Winter 2008.
A controller in hand, a blanket to combat the cold, an Xbox 360 connected to a new but very small TV and a game: Assassin’s Creed.
And then a telephone that today would be considered an antique, text messages from friends, invitations to go out. Ignored.
There was already someone who occupied our days, and above all our nights.
Altaïr Ibn-La’Ahad.
Profession: assassin.
Detach yourself from the world created by Ubisoft, made up of plots, templars, murders, buildings to climb and hiding places to hide in, it was impossible.
We were completely enraptured by the setting, the historical references, the captivating gameplay.
And not just us.
The success of the first Assassin’s Creed transformed it into one of the most loved video game series in the world.
Over the years, however, something has been lost. The Creed has often taken a back seat, with the eternal clash between Assassins and Templars which often seemed only the backdrop to stories very distant from that of Altair.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage However, it seems to be backtracking, without forgetting an important lesson: for a game to attract players, it must both respecting the legacy of the past and looking to the future. And the future in this case they are the investigations that the protagonist, Basim, is called upon to carry out.
Anteprima Assassin’s Creed Mirage
9.00 am on any Tuesday.
We are sitting at the desk and after a few minutes the game’s initial screen appears in front of us.
A little chat, a small video introduction and then he appears Basim Ibn Ishaq.
No Assassin clothes.
Basim seems like an ordinary man, he lives in Baghdad in the 9th century and it’s a thief.
Thus we spend the first half hour on the streets of the city, robbing passers-by, running away from the guards, climbing every building and infiltrating places where access is limited.
It only takes a few minutes to realize that the basics are those that Assassin’s Creed has accustomed us to: we move with caution and try to go unnoticed, we act cunningly and avoid direct confrontation when possible. Better to hide in the grass or throw yourself from a ledge onto enemies to stun them without making any noise and arousing suspicion.
Basim, we discover, is a man particularly attached to his land, to his people.
A thief who helps others. A bit like Robin Hood.
This attitude of his will lead him to Alamut per become an Occult, a Murderer.
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From Baghdad we then moved on to headquarters of the Brotherhood, a city on multiple levels that forces you to climb between rocks and waterfalls to move from one place to another. But also a city that was born to train future Assassins in all arts, including combat.
We then found ourselves taking up the sword against Roshan, our teacher. The combat system is not particularly complex: attack, defense and dodging are what you will need, as well as good reaction times. In fact, often blocking will not be an option: either you throw yourself to the side or you are inevitably hit by the heat of the enemies, enemies who also try to attack together and put you in difficulty, often forcing you to flee and retreat.
However, we discovered this later. In fact, training with Roshan only accustomed us to 1 on 1, teaching us the basics just in time to be ready to repel a handful of enemies from Baghdad.
And that’s where we returned.
This time without the robe of the petty thief but in the role of Basim the Hidden One.
In fact, after years of training the protagonist seems ready to make his debut in society by eliminating his first high-profile target.
However, don’t expect the classic “go and kill”.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage introduces investigations. You will therefore have to look for clues and talk to people to understand where to go, how to enter, what and who you are looking for. That’s why the menu includes a section dedicated to the investigative part, so you can understand which clues you are missing and which you have already found.
From the menu you can of course also access theinventory e all’skill treedivided into three branches: Ghost, Deceiver and Predator.
As a backdrop to our adventure, a magical settinghalfway between the oriental nights of Aladdin and the times of Altair but with a fundamental difference: Ubisoft promises the largest and most detailed game world ever. A living world, which includes people to interact with, companions who can help you and opponents who will give you a hard time.
In short, this first taste of Mirage has certainly encouraged us to play it all and find out if, finally, the most beloved Assassins in the gaming universe are back.