Assassin’s Creed Mirage is the latest game to jump onto the permadeath bandwagon, following other notable games like Baldur’s Gate 3, Against the Storm, and Amnesia: The Bunker. The Full Synchronization Challenge released in the recent update will allow players to experience permadeath in the game in three difficulty settings.
Ubisoft has been in the crosshairs of fan displeasure for quite some time now. With the lackluster and generic performance of Skull and Bones, the pressure is mounting on the developers.
Whether the permadeath mode of the game is worth it, only time will tell. But if initial fan reactions are any indicators, then fans are not placated by Ubisoft’s performance as a developer.
Full Synchronization Challenge in Assassin’s Creed Mirage
Mirage is the first game in the Assassin’s Creed franchise to receive a permadeath play mode. The announcement was made from the official Assassin’s Creed account on X.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage Title Update 1.0.7 launches tomorrow, February 20th @ 12 PM UTC.
— Assassin’s Creed (@assassinscreed) February 19, 2024
☠️ Added Full Synchronization Challenge (Permadeath) & Rewards.
✅ New outfit customization features.
⚙️ Quest, visuals, and other fixes.
👀… And more!
However, the fan reaction to this post was far from positive. When Baldur’s Gate introduced the Honor Mode, fans were overjoyed and welcomed the update with open arms. Assassin’s Creed Mirage failed to replicate those scenes for Ubisoft as fan opinions were pretty divided.
Some fans looked forward to the permadeath experience and relished the prospect of having another go at the game. But that was not the most popular response. Some fans reiterated that Assassin’s Creed Mirage is exactly the kind of game that makes Ubisoft a ‘budget bin’ producer.
Fans were quick to point out that while this new mode was cool, they wouldn’t have minded some actual additional content in the DLC. One fan was quite gobsmacked at Mirage getting the permadeath but not Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.
Break Down of Full Synchronization
Full Synchronization Challenge is the Assassin’s Creed Mirage version of Permadeath. So, in spite of your saved games and previous hard work, if you die, your levels are reset, forcing you to start from the very beginning.
Apart from being killed in combat, ‘illegal actions‘ like straying outside the designated map area and killing civilians can also result in permadeath. If you complete the challenge in Easy mode, you will be awarded a talisman. A normal Full Sync run will award the player with a talisman and a new costume. On the hard mode, in addition to the rewards of a normal Full Sync, players will also get six costume dyes.
Personally, I am not a big fan of permadeath in games like Baldur’s Gate 3 or Assassin’s Creed Mirage. While I can understand the challenge, it does not feel worth it to me. However, the permadeath mode in XCOM is an entirely different story and makes total sense in the setting of an impossible war.
What do you think of the new Assassin’s Creed Mirage update? Which difficult setting would you be going for? Do you think Assassin’s Creed Mirage was the right choice to introduce permadeath in the franchise? Let us know in the comments!
