Players will be introduced to the city of Baghdad, which is split into four distinct districts, and meet new characters like Roshan, who serves as Basim’s mentor. Basim will struggle with visions and nightmares due to being the Isu reincarnation of Loki, and it seems The Hidden Ones may have answers for him. The last time fans saw Basim, he had obtained the Staff of Hermes and came back from Yggdrasil, now alive in the modern day. Assassin’s Creed Mirage indubitably expands on Basim’s story, but not so much this part of it. Game Rant recently sat down with AC Mirage creative director Stephane Boudon to learn why.

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The long and short of it is pretty simple: Ubisoft Bordeaux wanted to explore the story and background of Basim prior to the events of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. However, present-day elements have been present in every mainline Assassin’s Creed title, and it’s a core part of the franchise. The Animus then still plays a role, particularly in the beginning and the end, but there is no present-day gameplay whatsoever.

Specifically, Boudon said,

This doesn’t mean that Assassin’s Creed Mirage won’t push Basim’s story forward, as his nightmares and visions could still inform many of Loki’s decisions in AC Valhalla, and there is the question of who is witnessing Basim’s memories in the Animus. The removal of present-day elements allows Ubisoft to more sharply focus on this element of Basim’s story than others, though. And while this is a return to form for the franchise, it’s not likely many fans will be particularly upset by this.

First off, the present-day storyline will still unfold in other titles, where Basim’s story is likely to keep moving forward in the present. Secondly, the present-day elements in Assassin’s Creed have always been contentious, with some fans thinking the franchise no longer needs it. Whatever side of the fence someone is on with that issue, one game without it certainly isn’t a big change when the main gameplay pillars of parkour, stealth, and assassinations return.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage releases in 2023 for Luna, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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