Assassin's Creed Mirage Returns to Stealth Roots in 9th Century Baghdad, But Retains Franchise's Flaws

Assassin's Creed Mirage is a return to the franchise's roots in investigation and social stealth, moving away from recent games' huge open worlds.
The setting of 9th century Baghdad feels intimate and lived-in, though the city itself seems a bit homogeneous so far.
Combat is flashy but basic, recalling the repetitive attack/parry rhythms of many 2010s action games.
Tracking targets involves gathering intel from sources around the city, not just traveling to map waypoints.
Some frustrating traversal and stealth mechanics in the preview build made certain missions overly tricky, but hopefully the final release will smooth these out.

polygon.com

Relevant topic timeline:

9/12/2023

Assassin's Creed Mirage Returns to Stealth Roots with Intimate Gameplay and Streamlined Open World

Assassin's Creed Mirage, the thirteenth game in the series, returns to the franchise's roots with a focus on stealth gameplay and a more streamlined experience, offering a welcome change after the series' expansive and complicated past installments.

9/29/2023

Assassin's Creed Mirage Trailer Shows Basim's Origins as Master Assassin

Assassin's Creed Mirage, set to launch next week, receives an intense official launch trailer, offering a glimpse into Basim's story as he seeks answers and justice after fleeing Baghdad.

10/2/2023

Assassin's Creed Mirage Returns to Stealth Roots with Gadgets, Notoriety System

Ubisoft has released a seven-minute promotional video highlighting the stealth gameplay and features of Assassin's Creed Mirage, emphasizing its departure from the open world RPG format of recent titles in the series.

10/3/2023

Assassin's Creed Mirage Launches October 5th, Returns Series to Stealth Roots

Assassin's Creed Mirage will be released on Oct. 5 for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC, with global release times varying by region, and a release on iPhone scheduled for the first half of 2024.

10/5/2023

Baghdad: The Jewel of the Abbasid Caliphate and Epicenter of the Islamic Golden Age

Assassin's Creed Mirage immerses players in 9th-century Baghdad during the Islamic Golden Age, offering a glimpse into the rich history of the Abbasid Caliphate before its tragic end at the hands of the Mongols in 1258.

10/8/2023

IGN Releases Interactive Map for Assassin's Creed Mirage to Help Players 100% the Game

Assassin’s Creed Mirage's interactive map provides players with the locations of quests, collectibles, gear chests, and more in the vibrant city of Baghdad, making it easier to uncover all the hidden secrets and treasures within the game.

10/9/2023

Assassin's Creed Mirage Introduces New Time-Freezing Combat Ability

Ubisoft's new Assassin's Creed game, Mirage, includes a special move called Assassin's Focus that allows the character Basim to freeze time and teleport between enemies to quickly kill them all, but the glitchy visual effect is explained by the fact that Basim's superior speed and efficiency in killing causes the Animus device to struggle in processing his memories.

10/11/2023

Assassin's Creed Mirage Launch a Success Despite Shorter Playtime

Ubisoft has announced that Assassin's Creed Mirage has had a positive reception, with a player count similar to previous successful launches like Assassin's Creed Origins and Odyssey, making it the biggest new-generation launch game in terms of unit sales for Ubisoft.

10/11/2023

Ubisoft Claims 'Hit' Launch for Assassin's Creed Mirage Despite Lack of Sales Figures

Ubisoft claims that Assassin's Creed Mirage has had a successful launch, becoming the best-selling title on current-gen consoles for the publisher, but it remains to be seen how its success compares to Assassin's Creed Valhalla and how it will impact the franchise going forward.