Summary
The usual gameplay loop ofAssassin’s Creedsees players control an all-powerful Master Assassin as they parkour their way through a historical location, find some kind of evil target, and assassinate them, a cycle which repeats until the big bad of the game is defeated and the credits roll. While this gameplay loop has been changed a few times overthe last 15 years ofAssassin’s Creed, it’s a cycle that still remains at the series' core, being clearly present in even the latest entry,Assassin’s Creed Mirage.
As far as consistent franchise gameplay loops go,Assassin’s Creedhas one of the best out there, with plenty of variation between entries to keep fans coming back time and time again. ButtheAssassin’s Creedfranchisehas never been content with just being a series of compelling hunts through historical settings, they instead force players to take a break from the old-time-y action and participate in a mundane modern-day sequence, thoughAssassin’s Creed Miragemight have just changed that for good.
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Assassin’s Creed Mirage Feels Better Without a Modern-Day Segment
Present since the franchise’s debut back in 2007,Assassin’s Creed’s modern-day segmentshave always been pretty divisive, though complaints were definitely less frequent back during the series' first few years. InAssassin’s Creed 1, players are introduced to Desmond Miles, a man living in the present day who’s agreed to be a test subject for the mysterious Abstergo Industries and use his DNA to live through the memories of his ancestor Altair. Voiced by Nolan North, Desmond is a very likable protagonist, and his slow rise to the rank of Assassin throughoutAssassin’s Creed 1and the Ezio trilogy was pretty engaging to experience, interweaving naturally with the events of the past.
However, since then,Assassin’s Creedhas had a real issue when it comes to its modern-day sequences. Many fans feel as though these modern-day sections just end up pulling them away from the actual fun of the game, with no real reason aside from building some lackluster story that isn’t really connected to the events of the past, or the future ofthe widerAssassin’s Creednarrative.Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flagwas the first big offender of this, with strange first-person modern-day sections coming all too frequently during the story. And in a game where adventure and exploration are so fun,Black Flag’s dull modern-day sequences only served to stand out even more, and for all the wrong reasons.
Themost recentAssassin’s Creedentrieshaven’t been as egregious asBlack Flagwith their own modern-day sequences, with Layla’s journey actually being woven into the past events she experiences, but they definitely haven’t been a highlight of the experience either. As mentioned up top, theAssassin’s Creedfranchise has always been about parkouring through an authentic historical setting, using stealth to assassinate various targets, and when players are forced to take a break from that only to walk around some ruins or talk to characters that don’t have much relevance on the overarching story, the game grinds to a halt and loses some key parts of its identity.
ButAssassin’s Creed Miragemight mark the end for modern-day sequences in the franchise.Mirageis the first mainline game in the series to feature no modern-day sections at all, and it’s all the better for it. Rather than have to split focus between two different groups of characters across two time periods,Assassin’s Creed Miragekeeps the story focused on Basim, and his own personal journey, which in turn makes players feel more closely connected to him. Back in September of last year,Assassin’s Creed’s Vice President Executive Producer Marc-Alexis Cote mentioned that the modern-day sequences would start to be phased out of mainline entries, and it seems likeMirageis the first in line to do so.
Assassin’s Creed Mirageis available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
