Unveiling Assassin's Creed Mirage: Unleashing the Ultimate Stealth Experience

October is a highly busy month for the gaming industry, with the release of major titles such as Alan Wake 2, Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Sonic Superstars, Forza Motorsport, and several other games. However, leading this lineup is Assassin's Creed Mirage, set to release on October 5. In this game, players will assume the role of Basim, who was first introduced in Assassin's Creed Valhalla, and discover his journey to joining the Hidden Ones. Despite being an action-adventure game instead of a sprawling open-world RPG like recent titles, Assassin's Creed Mirage has plenty to offer and should not be underestimated.

Recently, Game Rant had the opportunity to play approximately three hours of Assassin's Creed Mirage through a Ubisoft remote-play event. During this preview, we had the chance to experience three significant sections: the prologue, Basim's training at the in-construction Alamut and his journey to Baghdad, and a black box assassination mission. Overall, the game captures the essence of the classic Assassin's Creed games, particularly AC1 and the Ezio Trilogy, just as Ubisoft Bordeaux has intended.

The prologue begins with Basim, torn by his vivid dream of the djinni, engaging in a conversation with his comrade Nehal. They embark on a mission assigned by Dervis, which entails retrieving an item from a nearby shipyard. Interestingly, Dervis occasionally assigns tasks related to the Hidden Ones, and Basim has already idealized the notion of joining their ranks. The setting immerses players into a bustling environment, teeming with moving crowds, lively children, and an overall exuberant atmosphere, despite not being a typical residential area. Basim even has the opportunity to interact with the children, and for those familiar with Basim from Assassin's Creed Valhalla, witnessing the striking contrast between his personalities can be jarring. Although Basim's personal history delves into the reasons for his inner turmoil, it is remarkable to observe how he can project an image of strength, confidence, and warmth. Moreover, players have the chance to prove their skills as they infiltrate the shipyard.

As expected from a prologue, we covertly infiltrated the location, making sure to avoid detection. Assassin's Creed Mirage successfully implements the "it's stealth if no one is alive to tell about it" approach, although it can be quite challenging. Nevertheless, pure stealth is also rewarded. By utilizing Eagle Vision to assess our objectives, we managed to stealthily navigate our way to a locked door. After identifying the individual with the key, we skillfully maneuvered through bushes and executed some takedowns to obtain the item. The task was then completed, and we stealthily made our way back out. The locked door immediately caught our attention. While reminiscent of the tricks and puzzles synonymous with doors in Assassin's Creed Valhalla, it became apparent that this was not the case as we encountered more locked doors throughout the preview. Instead, these locks introduced an element of heightened stakes, emphasizing the importance of strategic stealth maneuvers.

In Alamut, we quickly familiarized ourselves with key characters such as Nur, Fuladh, Rayhan, and, of course, Roshan. It was here that we were introduced to important concepts like throwing knives and the iconic Assassin's Creed Leap of Faith. Exploring the area surrounding the under-construction Alamut was an awe-inspiring experience, filled with intriguing conversations, memorable moments, and useful tutorials. The end result was a training montage that stood as one of the most inspiring scenes to ever grace the franchise. To avoid spoiling any details, we will refrain from sharing more, but it is safe to say that players will feel truly immersed in the vivid world crafted by Ubisoft Bordeaux, even within the tranquil atmosphere of Alamut.

Furthermore, this preview showcased the impressive intelligence of the enemy AI. While we did make a couple of mistakes and were caught, these instances were genuine errors on our part rather than a consequence of the AI being too observant or the player model being too easy to spot. Ubisoft Bordeaux, the developer of Assassin's Creed Mirage, has implemented enhancements to the enemy AI and their interactions to ensure that stealth is an enjoyable experience, and this was certainly evident. In fact, one of the standout moments for us occurred when we cleverly used our mistakes and the AI's detection of us to our advantage. Whenever Basim is discovered, he leaves behind a "ghost" that indicates the area where the guards are focusing their search. When we were mistakenly spotted, we utilized this information to navigate around several buildings and enter the target location through the front door while the guards were preoccupied searching for us elsewhere. Overall, the stealth gameplay provided incredibly satisfying moments and demonstrated a well-designed approach that caters to various play styles.

In the preview, we also had the opportunity to experience Basim's Assassin Focus ability first-hand. By executing stealth kills, players can charge this ability, with each charge allowing Basim to target another enemy. It requires players to strategically utilize the ability, rewarding their stealth gameplay with a valuable tool for efficiently eliminating small groups of guards. As a result, the Animus glitch occurs, showcasing Basim swiftly moving from one enemy to another. It will be intriguing to discover whether this has a deeper significance in the lore of Assassin's Creed Mirage or if it is simply a representation of the Animus glitching. However, regardless of its origins, it is undeniably enjoyable.

During another stealth mission in the preview, we infiltrated several warehouse buildings in search of specific information on a target. This required us to navigate from one building to another, utilizing our bird Enkidu to survey the area and employing Eagle Vision to locate crucial notes and track enemy movements. This portion of the preview truly tested our stealth abilities in Assassin's Creed Mirage, as we faced overwhelming numbers, an expansive field to cover, and the risk of being detected resulting in intense combat. Progressing through the location required careful and deliberate movements, heightened awareness, and the elimination of multiple guards to obtain accurate information. Every moment was tense in the most exhilarating manner.

During our playthrough, we encountered a situation where we were detected and forced to engage in combat. What stood out in the combat of Assassin's Creed Mirage were the techniques of using bumpers and parries, which added a unique element. The most effective strategy to secure a kill was to parry an incoming attack and swiftly follow up with a lethal assassination. Although confronting groups of enemies directly was a viable option, it posed a significant challenge, compelling us to heavily rely on our stealth abilities. We found ourselves quickly overwhelmed in this particular skirmish, prompting us to restart the mission. However, this setback actually proved to be a positive aspect, as it emphasized the importance of skill for successful combat while reinforcing the game's core stealth orientation. Unlike in the Ezio trilogy, continuous assassinations were not possible during combat, lending a greater sense of realism, weightiness, and enjoyment to the experience.

The mysterious operation, known as the black box assassination, led us deep into Baghdad's bustling Grand Bazaar. Our objective was to gather crucial intelligence on a target belonging to the Order of the Ancients. Through the art of negotiation and astute observation, we tirelessly worked to unveil their true identity, procure the coveted artifact they sought, infiltrate their stronghold, and ultimately make an escape from the chaotic marketplace. Various approaches were at our disposal, although the extent of their intricacies remains unclear. Factors like our financial resources and the number of tokens we possessed played a vital role in our strategies. In Assassin's Creed Mirage, tokens serve as a pseudo-currency, enabling us to barter for favors with influential figures across the city, including officials, scholars, and merchants. These valuable tokens weren't limited to just our mission; we even had the opportunity to use one to negotiate better prices with a merchant outside of our main objective. Their introduction not only adds complexity to the game but also immerses players, like Basim, in the vibrant city of Baghdad.

Baghdad, both within and beyond the bustling Grand Bazaar, exuded a vibrant atmosphere. Every street corner was filled with NPCs, conversations, and endless opportunities for exploration. Taking in all the sights and sounds was thoroughly enjoyable. And to fully immerse oneself in this experience, one had to take advantage of the parkour options in Assassin's Creed Mirage. While it may not be as captivating as the parkour systems found in Assassin's Creed Unity, it certainly surpasses those seen in open-world RPGs. This is largely due to the dynamic city setting. A developer from AC Mirage previously mentioned that anyone traversing the rooftops could navigate the entire city. And it holds true. The city's architecture ensures that parkour is an indispensable means of transportation. However, the ultimate satisfaction for parkour enthusiasts will vary depending on how the city is set up.

The social stealth options in AC Mirage were somewhat underwhelming in our experience with the work-in-progress build. We never had the opportunity to blend in with a crowd or see any significant use for it in our gameplay. During the black box mission, we were able to eavesdrop on a nearby conversation by following them from point to point, but the consequences of failing were not immediately apparent.

Throughout Baghdad, there were Wanted posters that we could pull down to lower our wanted levels, as well as various artifacts, historical sites, and mysterious shards to discover, collect, and interact with. Opening the world map in a Ubisoft game is always a familiar experience, and the same holds true for the city of Baghdad. Despite its smaller scale, players won't feel overwhelmed, and the detours we took provided informative insights into the city. Additionally, players will have the opportunity to visit Assassin Bureaus, which are intricately designed, reminiscent of AC1, but with a modern touch.

Assassin's Creed Mirage, released on October 5 for Amazon Luna, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, clearly embraces the franchise's earliest games, showcasing their successes, technical prowess, and overall essence. While it may lack certain features that were later perfected in open-world RPGs, the glimpses of the story, exceptional stealth gameplay, memorable characters, and intricately designed city of Baghdad effortlessly alleviate any minor concerns. Without a doubt, for any fan of the Assassin's Creed series, Assassin's Creed Mirage is a heartfelt homage that deserves to be experienced.