With Ubisoft’s popular franchise set for a return to form withAssassin’s Creed Mirage, the series' freerunning mechanics will likely be a major part of this upcoming title. Historically, theAssassin’s Creedseries has defined its identity by its stealthy, athletic world traversal system, though this mechanic has gotten somewhat lost in the past few entries. Now thatAssassin’s Creed Miragepromises to deliver that classic formula again, it could build upon the traditional freerunning gameplay by drawing inspiration from Square Enix’sKingdom Heartsseries.
Although they are quite different in terms of genre, the Flowmotion mechanic fromKingdom Heartscould tie in nicely withAssassin’s Creed Mirage’s freerunning. As the series moves away from the large-scale open worlds of previous titles, there is room to develop and iterate upon some of the most popular aspects from the series' roots. With how satisfying Flowmotion is for level traversal in theKingdom Heartsseries, it seems like a natural evolution ofAssassin’s Creed’s freerunningthatMiragecould use to reach new heights.
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How Assassin’s Creed Mirage Could Incorporate a Flowmotion-like Mechanic
Flowmotion is a parkour ability first introduced inKingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distanceas a method of quick level traversal. Players could dodge roll into certain environmental objects like walls or rails to enter a state of heightened maneuverability in which players are able to quickly bounce from wall to wall, slide down rails, and even glide for a short period after launching off surfaces. This mechanic greatly improved the movement capabilities ofSora and Riku inKingdom Hearts 3D, and became a staple mechanic in subsequent entries.
WithAssassin’s Creed Mirage’s setin the city streets of Baghdad in the year 861, the game is in a perfect position to give players new freerunning options amid narrow streets. As such, a movement ability similar to Flowmotion that would allow players to quickly bounce between walls or propel themselves swiftly between rooftops while tracking their target seems like a great way to freshen up a classic mechanic. The physics of this ability could even go a step further and revolve around building momentum to increase the speed and distance players can achieve.
Despite the more grounded narratives of earlier titles,Assassin’s Creed Miragecould include some of the more supernatural elements from recent entries to justify this superhuman freerunning ability. The past few entries, includingAssassin’s Creed Origins,Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, andAssassin’s Creed Valhalla, have all featured mythological figures and deities in some way. While this aspect has been controversial among longtime fans, it would make sense forAssassin’s Creed Mirage’s Basimto have unnatural abilities given his connection with Loki and the Djinn that seems to possess him during assassinations.
It may seem odd for two series that otherwise have very little in common to share a specific mechanic, but considering the emphasisAssassin’s Creedplaces on its freerunning, it makes a lot of sense to incorporateKingdom Hearts' Flowmotion as a logical evolution. While it may run the risk of being too far removed from its more grounded story, there are ways of circumventing that issue depending on how the mechanic is implemented. If Ubisoft wants to freshen up the series while still takingAssassin’s Creed Mirageback to its roots, a great way to do so would be to expand the player’s movement capabilities.
Assassin’s Creed Mirageis in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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