Assassin's Creed Mirage may be a throwback to the series' greatest hits, but one feature seems to be a bit surprising. While the game has the gameplay style of the original games, no one really expected it to also include a mechanic from Assassin's Creed Liberation. That game is often forgotten about when fans talk about the franchise, which is why Assassin's Creed Mirage's use of its greatest feature feels like a noteworthy addition.
Since Assassin's Creed 3 Liberation was made for the PS Vita, it was incredibly limited. Additionally, the concept was held back due to its spin-off nature when it could have thrived as a standalone. However, that does not mean it had nothing to offer, as it actually included a unique outfit feature that has not really been replicated by any Assassin's Creed since. But that seems to be changing with Mirage, which is great to see.
AC Mirage Brings a New Version of Liberation's Outfits With It
Unlike other Assassin's Creed games, AC Liberation chose to make outfits actually serve a greater purpose. Instead of just letting players wear different costumes, these costumes affected the way the game played. There were three notable costumes with their own alternate appearances, and each one shook up the formula just enough to keep it interesting.
If players wanted to play the game as a standard assassin, then they would have to wear Aveline's assassin outfit. This outfit would give them complete access to their arsenal and allowed freerunning, but also made them permanently notorious. If they wanted to take a stealthy approach, then they could throw on the slave outfit which let them blend in with groups and move freely, but it also restricted their weapons. The final outfit came in the form of the lady outfit, which restricted Aveline's movement and weaponry, but let her use charm and bribery to get what she wanted.
While AC Mirage's version is a bit different, the introduction of disguises feels like a natural progression of the system. These disguises give players a new look and let them sneak into various areas unseen. The game may not use the feature much nor do these suits really affect the actual gameplay, but they are nice additions to the formula. They help make Basim actually feel like a stealthy assassin rather than an easily spotted hooded figure. The biggest downside to AC Mirage's version is that the actual disguise part is relegated to certain missions. After players finish those missions, the disguises are nothing more than alternate costumes. This is a shame because the feature could have been so much more. Especially since AC Liberation did not have those same limitations, and that game came out in 2012.
AC Mirage and Liberation may utilize alternate costumes a bit differently, but the two features still feel extremely similar. Even though Mirage added the limitations these costumes have, it seemingly built upon the concept of different costumes accomplishing different things. It is a shame it took this long to re-do the feature because it was a fantastic addition to the formula, and Mirage should really mark its grand return.
The Assassin's Creed franchise could do so much more with a disguise feature if it really wanted to. Assassins are supposed to be all about stealth, but their massive white robes do not seem the stealthiest. Instead, they should have to don a bunch of unique outfits like Agent 47 does in Hitman. Doing so could make players actually feel like an assassin, so hopefully, Ubisoft will continue down this path.
Assassin's Creed Mirage is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
