Before The Game
The last Assassin’s Creed game that I played in its entirety and finished was the first Assassin’s Creed game which was released over 17 years ago. That was when I actually played the game and I had a blast playing it. Last year when this game was released I was hearing relatively positive comments about the game and I knew at some point I was going to play it. As a gift to myself this holiday season I purchased an Xbox Series X and subscribed to Ubisoft+. This was, without hesitation, the first game I planned to play.
Being that I have tried AC games in the past, I knew what to expect in terms of gameplay and general storyline. I didn’t set my expectations too high but I was hoping to see some beautiful environments and top notch stealth gameplay. Outside of these points I tried to maintain an open mind in hopes of discovering something new I had not yet experienced.
During The Game
If you have played an AC game then it will come as no surprise that you really are incentivized to use your falcon companion to recon areas and enemies, your mount to traverse long distances on the map and your parkour abilities to defy gravity and scale buildings to trace a path across a city setting. You will also come to know that movement can be a great mechanic or a detriment in critical moments and your only hope is that it is not the latter.
The gameplay loop of getting clues through fetch or surveillance missions, kill a low level boss to get more clues to finally kill a big boss is the same formula that these games has consistently followed. This game is no different. While in the past this was a tiring game loop, it was tolerable this time around given that this was the first AC game I have played since Valhalla first released.
Visuals
Playing this game on the Series X on a 4k TV is absolutely necessary. The environments showcase why Ubisoft is one of the best in the business when it comes to environment designs. The character designs were great to look at, especially when changing their costumes and weapons. My sword of choice had a glowing orange and red gradient radiating from it as if it was heated and my dagger had a glowing red and blue particle spark dust that would trace off of it whenever I moved. The cutscenes as well make me always ask the question as to why this game hasn’t had a CGI movie or TV series made around it especially when showcasing the order and their nefarious activities.
Audio
The musical score is what really adds color to the muted environment that Basim operates in. That is not to say the color or visual aesthetic of Baghdad is unpleasant to look at. What I mean is that any desert environment can be only thought of as having a sandy brown palette that may not seem s picturesque as it really is. The score showcases the true hidden beauty of this land that not too many people may think exists. One of the most satisfying sounds in the game is the sound of the palm blade piercing an enemy that was crept on stealthily. As I reflect back I do not recall any sound glitches or parts of the sound design where the audio was too loud, overwhelming or mashing together to become overbearing or intolerable. Another sound element that I thoroughly enjoyed was being able to change the sound language to Arabic which required me to read the English subtitles. It created an element that gave a little bit more immersion which was enjoyable. Eventually I did switch because I didn’t want to read the entire time I was playing.
Characters
Basim Ibn Is’haq is the main character of this entry of Assassin’s Creed. He is accompanied by Roshan, his mentor and one of the senior leaders of the Assassin’s faction. Hadya is his friend who he was on the streets running around with prior to becoming a member of the Assassin’s and even while he is a member. All the characters come and go throughout the story but at times they are almost non existent. For example, Roshan is very active in the beginning of the game but, depending on when you play the portion of missions where she is a part of, she doesn’t come back into the story until you get closer to the end of the game. This is somewhat disappointing only because she seems like she offers a great deal of leadership and experience that could have been capitalized on in the game.
The same can be said for the leadership of The Order, the faction that Basim is taking down. They are introduced in the beginning of the game and then are only brought up when their missions are being completed. Not enough is said about what they all bring to the table as part of The Order. This is a shame because I think a story hinges on the characters and how deep a player is able to experience with them.
Environments
Baghdad and the surrounding area is a dense and very amazing environment to explore and traverse through. The streets, the canals, desert, palm groves and fortresses and buildings are all well designed and probably the best asset of the game. Additionally, on a personal note, being able to explore Baghdad from a historical stand point was refreshing, considering the last time I was in Iraq was during the Iraq war when the country was recovering from the destruction it had been subjected to. While it is only a game it still gave reflection to my time there and made me appreciate this culture and society.
Pacing
Overall, the game pacing can go as fast or as slow as you would like. There are contracts and people that can be helped that can slow the game down. What does slow the game down though are mission task that sometimes seemed to be unnecessary. This only becomes noticeable about halfway through the game. However, the game story does a good job in keeping the story going to the point that this can be unnoticed and keeps the player progressing along.
Gameplay
I mentioned the gameplay loop earlier and this is one of the areas where I feel the Assassin’s Creed games needs to look at subtly revamping. The game loop is consists of the player starting off by doing a recon mission first to gather information about the target. This is later expanded on with missions where you either have to have people assist you, wear a disguise or interrogate someone. Then, once you have the information, you can target the mark and take them out. Upon taking them out, there is a moment of reflection from them and then the cycle repeats. This, to a new player, might not be something noticeable right aways, but for veteran players of the franchise this is the same rinse repeat cycle that has gotten pretty mundane. Additionally, the pacing for the game is slowed when fetch it missions are added in to slow down the player from reaching the main objective. It would be nice to see this gameplay cycle changed up. I think of the AC games like the Hitman games. What makes them great is the ability to take out a mark anyway we please once we get the information needed. This subtle change would make the game a little more refreshing.
Another area of gameplay that can be very frustrating at times is the movement. While it can be great to experience traversing tons of buildings and rooftops in various ways, it can also be very frustrating. There were numerous times when I couldn’t climb a wall that was meant to be climbed or I couldn’t get down from a building and practically had to throw myself off. I am starting to think that movement is an area in Ubisoft games that plagues their games with the same frustrations. I experienced similar issues in Tom Clancy Ghost Recon Breakpoint. This frustration does not make me dislike the game but it does break the immersion at times.
Despite these areas, I truly loved diving back into Assassin’s Creed. My favorite part of these games is creeping around stealth killing enemies left and right and then sneaking out without anyone noticing. I also, without spoiling the game, love the lore that has tied these games together and it has made me want to jump back into the series. These games ability to provide historical touch points in different geographic locations with memorable characters serve as a reminder of why I loved the first one.
Replay Value
This game is replayable for the simple fact that there is tons of things to do and explore in the world of Basim. Additionally, new game plus is available which gives a new set of challenges for players that completed their first run.
After The Game
Assassin’s Creed is a great game for anyone who wants to experience an AC game that is only around 15–20 hours as opposed to their bigger entries like AC Valhalla coming in at 61 hours for main story and AC Odyssey coming in at 45 hours for main story. Because of my understanding of the lore again I definitely will be jumping into those entries to experience more of the characters, story and lore. Assassin’s Creed Mirage is a must play if you are looking for a game to start your year off right and will serve as a great prelude until Assassin’s Creed Jade comes out tentatively this year.
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