As I'm sure most expected, this game clearly bears the hallmarks of a Valhalla DLC turned full game release.
That's not to say Ubisoft Bordeaux didn't try to make the most authentic old-school AC title that they possibly could. There is genuine passion for the series within this game and given the development time, and the foundation this game was built upon, I believe they did probably as good as you could expect.
Compared to the gameplay offered in Valhalla, I have to say there is a noticeable difference in Mirage when engaging with the stealth system. Is it perfect? No. Whilst the detection AI has been improved significantly from Valhalla's, particularly helped by the changes made to enemies cones of vision, you're still able to kill someone about 10 centimetres away from their friend and they'll be none the wiser. However, the most transformative change comes from the addition (or re-addition) of stealth based tools i.e. smoke bombs, traps, throwing knives etc. These items used to be standard features of older titles, however the majority of these were done away with over the past couple of entries. The feeling of planning your kill and deciding the timing of your smoke bomb so that you're able to confuse your target, hide your kill and facilitate your escape is something I have truly missed. Not to mention the options and avenues throwing knives, traps etc. open up whilst engaging with the stealth system.
Parkour, once a staple of the series, has pretty much been eradicated over the course of the RPG trilogy. Does this game revitalise the parkour system, bringing back the glory days of considered, snappy climbing that required planning and skill to execute in the most efficient way possible? No. However, much like the stealth system, though to a lesser degree of success, you can see that Ubisoft Bordeaux also tried to innovate (or more accurately revert) the parkour system. It's now no longer possible to just run forward and climb over anything then jump off without sustaining fall damage. To navigate Baghdad you will need to engage a little more of your brain than required in Valhalla. More obvious handholds are visible, white sheets mark the beginning of well-crafted parkour paths, and stealth arenas offer decent opportunity for navigating stealthily. It's still obvious that the parkour system was built upon distinctly shaky parkour foundations, and despite the additional animations, rooftop pole vaults and much tighter city design that lends itself a lot more naturally to parkour and assassin's in general, it's hard to shake the feeing that you're playing as a quicker, more agile and skinnier Eivor.
By far the weakest part of the game was the story. I wasn't expecting a masterpiece and we certainly didn't get one. The characters were by and large forgettable and uninteresting. The side mission where Basim saves a young Haytham was a nice touch, however I have forgotten most of the plot and the story beats were never engrossing enough to consider this a game worth playing for it's narrative.
Now, where Ubisoft Bordeaux absolutely nailed this flashback to the old titles is in the world design, setting and atmosphere. Baghdad is a fantastic setting for Assassin's Creed. Each district feels distinct and unique, with the architecture lending itself well to the typical AC gameplay formula of rooftop navigation and ground to roof parkour paths. The colour palette used invokes memories of AC1, which was a conscious choice by the developers, but it absolutely works without feeling like nostalgia bait (minus the blue filter option that makes everything look like Acre from AC1). For me, the city and it's fantastic gameplay-focused layout really helped with separating this title from it's roots of Valhalla DLC.
A special mention once again to the soundtrack, composed by Brendan Angelides. Music is one of the most important parts to any game, which I feel is especially true for this franchise. Brendan does a fantastic job invoking real emotion, whether it's Rooftops, The Bureau or Daughter of No One (my favourite songs from the OST) the music always helped immerse me in the setting and the world, and made navigating through Baghdad a real treat for both the eyes and the ears.
Overall, I'm happy that Ubisoft decided to greenlight this as a full release. What was once most likely seen as a chance to nostalgia bait old-school AC heads was laboured on by Ubisoft Bordeaux with enough passion and love for the franchise to churn out a title that did replicate enough of the assassin fantasy of older AC titles to warrant a true go at a full blown 'back-to-roots' AC game, which as of a couple days ago seems to be in development. I'm looking forward to seeing what this studio is able to do with more time, resources and hopefully freedom to innovate on the old formula, as opposed to gutting it and changing formulas entirely.
That's not to say Ubisoft Bordeaux didn't try to make the most authentic old-school AC title that they possibly could. There is genuine passion for the series within this game and given the development time, and the foundation this game was built upon, I believe they did probably as good as you could expect.
Compared to the gameplay offered in Valhalla, I have to say there is a noticeable difference in Mirage when engaging with the stealth system. Is it perfect? No. Whilst the detection AI has been improved significantly from Valhalla's, particularly helped by the changes made to enemies cones of vision, you're still able to kill someone about 10 centimetres away from their friend and they'll be none the wiser. However, the most transformative change comes from the addition (or re-addition) of stealth based tools i.e. smoke bombs, traps, throwing knives etc. These items used to be standard features of older titles, however the majority of these were done away with over the past couple of entries. The feeling of planning your kill and deciding the timing of your smoke bomb so that you're able to confuse your target, hide your kill and facilitate your escape is something I have truly missed. Not to mention the options and avenues throwing knives, traps etc. open up whilst engaging with the stealth system.
Parkour, once a staple of the series, has pretty much been eradicated over the course of the RPG trilogy. Does this game revitalise the parkour system, bringing back the glory days of considered, snappy climbing that required planning and skill to execute in the most efficient way possible? No. However, much like the stealth system, though to a lesser degree of success, you can see that Ubisoft Bordeaux also tried to innovate (or more accurately revert) the parkour system. It's now no longer possible to just run forward and climb over anything then jump off without sustaining fall damage. To navigate Baghdad you will need to engage a little more of your brain than required in Valhalla. More obvious handholds are visible, white sheets mark the beginning of well-crafted parkour paths, and stealth arenas offer decent opportunity for navigating stealthily. It's still obvious that the parkour system was built upon distinctly shaky parkour foundations, and despite the additional animations, rooftop pole vaults and much tighter city design that lends itself a lot more naturally to parkour and assassin's in general, it's hard to shake the feeing that you're playing as a quicker, more agile and skinnier Eivor.
By far the weakest part of the game was the story. I wasn't expecting a masterpiece and we certainly didn't get one. The characters were by and large forgettable and uninteresting. The side mission where Basim saves a young Haytham was a nice touch, however I have forgotten most of the plot and the story beats were never engrossing enough to consider this a game worth playing for it's narrative.
Now, where Ubisoft Bordeaux absolutely nailed this flashback to the old titles is in the world design, setting and atmosphere. Baghdad is a fantastic setting for Assassin's Creed. Each district feels distinct and unique, with the architecture lending itself well to the typical AC gameplay formula of rooftop navigation and ground to roof parkour paths. The colour palette used invokes memories of AC1, which was a conscious choice by the developers, but it absolutely works without feeling like nostalgia bait (minus the blue filter option that makes everything look like Acre from AC1). For me, the city and it's fantastic gameplay-focused layout really helped with separating this title from it's roots of Valhalla DLC.
A special mention once again to the soundtrack, composed by Brendan Angelides. Music is one of the most important parts to any game, which I feel is especially true for this franchise. Brendan does a fantastic job invoking real emotion, whether it's Rooftops, The Bureau or Daughter of No One (my favourite songs from the OST) the music always helped immerse me in the setting and the world, and made navigating through Baghdad a real treat for both the eyes and the ears.
Overall, I'm happy that Ubisoft decided to greenlight this as a full release. What was once most likely seen as a chance to nostalgia bait old-school AC heads was laboured on by Ubisoft Bordeaux with enough passion and love for the franchise to churn out a title that did replicate enough of the assassin fantasy of older AC titles to warrant a true go at a full blown 'back-to-roots' AC game, which as of a couple days ago seems to be in development. I'm looking forward to seeing what this studio is able to do with more time, resources and hopefully freedom to innovate on the old formula, as opposed to gutting it and changing formulas entirely.