Assassin’s Creed Mirage is the latest game to join the popular Assassin’s Creed action-adventure franchise from Ubisoft. When it was announced, we were very excited, like all big fans of the AC series!
Actually, the entire action-adventure genre is appealing to gamers worldwide. This spring, it was the second-most popular game category (54% of respondents in GWI’s survey claimed to have played it in the last 12 months). No wonder there are action-adventure games that entered the competitive gaming world, trying to find their place among FPSs and MOBAs. Assassin’s Creed is part of a rising eSports phenomenon called “speedrunning”. It involves playing a video game, or a segment of a video game, with the intention of finishing it as quickly as you can. Speedrunning has its own eSports competitions, which include Assassin’s Creed. It even allows bettors to place their wagers on who will finish certain games most quickly. Sportsbooks offering speedrun wagers are rare but if there is a place to find them, it is Bookmaker-Expert.com.
The Game Is Still Not up to the PlayStation 5
Assassin’s Creed Mirage game takes place in Baghdad and the surrounding areas, including some smaller cities, and is set 11 years before AC: Valhalla, explaining everything about Basim and how he became the Hidden One.
When we fired up the game and started playing it, we were a little disappointed with the graphics because we played it on a PlayStation 5 and yet it looked like it was for the PlayStation 4. It did not affect our overall impression of the game, do not get us wrong, but we cannot say we were not a bit disappointed.
The game runs smoothly with little amounts of what appear to be bugs: outfit flapping or donkeys bumping into things – all normal problems in open-world games that do not really affect how the game works. However, we had two issues with characters getting stuck, so we had to save and reload the game to get rid of them so we could continue.
Gear Chest Icons and the Like Make Players Lose Focus
In the world itself, while not on a mission, you have various tasks such as collecting Gear Chests (equipment boxes), lost books, enigmas, Dervis Artifacts, historical sites, Mysterious Shards, and stories from Baghdad. We have to admit that while we were trying to complete some quests, as well as some contracts (side quests), we often lost our concentration when we saw an icon of a Gear Chest or a historical site on the compass located in the middle of the screen.
If you want to leave Baghdad and go somewhere else, you will have to ride a horse or a camel. If you have never ridden a camel in real life, this game will make you want to because. Riding a camel makes a noise with every step, which becomes a little annoying over time. At least they have auto-navigation, so they will follow the road and let you rest your hands.
You also have an eagle, named Enkidu, that you can use to scout out areas before you go in so you know which ones to avoid. But be careful, he can be hit by snipers if you do not eliminate them first! Enkidu does indeed return, but it takes some time.
Building Notoriety
Since you play the game by killing people and entering forbidden zones, you build Notoriety. The only way to remove/decrease it is to bribe Mundadi, just like in Assassin’s Creed II; otherwise, you end up getting chased by some angry-looking guards. When you are in a fight, you can see enemy health bars so you know how many more hits they will need to get to die. If the fight seems easier than you expected, even for an “Easy” difficulty level, change the level to have better and proper challenges.
As you progress through the game, it is always a good idea to upgrade your outfit, sword, and dagger. You can go around the Gear Chests, which will bring you either a new weapon, a suit, or a schematic. Schematics are important, as they will help you make upgrades. Basim does not level up in the usual way, but you get more points for completing story missions, allowing you to unlock new skills.
Mirage Added One New Combat-Related Stuff
One thing Mirage has added that is very useful when it comes to avoiding combat is the way it shows where guards are looking. When you enter Eagle Vision, the guardian’s eyes emit a beam of red light, so you will know where they look even if you are far away so you will no longer have to guess which way they are looking. Basim also has some tools to help you avoid combat, such as smoke bombs and explosive arrows. Effects can be upgraded and changed, but you do not have everything right away.
If you find yourself walking around town and need a few extra throws of knives or Elixirs (health potions) and notice you are short on cash, just go and rob some people for change. Stealing, however, has a mini-game where you have to time it right to succeed; if you do not do it right, the characters you tried to rob call guards and shout that there is a thief. Fortunately, you have an option in the settings to turn this off, or you can wait until you improve your skills, one of which allows you to get better at stealing, sometimes using a mini-game.
As you run around the city, you might come across some cats. And yes, you can pick them up and hear them purr. It is something that really gives the game authenticity.
Final Verdict
We enjoyed the Assassin’s Creed Mirage game, despite the outdated graphics, and it took us about 30 hours to complete. That is the main story and all the side quests we could find. We were very excited about the release, which was on October 5 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Windows, and iOS to see if it would bring new weapons, outfits, or missions.
We are definitely thinking of playing it again. In fact, we might do that right about now…
