AC Mirage feels like a special treat by Ubisoft to its long-time Assassin's Creed fans thanks to the studio's commitment to create a game that focuses more on stealth, parkour, and assassination and less on open-world exploration and role-playing elements. While that's something we'll have to judge once the game is actually out, here is everything else you need to know about AC Mirage, including its release date, gameplay and story.

AC Mirage Release Date: October 5, 2023

Assassin's Creed Mirage is set to release on October 5, 2023, on PC through the Epic Games Store and Ubisoft Connect, as well as on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and the Xbox Series X. The game was developed and published by Ubisoft.

Gameplay

AC Mirage is advertised to be a celebration of the Assassin's Creed franchise, with the game's release coinciding with the series' fifteenth year in the industry. But what does that mean, gameplay-wise? What fans could expect out of AC Mirage in terms of gameplay is a more streamlined, more story-focused campaign that rarely goes off the main path. There are still side quests in the form of contracts, but they aren't necessary to progress the main story, unlike how in what was dubbed the “RPG Trilogy” of Assassin's Creed games: Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla, which made progress tied through exploration and side quests by making the main quest gated by player level. This makes AC Mirage feel less grindy and more akin to the original Assassin's Creed up to Revelations where players are empowered to do missions as they like in any order they want.

Speaking of progression systems, AC Mirage's progression system focuses on player equipment, tools, and a skill tree. Players find and obtain weapons and outfits that give them special abilities on top of basic stats. After completing main story missions, players also obtain skill points that they can spend on the game's skill tree. The skill tree has three branches that represent Basim's three core abilities: hunting, assassination, and tools. Progression is linear and is unlocked through story progression, as opposed to experience points and levels from the more recent Assassin's Creed games.

Finally, the game retains the collectibles that have always been part of the Assassin's Creed experience. There are historical codexes that players can collect to learn more about the game's setting and cultural significance. There are also treasures to find and puzzles to solve which adds longevity to the game past the credits.

Story

In Assassin's Creed Mirage, players follow the story of Basim, a street urchin who later was adopted by the Hidden Ones to become one of them. Basim fights for justice and for freedom with his ideals molded by his early days as an orphan. Mirage's story takes place in the early Abbasid Caliphate in the 9th century, while the Abbasid Caliphate is in turmoil thanks to a power struggle between multiple pretenders to the throne. Basim and the Hidden Ones attempt to foil the plans of the Order of the Ancients as the Order attempts to use their influence to gain power and find mysterious ancient artifacts in the metropolitan city of Baghdad, the center of the world for science and commerce at the time. Basim's story also explores his overall importance in the Assassin's Creed universe, as players who have been following his story since Valhalla will finally see the resolution to his character arc, understanding his motivations and learning about the true nature of his persona.

Stay tuned for our Assassin's Creed Mirage review as well as guides for the game to help you locate all of the game's collectibles. For more gaming news and stories, stick with ClutchPoints Gaming.