The last Assassin’s Creed trilogy, spanning Origins to Valhalla, tried something different with the 15-year franchise. Ubisoft leaned more heavily into the open-world RPG format. Though the transition was generally well received at the time, the franchise, especially with Valhalla, eventually devolved into an endless grocery list of tedious objectives scattered on a vast map. Assassin’s Creed Mirage aims to right the ship by bringing the series back to its stealthy roots.

Breaking it down in Baghdad

In contrast to the last two games, Assassin’s Creed Mirage spins a tale centered around an already established character, rather than a blank slate like Valhalla’s Eivor. It follows Basim Ibn Ishaq, a character introduced in Valhalla. Taking place before the events of the previous game, Mirage has the assassin root out the Order in 9^th-century Baghdad, a setting familiar to those who played the original title in 2007.

Make no mistake, though. Assassin’s Creed Mirage isn’t a complete return to the original game all those years ago. It retains the RPG gameplay of the previous trilogy, albeit remarkably pared down. Players are no longer bombarded with an endless list of side missions and collectibles. While there are still plenty of things to do in Baghdad, it’s much less of a slog. And, despite how much fewer the objectives are, there’s a lot of variety between missions to go around.

Additionally, leveling up is much simpler. There are only three skill trees with just a handful of unlockable skills per tree. While each skill unlocks a gameplay improvement, none of them feel like too overpowering. It does remove the satisfying feeling of growth that comes with most RPGs today. At the same time, it eliminates the need to grind for hours just to level up. Mastering mechanics feels much more rewarding than just relying on unlocked skills.

Likewise, gaining and upgrading new equipment isn’t a constant dice roll for good loot drops. Each area comes with a set of gear chests containing most of the obtainable equipment in the game and their upgrade schematics. Like the pared down leveling system, the simplified gear system eliminates grinding. There’s more focus on actually playing the game.

Less hand-holding with your parkour

A simplified system is all well and good. However, how does it feel to control Basim through Baghdad? Still smooth, actually.

Years ago, Ubisoft popularized a system of traversal that held the player’s hand too much. Characters, especially in the Assassin’s Creed series, could practically climb up any wall. Even smooth walls had some sort of handhold for a ridiculously agile assassin. If a wall somehow had no grips, trust that the game would tell you where to go with neon paint.

Mirage pares down how much it tells players what to do by reducing the number of paths you can take up a wall and by almost completely removing easily distinguishable tells of where to go. Players have to put more thought into how they want to scale a building. At the same time, there’s still a sense of fluidity as to how Basim moves.

All of this contributes to how much better the level design is, which is another thing that Mirage does better than its predecessors.

Stealth is key

During the last trilogy, each enemy base could be easily tackled by going in with swords out or sniping everyone from afar. There were some challenges, but none warranted a replay. Mirage reintroduces a challenge by focusing more on level design.

No level is the same. There are multiple ways to get into restricted areas. Some require you to find keys. It feels more fun to wait for the perfect opportunity to slip away undetected, rather than just brute forcing my way through guards.

Of course, fighting through guards remains a viable option. However, it isn’t as easy as previous games made it to be. Stealth is more rewarding. Enemies hit harder and have more health. Meanwhile, an assassination or a well-thrown knife is usually an instant knockout. Mirage just encourages more strategic planning.

Bigger isn’t always better

Besides the thoughtfulness of the individual levels, the size of Baghdad is so much smaller. Ubisoft compares it to the size of Unity and Revelations. It’s a sizable gap between the size of older games.

For too long, games have obsessed over creating the largest map possible, overfilling an experience that usually takes sixty hours just to complete. As someone who doesn’t have much time to play games anymore, having a tighter game is much appreciated, especially this month when a platoon of highly anticipated games is coming out.

Aside from being more economical with time, Mirage saves itself from the trap of packing in meaningless bloat just to fill the game with things to do.

Will Mirage restore your faith in the Creed?

As an old Assassin’s Creed fan who gave up on Valhalla, Mirage wants to bring players back to the franchise by hearkening back to its roots and taking the better lessons from the RPG trilogy. If you, like me, are hesitant to give the series another go, Mirage makes a compelling case for a comeback. By no means is it the best game this year, but it’s a massive step in the right direction for the aging franchise struggling to find its wings again.