Players complain of chromatic aberration in Assassin’s Creed Mirage

Design and creative choices play a big part in games, especially the AAA titles. However, sometimes, these choices do not go down so well with the gaming community.

Some Assassin’s Creed Mirage fans are complaining about how nauseated, quite literally, they are by the in-game visuals, which have a rather heavy dosage of a graphical effect called “chromatic aberration” and motion blur that cannot be switched off.

As noted by u/Thestickleman on Reddit, they complained that the chromatic aberration coupled with motion blur in AC: Mirage makes the game entirely unplayable.

Other users confirmed the same, saying they “felt ill within 10 minutes.” Most users were disappointed that since adding chromatic aberration is a creative choice, players should be able to switch it off in settings.

This is not the first time we see chromatic aberration in a game. It is not blurring but fringing of colors towards the edges to give a photo-realistic look in-game.

However, it must be remembered that this is a lens defect. Most photographers in real life try to eliminate chromatic aberration in post-processing.

That is why the trend and choice of including the chromatic aberration effect is somewhat baffling. It has been seen earlier in titles like GTA V and Bloodborne.

In essence, chromatic aberration makes the game look like the players are watching it through a camera. However, many players argued that game developers should be trying to make it look like real life as if being seen through their own eyes.

This will remain divisive until Ubisoft allows players to turn off the effect in-game. The game has remained divisive until now, with a relatively low Metacritic rating of 77.

Only time will tell how this game fares with the larger fanbase, who have lauded Ubisoft Bordeaux’s effort of bringing the Assassin’s Creed franchise back to its roots in Assassin’s Creed: Mirage.

About Assassin’s Creed Mirage

Assassin’s Creed Mirage is an action-adventure game developed by Ubisoft Bordeaux and published by Ubisoft. The game is the thirteenth primary installment in the Assassin’s Creed series and the successor to 2020’s Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. While its historical timeframe precedes that of Valhalla, its modern-day framing story succeeds Valhalla’s own.

Set in 9th-century Baghdad during the Islamic Golden Age—in particular during the Anarchy at Samarra—the story follows Basim Ibn Ishaq (a character first introduced in Valhalla), a street thief who joins the Hidden Ones to fight for peace and liberty against the Order of the Ancients,[b] who desire peace through control. The main narrative focuses on Basim’s internal struggle between his duties as a Hidden One and his desire to uncover his mysterious past.