For years now fans of the Assassin’s Creed franchise have been reminiscing about the simpler times, with the more recent entries being the huge, endlessly sprawling biomes of Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla. Thankfully, Ubisoft listened, and thanks to the efforts of Ubisoft Bordeaux, we now have Assassin’s Creed Mirage, the smaller in scope, equally impressive tale compared to those few that came before.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage Represents Everything the Original Was in a Modern Package
If you’ve played it, you’ll know that the game takes a lot of what made the original games fantastic. Gone are the huge, open sandboxes. In it’s stead, a single city, admittedly larger than before, but self-contained and easier to navigate. The story, whilst epic, is lesser in stakes, with no future sections and featuring a recognizable protagonist. Fans of the franchise will recognize Basim from Valhalla, although this is a prequel, he’s far easier going, almost funny at times.
We were lucky enough to talk all things Assassin’s Creed Mirage with Stephane Boudon, the Creative Director of the game about everything from Basim to Ubisoft’s upcoming ‘Infinity’ project. Answers have been edited for brevity and clarity.
Q. The general public has been clamoring for a shorter, tighter experience within the Assassin’s Creed universe for a while. Was it just to appease the fans or something more that brought us full circle back to the smaller, more self-contained stories like Altair, Ezio’s, and now Basim’s?
Of course, we heard a part of the community that wanted a tighter scope and a focus experience, but it was also a personal driver for us as many members of our team are fans of the franchise! Additionally, this tighter scope was well-sized as it was the first standalone game we got the chance to produce at Ubisoft Bordeaux!
No expansions are planned for Mirage. But we’ll continue to fine-tune the game and answer the community with title updates.
Q. Basim is a character we’ve already met in the franchise’s last installment, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. How did the future of the character being set in stone by that appearance affect the prequel nature of Mirage?
It was a difficult exercise but also a good challenge. Creativity and a good story come from the constraints we apply to ourselves and even if the destiny of Basim was already written we still found opportunities to surprise our player and I think we succeeded!
Q. What was the biggest influence on the story of Basim, as well as the world of Baghdad in-game?
The coming-of-age stories were of course great inspirations for us, we all had one in mind in the core team that kept us going, myself it was The Never-Ending Story. Tragedy was also a big component for us, Sarah being inspired by Shakespearian plays for instance. But one of the biggest drivers was mostly the early Assassin’s Creed games, you can draw a lot of links between the stories of Altair and Ezio for instance with the story of Basim.
For the world, we wanted a buzzing metropolis, colorful and iconic. Somewhere you can get lost, a maze of streets and parkour routes. We mainly took inspiration from ancient texts and scriptures as well as regional urbanisms and architecture.
Q. Why did the team decide to remove any future stories from Assassin’s Creed Mirage? As far as I’m aware, this is the first mainline entry that doesn’t have any.
We wanted to focus only on the story of Basim during this prequel, first and foremost to let you immerse yourself in this vibrant 9th century Baghdad. We treated the present day in a short intro video in Mirage and through a special quest in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla to better flesh out the context of this adventure.
Q. The game features a twist on the original game’s missions, where you’d pickpocket or eavesdrop for information on your next target, as well as pushing the story as a whole forward. It feels less like a checklist and more like a narrative decision. How did you come about this way of honoring the original whilst modernizing the concept?
We tend to forget it, but the first Assassin’s Creed was also an investigation game where you had to collect clues to seek and kill your target. It was rudimentary and a bit rebarbative at this time, but the foundation was there. For Mirage we developed this concept far further, with the addition of an investigation board that replaces entirely the quest system. You can follow leads, collect clues, and unveil your targets in a dedicated and immersive area. The story is intricated to the progression of the board and gives more meaning to your actions.
Q. The skills and tools available in Mirage are far more reminiscent of the original than of the more recent entries. This was obviously intentional, but was it because of the time period, or because of the stripped-back nature of the smaller entry? Or both?
The skill tree is smaller indeed because of the scope of the game. For tools, thanks to the upgrade system, it’s probably one of the most advanced sets of Assassin’s tools you ever had in an Assassin’s Creed game. The versatility of the system allows you to customize your tools to fit perfectly your playstyle.
Q. Was there a point you were worried that the fanbase as a whole would be disappointed going from the gigantic games of Odyssey, Valhalla, and Origins to this smaller, self-contained story and setting?
No at all, we have always been honest about the scope of the game and why, unlike the big RPG of the series we were going back to a more intimate scale. This scale is indeed the perfect length for telling a coming-of-age story of an Assassin.
Q. Having played Mirage it feels like a love letter to the originals, but how hard was it to modernize the concepts and ideas of the first few games, but also tread your own path so it didn’t feel like a reskin?
Thanks, it means we succeeded! We had to avoid falling into the trap of copying and pasting features as is. That’s why we focused on past emotions we wanted to live with again, we created a game system to fulfill this vision and when it was appropriate, we brought back iconic features from past games, and redesigned them entirely to fit our experiences.
Q. What is the prevailing theme and message of Assassin’s Creed Mirage, to you and the development team?
A coming of age, for both Basim and us as a studio 🙂
We tend to forget it, but the first Assassin’s Creed was also an investigation game where you had to collect clues to seek and kill your target.
Q. Was there ever a thought of having previous Assassins somewhere or somehow making an appearance?
Yes, and we drew a lot of connections with other games in Mirage. However, the historical setting and the date accuracy constraint of the game prevented us from adding numerous crossovers.
Q. With the multiple projects in development, does this mean we won’t be getting any expansions for Assassin’s Creed Mirage?
No expansions are planned for Mirage. But we’ll continue to fine-tune the game and answer the community with title updates.
Q. It’s hard to think of another gaming franchise that has so many different projects in development at the same time. Is there an overarching plan in place to ensure a coherent story and level of quality going forward?
Yes, there is, it’s called the Infinity platform, and you will know more in due time when the platform will launch.
Q. Games are made from the smallest details. What is something you’re hugely proud of that gamers may miss?
Of course! One of the tiny details I love, if you observe the civilians in Baghdad some of them wear a purse on their belts. Obviously, those civilians can be pickpocketed, but if you pay attention, you will see there are 3 sizes of purses corresponding to the quality of the loot!
Assassin’s Creed Mirage has been met with mostly positive reviews, and OG fans of the franchise have nearly unanimously given their praise to the game. However, with multiple upcoming projects on the horizon, including one confirmed to be closer to the spectacle and size of the likes of Valhalla, it looks like this may be a stopgap smaller game, rather than the renewed direction of the franchise.
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