Unveiling the Ultimate Connection: Assassin's Creed Mirage's Basim Channels Altair's Legendary Legacy

Highlights

Assassin's Creed Mirage features a protagonist, Basim, who may be considered uninteresting even if he's iconic, similar to the first game's Altair.

The storyline and gameplay of Assassin's Creed Mirage may captivate players, however, Basim's portrayal and character fall short of expectations.

Crafting engaging video game heroes can pose challenges, and this is a lesson learned by Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed franchise. With a total of 13 mainline releases, the series boasts several memorable lead characters. Nevertheless, it has also encountered its fair share of lackluster ones. While Assassin's Creed Mirage marks a thrilling comeback for the series, it appears to struggle with the latter issue.

Assassin's Creed Mirage presents players with the opportunity to assume control of Basim prior to the events depicted in Valhalla. This installment delves deeper into Basim's narrative, ultimately enhancing his character within its predecessor. However, there is a possibility that some players may perceive Basim as a rather mundane persona. Despite the intriguing storyline that unfolds around him, his delivery and demeanor often leave much to be desired. Nevertheless, this seemingly lackluster portrayal actually renders him the ideal protagonist to lead this classic experience, as he shares numerous similarities with the franchise's original assassin.

Basim has the Worst Aspects of Altair

The original release of Assassin's Creed in 2007 was a delightful surprise. Ubisoft's captivating mythos, immersive historically accurate cities, and engaging storyline exceeded expectations. However, the protagonist Altair failed to make a lasting impression. While he will forever be recognized as the one who initiated the series, Ezio from Assassin's Creed 2 often steals the spotlight for good reason.

The story of Assassin's Creed was captivating, but Altair's character lacked depth. His portrayal felt unnatural, lacking complexity and failing to engage the audience. Despite the studio's efforts to develop his story, Altair's initial depiction in the first game was rather forgettable. This issue seems to persist with Basim, the main character in Assassin's Creed Mirage.

Similarly to the first game, the storyline of AC Mirage holds significant intrigue. However, it is impeded by an unremarkable protagonist. Basim's dialogue comes across as uninspiring, possibly due to the writing or delivery. Additionally, despite Ubisoft's attempt to provide him with a tragic backstory, Basim still appears one-dimensional. Even though fans of Valhalla show interest in exploring his character further, he ultimately lacks true fascination.

Basim may not be as captivating as Ezio, but it works in the context of Assassin's Creed Mirage. The game aims to return to the franchise's origins after three RPG-heavy titles. Just like the first game, which also had a lackluster protagonist, this serves as a homage to the original and gives the central character the potential to become iconic, despite not being deeply developed. While this doesn't excuse the presence of a plain protagonist, it does establish a connection to the earlier titles in a different way.

Assassin's Creed has featured its fair share of uninteresting protagonists, potentially hindering the games' full potential. However, Ubisoft compensates for this by crafting intriguing narratives, captivating open worlds, and satisfying gameplay mechanics. Mirage keeps up with that tradition, diverting attention from Basim's lack of charm. Additionally, the similarity between Basim and Altair suggests that Ubisoft might have another Ezio-like character in store, but fans will have to patiently wait and see.

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