Highlights
- Assassin's Creed Mirage provides a nostalgic experience reminiscent of the original games, making it feel like a remake despite being a new adventure.
- The game takes players back to the action-adventure roots of the franchise, departing from the RPG formula of recent entries.
- While Mirage tells a different story, it captures the essence of the original Assassin's Creed with its familiar atmosphere, city layout, and landscape, giving fans a nostalgic yet fresh experience.
Just like with the film industry, remakes seem to be all the rage in the gaming industry right now. Because of this, many players have been calling for some of their favorite franchises to get remade for today's generation. One such franchise that the fans seem to constantly call for remakes from is Assassin's Creed. And although remakes could be an exciting prospect, Assassin's Creed Mirage has seemingly shown players that there is another option.
Assassin's Creed Mirage has been a great blast from the past for those who missed the classic gameplay of the originals. Not only did it present a much smaller adventure that felt like some of the earliest games in the series, but it also brought players to an awfully familiar locale. This has made it feel like a remake even if it is not, and Ubisoft may want to continue down this path instead of retreading the stories it already told.
AC Mirage is a Remake in All But Name
While the Assassin's Creed series has had its fair share of remasters, Ubisoft has never remade any of the games yet. No matter how many times fans have said they want to revisit the Ezio trilogy or Black Flag, the studio has not delivered. At least, it did not seem to be doing that until now. Even though Assassin's Creed Mirage may be an entirely new experience, it feels like the closest thing to a remake players have gotten so far.
Assassin's Creed Mirage has whisked players away on a brand-new adventure that follows Basim from Valhalla in his earlier years. Instead of copying the RPG formula from the last three entries, Ubisoft chose to take the franchise back to its action-adventure roots. This has led to a fantastic experience for some series veterans to enjoy, and it is made even better by the setting players get to explore.
AC Mirage takes place in 9th-century Baghdad and lets players explore the entire city to their heart's content. This city may not be the same one from the original Assassin's Creed, however, it feels a lot like it. The atmosphere feels similar, the way the city is structured feels familiar, and a lot of the landscape seems to replicate the feeling of that original game. On top of that, Ubisoft has even included a way to make Mirage look exactly like the first game via a color filter.
AC Mirage may tell a completely different story than the original game, but everything else about it feels like a remake. Instead of re-releasing the classic games with modern graphics, Ubisoft has further built out the lore of the franchise with new characters, a new setting, and a whole new story. This has given fans a familiar but new experience that some may not soon forget. And this approach sounds a lot more interesting than just telling the same stories again.
The future of Assassin's Creed is an interesting one as Ubisoft plans countless new titles for the near future. Along with AC Red and Hexe, there have also been rumors that it is hard at work on a Black Flag remake. While a remake like that could be a great experience, new adventures are usually always more intriguing. And if Ubisoft has learned anything from AC Mirage, it should be that it can craft familiar experiences while also telling entirely new tales. That way, it can fulfill the remake wants, but not get tied down by what came before, so it can expand the series in exciting new ways.
Assassin's Creed Mirage is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
