AC: Mirage will go back to its roots with a nostalgic look and much more

There was widespread discontent over the Assassin’s Creed franchise straying far from its stealth roots into the RPG-esque gameplay of the epic titles: Origins, Odyssey and Valhalla.

The developers had promised that the upcoming title Assassin’s Creed: Mirage would feature and reward stealth elements. The AC: Mirage also will feature shorter gameplay and a smaller map.

Now, the developers and the game directors have released a video titled “A Return to the Roots,” where they break down the design process and show exclusive behind-the-scenes that went into the design process of Assassin’s Creed: Mirage. It will feature new transport systems, stealth elements and a desaturated blue grey color palette that gives the original AC feel.

Assassin's Creed Mirage: A Return to the Roots

Set in 9^th century Baghdad, they are also rolling time back and revisiting the earlier days of Assassin’s Creed. The upgrades are broadly categorized into parkour, stealth and assassinations.

Senior Game designer, Marco Maresca, addressed the underlying issue and said that they were looking to bring back the flow and momentum in parkour, similar to the Ezio games, i.e., the trilogy of AC: II, Brotherhood and Revelations.

He also said that the design is centered around “verticality”, which most players wanted from the upcoming Mirage. They have brought back the corner swing, the ability to vault over objects, and elevators and have also introduced the brand-new pole vault to cover the distance between two buildings.

Basim has been built from the ground up to be faster. The animations and the in-game mechanics reflect as much. Coming to stealth, Creative Director Stephane Boudon said that stealth was their primary focus.

They look to do away with the keyboard bashing and want players to focus and plan their next moves. They are reintroducing bench assassination from AC: II; rooftop garden kills with a revamped feel to all the kills, whether stealthy or heads-on violent.

The eagle is no longer invincible as the marksman can shoot it down. Hornbearers can call for reinforcements. Social Stealth is making a comeback, along with bribing fractions to make way through guarded areas.

The central theme of the game will be centered around taking down the Order of the Ancients to free Baghdad of its influence. The Hidden Ones have bureaus from which they hand out contracts for assassinations.

Black Box missions have the added freedom to take the path of the player’s choice to assassinate the target. Additionally, a new investigation board would replace the quest log in AC: Mirage.

With so much promise, they also gave something for the long-time fans of the game – a desaturated blue-grey look that can be enabled in the options. This would allow them to relive the nostalgia from the AC: I while enjoying the genuinely immersive town of Baghdad with Basim in the 9^th Century.

Ubisoft has also been mindful that they are taking care of the culture in which the project is set by adding Arabic voice-overs and subtitles in AC: Mirage. With so much promise, it will be a long wait until Assassin’s Creed: Mirage’s release on October 12^th, 2023.

About Assassin’s Creed Mirage

Assassin’s Creed Mirage is an upcoming game in development from Ubisoft. It is reported to feature Basim, previously seen in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, and the gameplay will focus more on stealth than open-world RPG elements. The game was released on October 5th, 2023.