On a whim, I purchased AC Mirage since I felt like playing it and yes, I am probably one of the few people who keeps playing Ubisoft games even when they are hardly innovative. Still, I never buy them full price. I always wait for these games to be on sale. AC Mirage was going to be a return to the more old school AC games where you aren't a powerhouse machine, and you need to be more stealthy to accomplish your missions. The idea on paper is admirable, in practice though this isn't true.
AC Mirage does strip a lot of skills and abilities you had in the previous games but also doesn't give back the counter combat system you had in the original games. This decision baffles me. Because AC Mirage for the most part plays and feels like the RPG type of AC games, but where a lot of it is stripped down. And where a lot of questionable mechanics from the older games have returned. Like the tailing and escort missions. Nobody likes those! Then the parkour. If that is considered smooth, I am Santa Claus. I can't tell how many times the flow stopped due to Basim not reaching the wall. Yesterday I happened to start up AC Unity on the XBOX SERIES X as well and while I needed to get used to the controls once you are a little used to them the parkour is almost buttery smooth.
So what about the stealth mechanics? Compared to true stealth games, it's almost laughable. I mean, just because you have some tools to aid you, and you are forced to use stealth doesn't mean it's good. Sure, once you unlocked all the tools, you have more options. At least on a surface level. Why is it that if you have unlocked a second or third tier, you are expected to stick to one specific option and not have the option to switch on the fly. But yes, compared to previous games, stealth is the way to go and is largely satisfying if the parkour is not in the way. Like in previous games, visibility is limited and to compensate that you have Eagle Vision. That enables you to look through walls and beyond. If you need to get an overall picture, you have your trusty Enkidu (eagle). Same as in previous games but with a caveat. In enemy territories, the eagle will get shot down. This requires you to deal with that guard first before you can use the eagle again. But this means you will have to go through the enemy territory a little blind and completely negates the use of this eagle.
I wasn't too invested in the story. Seemed serviceable enough. But if you have played AC Valhalla you know who Basim is going to become. Here was a good opportunity to deepen his character and future motivations. Unfortunately, the story is pretty generic until the final, where you get one of the most pretentious and stupid endings in a video game ever. If you were looking for a tie in with AC Valhalla, it's barely there. The rest I didn't care about one bit. And actually, I never cared about since this story element was introduced. The conflict between the Assassins (Hidden Ones) and Templars (Order of the Ancients) is far more compelling to me than the science fiction elements. I wished they would do more with that concept and let go of the Isu, Abstergo and other crap. Even in the original game, I found the future parts to be the most boring. Mind you, I think AC in the future with modern weapons with guns would be something I would sign up. Why not create a Splinter Cell in an AC type of world?
Overall, I had fun while it lasted. I mean, I platinumed it, but I am not entirely sure if I could recommend it. AC Valhalla was a bloated affair for sure. But in doses, that game did offer mechanics to spice up things to your liking if you completely ignored the convoluted story. A return to older form was needed. AC Mirage though is not the best of both worlds, some people have claimed.
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