In the 15 years of the series' existence, Assassin's Creed games have been split into two types. The initial batch, from the first title all the way to Syndicate, focused heavily on stealth in various locales and periods of history, with Black Flag daring to be different by being set in a larger world (the ocean) and the pirate-themed naval combat. The later games that began with Origins broke away from that and became larger, open-world RPGs that downplayed the stealth focus. They were bigger in every way but came at the cost of being so large that you could spend close to 100 hours on a title and still feel like you're far from the conclusion. Assassin's Creed Mirage marks the return to the old style of games in the series, but it doesn't ignore some of the elements of the newer entries. It results in an experience that feels just right if you were put off by the sheer length and scope of the last three games.

Mirage takes place in 10th century Baghdad, and you play the role of Basim Ibn Ishaq, a character you'll be familiar with if you've played Assassin's Creed Valhalla. While your introduction to the character starts with his nightmares of the jinni, he is nothing more than a common street thief with a brash attitude. His latest job has him running into one of the members of The Hidden Ones, the old name of the Brotherhood of Assassins, and he's ambitious enough to take on a job that's more dangerous than before. The job is a success, but the cost is so great that he is forced to flee and becomes part of The Hidden Ones in the process. On the day of his graduation to a full assassin, trouble involving The Order of the Ancients is brewing in Baghdad, causing Basim to return alongside his newfound comrades to investigate.

The story is hit-and-miss. Basim fits in nicely as an assassin, but there aren't too many other characters you'll like or remember once the adventure is over. The main quest concerning the Order of the Ancients is engaging on its own, but the addition of the jinni dreams and the "world saving" bits at the end don't gel quite so well. It doesn't help that this was originally conceived as a piece of DLC for Assassin's Creed Valhalla and the ending of this game ties in so closely with that title that players who never tried the Viking adventure will get lost. That's something to keep in mind if you highly value the lore of any game. No one will complain about how long it takes before you reach the heart of the game, as that occurs fairly quickly when compared to prior titles.

As mentioned before, Mirage is a throwback to the older games in the series, specifically the first title. One of the things it shares with that game is the desert city-style setting, only in an earlier time period. It's smaller in scope compared to the more recent games, and even though you can visit the outskirts of the city, almost all of your missions take place in Baghdad, so there's no need to travel to different places to complete essential missions. The missions are in such close proximity to one another that using a mount is optional; running through the streets or jumping on rooftops is good enough.

When it comes to traversal, the main hallmarks of the series remain. You can easily climb walls, but certain spots are marked in a slightly different color to recognize viable climbing spots without being too apparent. You can walk along small wooden beams and tightropes while also sliding down ropes at a downward slope. Using poles to vault across chasms or using them as mobile stepping stones is also viable, and you'll feel like you can easily clear things. That said, don't expect some of the tricks that you could pull off in games after Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. Jumping sideways on a vertical wall is rare, and there's no elegant way to parkour down instead of up. Unless you take a leap and hope to land in a hay bale or on an unassuming guard, you'll have to stop moving and then climb down to fall safely.

The smaller scale of the environment roughly matches what you had in the older titles, which also has a trickle-down effect on a number of things related to the game world. There are still side-quests and collectibles. Several secret areas exist, and there are a few vantage points that you can climb to get a better view of the city. There are far fewer of them than before, though. On the one hand, it doesn't feel like your map is comprised of nothing else but one marker after another. On the other hand, there's not much else to tackle once you finish the main questline.

Speaking of which, the gameplay places more of an emphasis on stealth and the various ways to accomplish it. You can fight, but you don't have a plethora of moves handy for fighting off enemies. You can blend in with crowds or don some disguises to get in and out of areas that you're not supposed to be. Your wrist-mounted hidden blade is going to be used quite often to kill enemies from above or when you're grabbing someone from behind or casually passing by. Bodies can be hidden from sight, and gathering enough kills will give you the ability to unleash a swift move that lets you perform quick kills in succession. The one knock against stealth is that the guards can still act dumb. Run past a few that are shouting about your presence, and it'll be a while before you realize that most won't bother chasing you. You can pull off a few kills next to their partners, and few will notice. There may be improvements when compared to the original, but the level of intelligence on display is enough to make you feel like you're an expert in stealth, even if it isn't your preferred genre.

Combat is a backup plan in case the stealthy approach fails, and this is where the game takes another page from the older titles by de-emphasizing combat. Your dagger and sword combo allows you to parry attacks and deliver killing blows rather swiftly, but you can also go with normal and strong attacks without playing defensively. What you can't do is button-mash, since you now have a stamina meter. It might fill up quickly, but it makes you think about each move, since the overall combat speed is slower than customary. Your opinion on the combat depends greatly on your overall approach to Mirage. If you're not used to the system, you'll find that fighting is good enough to get you out of a jam; there will be a few dead bodies, and you'll be able to hide for a while until you continue again. If you're fairly adept at the slower style of combat, then you'll find that you can forgo the stealth almost entirely. You can run up and stab everyone until no more guards come by, and then you can worry about tearing down wanted posters later so you don't have to fight at every moment. It wouldn't be correct to call the fights easy; the number of simultaneous enemies can be troublesome since they don't wait their turn to attack, but the lack of bosses or formidable foes until the end won't hinder your progress — even if you remain impatient with the stamina meter.

For both combat and stealth, the game provides a good number of tools to work with, and while it isn't as numerous as more recent games in the series, it remains a fun toolset. Your weapons are limited to the dagger and sword, but you can get them upgraded into more powerful iterations. The throwing knives can be upgraded to turn enemies into gusts of sand, which looks cool even if it's highly unrealistic. You've got blowguns to knock out enemies from a distance, and there are quite a few special coins that you can earn to hire a small cadre of assistants or have someone belt out a tune to create a diversion.

Mirage still has some bugs in tow from the inception of the series, though. There are a number of places where you can get into an infinite fall state, but the game is now smart enough to ensure you warp back to a safe spot instead of staying frozen in place. Characters will also be seen warping to scripted spots for their animation sequences. Perhaps the most noticeable complaint is that it doesn't introduce anything new. Except for the city of Baghdad and your protagonist, everything you see and do has already been done in past games. Take away some of the issues mentioned earlier concerning certain mechanics, and you still have a good mix of tools and abilities to work with to create an enjoyable experience. There's always an expectation that a new entry in a series introduces something to freshen up the formula, so not seeing that this time around shows that the title hasn't evolved far from its DLC roots.

Many of the recent Assassin's Creed games have been quite good in presentation, and this is no exception. Since this was originally supposed to be DLC for Valhalla, the graphics don't advance beyond what was seen in that title. The characters are still rendered well enough, and the environments feature loads of detail and lush vegetation among the sands, but don't expect anything new to dazzle your senses. The use of pre-rendered cut scenes is also a little disappointing, since it doesn't look any different than what the game provides, and the frame rate change from 30fps to 60fps and above is jarring. The music's use of Arabic melodies makes for an awesome soundtrack, and the voice acting is also well done. While the English cast works, going for the Arabic voices feels better since you'll come across crowds that don't speak English anyway.

As mentioned earlier in the review, Assassin's Creed Mirage works well for those who wanted a return to the classic style. It's smaller in scale, and while that might seem disappointing compared to the general vastness of the latest titles, it also means that the experience isn't as daunting or overwhelming, so you actually have a shot at finishing the game before getting tired of it. Combat and stealth and traversal have been pared back, but it seems to find a decent middle ground where elements haven't regressed back to the beginning. It still looks and sounds good, and while those who loved the RPG-lite style that the game has morphed into will find themselves a little disappointed at the changes in Mirage, everyone else will be pleased at the return to the series' roots — even if it feels like it's missing some essentials.

Score: 7.5/10