The recent launch of Assassin's Creed Mirage was a risk that has paid off for Ubisoft, with the title dialing things back compared to the expansive open-world mainline releases that the franchise has focused on in recent years. With the game still holding important narrative links to full-length mainline releases, Mirage was able to appeal to the classic gameplay beats of the IP's roots to capture the best of both worlds.

This approach to Assassin's Creed Mirage was also present in the recent Like a Dragon Gaiden, which itself was a smaller-scale release between more expansive projects. The success that both titles have brought to their respective franchises is a good indication of the benefits that these smaller releases possess, and this should be the way forward for future games across both IPs.

RELATED: Assassin's Creed Mirage: Daughter of No One Writer Talks Roshan, Easter Eggs, Story Structure, and More

Assassin's Creed Mirage and Like a Dragon Gaiden Offer a Needed Break

Assassin's Creed Mirage took a huge deviation from the usual formula of modern AC games, which are massive titles set in sprawling open worlds, often with a focus on layered RPG mechanics. Mirage went against the grain by returning to basics with its own experience, with a heavy focus on matching the gameplay of the first releases for the franchise.

Mirage offers a much smaller world than the likes of Valhalla, Origins, and Odyssey, providing an excellent bite-sized experience in the downtime between the larger-scaled mainline projects of Assassin's Creed. This is best evidenced in the comparative time it takes to complete Mirage compared to the new open-world releases of the IP:

Not only does Mirage keep the AC community engaged in the long wait for more detailed projects like Assassin's Creed Red, but it also offers a much-needed reprise from the dominance of the franchise's new open-world formula. The new identity of Assassin's Creed has been quite a controversial change, and Mirage is the perfect title for fans who are nostalgic about the classic experiences of the IP.

Like a Dragon Gaiden Has the Same Benefits as AC Mirage

The recent launch of Like a Dragon Gaiden is quite comparable to Mirage, with itself being a much more compact title compared to usual Yakuza/Like a Dragon games. With fans already being quite restless in the wait for Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Gaiden has scratched an itch with a focus on one of the most iconic characters in the franchise, Kazuma Kiryu.

The presence of Kiryu as the protagonist of Gaiden is somewhat comparable to Basim in Mirage, with Basim having been previously established with a prominent role in Valhalla. These direct links to other titles are the key to the success of Gaiden and Mirage, with the games having important narratives despite clearly being more basic than fully-fledged mainline releases.

Smaller games like Mirage and Gaiden are not constricted by the massive scales of usual titles, allowing for more intimate stories that would otherwise be overshadowed in a mainline project. While they should not be overused, it is clear that the contained narratives and focus on classic gameplay within Gaiden and Mirage should be the way forward for Like a Dragon and Assassin's Creed.

Assassin's Creed: Mirage

$45 $60 Save $15

Assassin's Creed: Mirage is the latest entry in Ubisoft's iconic stealth series.

The game will be set in 9th century Baghdad and is going to take the Assassin's Creed franchise back to its action-adventure roots with a more linear structure, rather than the role-playing style seen in the recent main series games.

Franchise

Assassin's Creed

Platform(s)

PC , PS4 , PS5 , Xbox One , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S

Released

October 12, 2023

Developer(s)

Ubisoft Bordeaux

Publisher(s)

Ubisoft

Genre(s)

Action-Adventure

How Long To Beat

12 Hours

Metascore

78

Expand

$45 at Best Buy$45 at Amazon