Okay, so I'm going to give you a spicy hot take right off the bat:

In my opinion, Assassin's Creed games only became well-rounded and enjoyable when they transitioned into the RPG-like format that started with Origins.

That's obviously not to say that the RPG AC games are immaculate; in fact, more often than not, they are purely quantity over quality. However, from a pure moment-to-moment gameplay standpoint, I have enjoyed the RPG Assassin's Creed games, flaws and all, far more than the standard formula that the majority of the games in the series thus far have followed.

That is also not to say that I haven't at least enjoyed parts of previous Assassin's Creed games. Unity's parkour animations, for instance, really are as fun and compelling to play around with as everyone's always saying. But pound for pound, the RPG games are much more my thing.

That said, I endeavoured to at least give Mirage a try since OG Assassin's Creed fans have been clamouring for a game like it for years now, and I figured with all the improvements made for the previous three games, this one would be more my speed.

And, well?

The highest praise I can give Mirage is that it's an excellent podcast game. That might sound like a sardonic indictment against it, but, at least to me, it really isn't. The gameplay foundations are solid enough that it can be fun to just go through the motions as background fodder while listening to your podcast or audiobook of choice.

Of course, that's obviously not what Ubisoft Bordeaux intended when they made Mirage but that's part and parcel of what I enjoyed the most about it.

The rest of Mirage outside of the gameplay stuff? Very meh.

Granted, Mirage is a prequel to Valhalla, a game I have not finished, and Basim is introduced and goes through an arc there before starring in his own game here.

So, despite what Ubisoft themselves have stated, perhaps it is best to start with that one.

I say so because he's kind of a bland protagonist with an uninteresting story otherwise, despite the good performance given by Lee Majdoub. I will admit that I was skipping through much of the narrative since it wasn't that engaging, and stayed that way until the last third of the game.

Even the gameplay has its issues, though. Ironically, one of my main criticisms for Mirage is the same people have given to Valhalla and Odyssey before it: it's just too repetitive and dull. True, you can argue the same for the previous three AC games, but at least there, it felt like there was a lot more going on at any given moment, and it was likely more interesting, to boot.

Again, overall, much like Far Cry 6, Mirage is a really great podcast game. That may not be what you're looking for in a new Assassin's Creed, but it's what you get here. Unless, that is, if you're a staunch fan of the original style and longed for the series to return to that.

If that is you, in all sincerity and without a shred of sarcasm, I am glad that you got what you wanted.

5.5/10