Summary
The upcomingAssassin’s Creed Miragewill allow players to explore for the first time the vibrant city of Baghdad, the capital of modern-day Iraq. Although a first fortheAssassin’s Creedfranchise, other games have attempted to feature this location before.
Following Ubisoft’s promise to return theAssassin’s Creedfranchise to its roots,Assassin’s Creed Mirageis set in the landscape of the ancient Middle East in a single city, and its design is focused on interesting parkour traversal and stealth gameplay. As a culturally and historically rich playground for players to explore, Baghdad offers fans of the series a familiar yet fresh world to dive into. With its interesting gameplay opportunities and expansive history, the region near Baghdad has also been explored in past games such asThe Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones,Age of Empires: Definitive Edition, andWhere in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?to name a few.
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Baghdad circa 850 AD is an urban sprawl surrounded by desert, rivers, and oases. Founded in 762 AD along the bank of the Tigris River, not far from the ancient city of Babylon, Baghdad quickly became the center for trade, allowing it to grow and thrive into a center of knowledge and culture.By the time period ofAssassin’s Creed Mirage, the city was a hub of arts, literature, banking, entertainment, and academics. Baghdad was regarded as the center of the world during the time that would be called the Golden Age of Islam.
Several other games have approached the region of Baghdad in various forms over the years. Generally, these depictions focus on the older Babylonian Empire that inhabited the region over 1,000 years prior or in a modern war scenario.Another Ubisoft title,The Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones, allows players to explore the ancient city of Babylon in an exciting action-adventure game that might appeal toAssassin’s Creedfans. For fans of RTS games,Age of Empires: Definitive Editionfeatures the Babylonians as a playable civilization, allowing players to develop their own empire and build a capital city how they see fit.
A modern version of the city of Baghdad appeared in the originalWhere in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?from 1985.Here players are able to investigate several locations around the city including the riverfront, a palace, and a marketplace via an interactive menu. In their search for Carmen Sandiego, players would interview local citizens and solve riddles to track her whereaboutsin this classic adventure gameoriginally for Apple 2 and PC.
Though several games have chosen to highlight the regions near Baghdad or the ancient civilization of Babylon, not many have actually showcased the colorful details and full richness of the city itself, and none in a fully immersive 3D world with the level of detail brought by Ubisoft’s games. Fans of theAssassin’s Creedfranchise can look forward to experiencing all that this city has to offerwhenAssassin’s Creed Miragelaunches this October.
Assassin’s Creed Miragereleases on October 5 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Series X|S. An iPhone 15 Pro port is slated for early 2024.
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