don’t see why Ubisoft has decided to go with RPG animations in a game that is supposedly not an RPG. This issue is not hard to fix. They could easily use Unity or Syndicate as a foundation and improve upon that. Some shots and animations of AC Unity look better than what we got to see in the gameplay footage for Mirage.
The character models are not ideal either. I wouldn’t call them bad since Ubisoft can polish this in time for release but I would say that they are pretty rough in the current state and that they need to be fixed. I would also like to add that I am not a fan of the teleportation mechanic which seems to be spired by Shadow of Mordor and I am sure that many other fans of the franchise feel the same way about it.
Furthermore, the parkour looks very similar to Valhalla and other previous AC games. Now I know that Ubisoft invests in building huge worlds and it is common to re-use assets and I really don’t mind that. But I would like to see some improvements. The tighter streets of Baghdad in Mirage deserve a tweaked parlors system that allows players to really “play on the rooftops” or in the streets, so to speak. A lot of missed potential there and as a fan I cant help but be disappointed at this point.
With all these points made, I can really see how AC Mirage was actually supposed to be DLC for AC Valhalla and the team just decided to stretch out the game and make it into a whole game on its own. No wonder its price tag is $49.99 for the standard edition when new AAA titles are priced at $70 now.
Ubisoft Betting Big On Nostalgia
The setting takes up back to the golden days of Assassin’s Creed and that is what causes the nostalgia to come in. Ubisoft even confirmed that there is a filter that you can turn on that makes Mirage look more like the original Assassin’s Creed. People that played the first four games of the franchise are definitely going to buy into the hype and I would not blame them.
Another major marketing point of AC Mirage is that it is an Assassin’s Creed game in which you actually play as an Assassin. No beating around the bush this time and no integration of Assassins into the story. This is what I really wanted and what fans of the franchise have been asking for. I am surprised that it took so long for Ubisoft to implement this.
If you buy the deluxe edition of the game and you get the Prince of Persia cosmetics pack, which again banks on your nostalgia if you have played the PoP games. While Ubisoft is making the most of its franchises at this point I would rather have a new Prince of Persia game spired by the first three rather than pretending to be the prince in an Assassin’s Creed game.
All Is Not Bad Too Though
I am pretty sure that Assassin’s Creed Mirage is going to have a ton of bugs and glitches that Ubisoft is going to take a couple of patches to fix. But all is not bad. While much is not confirmed, going back to the roots is what fans have been asking for and what I personally want. Ubisoft is headed in the right direction and releasing an Assassin’s Creed game in which you play as an actual Assassin is a good start.
The return of social stealth is another good step that I would like to see in future AC games. I just hope that I can assassinate enemies by jumping off a 100 feet building and they actually die. Without me having to level up and match the enemy level. I think that is not too much to ask for.
Let us know what you think about Assassin’s Creed Mirage and whether or not you are interested in buying the game when it comes out on October 12, 2023.
