Assassin’s Creed (AC) was once one of the most demanding names in the gaming industry. The first game’s 2007 release skyrocketed the series into immediate, intense mainstream popularity, immortalizing the parkour and hooded hero silhouette that would go on to define the series down the line. In recent years, however, many fans have turned on AC as a result of its move to larger-scale, RPG-like projects in betrayal of the bustling streets and stealth-based gameplay that made it unique.

Beginning with Origins in 2017, the franchise had gone eight years without a traditional entry (Syndicate in 2015), until the release of Mirage on October 5th of this year. Ubisoft promised a return to form prior to release; a packed city, stealth and assassinations in full force, and so many more little things that mean the world to dedicated fans. Now, nearly a month since the drop, it’s safe to say that Ubisoft made good on most of those vows. Assassin’s Creed Mirage is a satisfying return to form for the series.

Baghdad is a really solid location; one that serves the AC formula to a tee and packs plenty of top-to-bottom versatility for players to explore on all levels. The streets swarm with residents, whom you can now pickpocket in passing with a new timing-based feature. The difficulty of the execution depends on the value of the item, and overall, it’s a sound system and a sensible addition to this universe. Now that we have it, it’d be weird if it wasn’t in the next one; great marks for a completely new concept.

Regarding the rest of the city, you can parkour in and out of essentially every scenario. Difficulty may vary, but there’s a path out of everything, and it makes escapes so much more thrilling than they were in, say, Syndicate, where you’d simply zipline out of sight. Mirage makes you earn your safety, at least in this sense, and it’s all the better for it.

Ironically enough, you rarely have to worry about safety when being directly attacked. The combat relies almost exclusively on numbers to apply pressure to the prayer (aside from the shields, heavier enemies). In direct individual matches, you could come out on top with your eyes closed. There simply isn’t much challenge in the mechanics.

This is made even more prevalent when factoring in the items, their upgradability, and your special abilities. At the end of the day, Mirage is a breezy, unbothered experience. But maybe that’s the point.

In seemingly solely trying to please fans, Mirage is committed in all ways to staying out of the way. It doesn’t rock the boat, per se. Every part of this is familiar; nothing on paper or screen sticks out about Mirage. Yet, it still manages to feel akin to the best the AC series has ever seen. The DNA is pure Assassin’s Creed, and that’s probably the game’s biggest win.

Basim is a solid protagonist, sure, and the story won’t bore you to death. But again, you’ve been here before. Whether or not this game is going to be worth it for any given buyer will come down to their attachment (or lack thereof) to the series. If you’ve played these games before, particularly the older entries, you’ll find a lot to like in Mirage. If you haven’t, you’ll probably skip this one, just like you have the rest.

Either way, this is a systematically sound, consistently fun open-world game that hits every target it aims for; no more, no less. Mirage grounds the series without moving it backward and should go down as a respectable success in the long run.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRNOoOYVn80]