Unraveling the Secrets of Assassin's Creed Mirage: Unveiling the Ultimate Investigation System and the Enigmatic Cultist Tree

Highlights

Assassin's Creed Mirage replaces the target screen mechanic with a new investigation system, which adds a detective element to the game.

The players must uncover cases and solve numerous steps involving clues in order to eliminate members of the Order of the Ancients within the investigation system.

Although certain fans may have a preference for the previous cultist screens, the introduction of the investigation system is a seamless advancement that brings a new and exciting element to the game.

When Assassin's Creed Origins was released in 2017, it pleasantly surprised fans by reinventing the franchise. Transforming the series into an RPG, the game introduced a range of fresh mechanics that redefined what it meant to be an AC game. Among these was the new target screen that displayed all the necessary assassination targets. However, subsequent games further refined this mechanic, ultimately leading to its complete replacement in Assassin's Creed Mirage.

While Assassin's Creed Mirage brings a nostalgic touch, it also incorporates several familiar mechanics from the RPG games. One of these is the new investigation system, which, although functioning differently from the previous target trees, evokes a sense of familiarity. Nevertheless, it offers enough variations to captivate fans and potentially garner a greater level of enjoyment in this newest iteration.

The Investigation System Feels Like a Worthy Replacement to Cultists

Assassin's Creed Origins introduced players to a captivating family tree concept, showcasing the targets they needed to eliminate. This pyramid-style screen not only displayed crucial information about each target but also added a thrilling element to the franchise, immersing players in the role of true assassins tracking their prey.

Building upon this foundation, Odyssey and Valhalla took the concept further, albeit with a more complex approach. Odyssey replaced the family tree with a web-like cultist screen and introduced a new mercenaries screen as well. Players now had to seek out clues before encountering their adversaries, further enhancing the assassin experience. However, some players found the abundance of characters overwhelming, and this was also around the time when the sheer volume of content started to exhaust players.

Valhalla's gameplay mechanics closely resembled those of Odyssey, although it swapped out the Cult of the Kosmos for the Order of the Ancients. The game adopted an axe-like design to align with the Viking theme. However, similar to Odyssey, Valhalla suffered from an excess of content. This overwhelming amount of content proved to be a deal-breaker for many players, overshadowing the game's ability to make players feel like true assassins. While some may consider the extensive content offered by the Tree as a positive aspect, others will likely perceive it as a negative.

AC Mirage, on the other hand, took a different approach by replacing the target trees with an innovative investigation screen. This screen starts off empty, requiring players to actively uncover cases in order to progress the story. Each case consists of multiple steps filled with hidden clues that players must uncover. These steps often culminate in eliminating a member of the Order of the Ancients, although not all of them receive the traditional, elaborate confession cutscene that fans have come to expect from the Assassin's Creed franchise.

Mirage's investigation system is a captivating new addition to the game that shows promise for future expansion. Rather than revealing the number of targets, players are compelled to tap into their inner detective skills. While a few of the quests may lack excitement, the majority of them are enjoyable. Some may, however, still prefer the cultists screens seen in previous games. Nevertheless, the investigation system feels like a natural advancement in gameplay. It will be intriguing to witness Ubisoft's choice of either continuing this path in AC Red or introducing a completely novel mechanic. Fans will have to wait a while before that happens, so in the meantime, they can focus on eliminating the Order of the Ancients from Baghdad.

Assassin's Creed Mirage is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.