To say theAssassin’s Creedfranchise has been going through some growing pains over the years would be an understatement. After a few hiccups with its usual formula, Ubisoft took the popular action-stealth franchise in a bold direction withAssassin’s Creed Origins,Odyssey, andValhalla. These games focused on action-RPG elements, and thoughAC OriginsandOdysseywere general successes,AC Valhallaexposed a strong sense of fatigue among parts of the fanbase. To the joy of many, that fatigue has in some way led toAssassin’s Creed Mirage, a game that seeks to harness the series' stealth-based foundation.
Gameplay forAssassin’s Creed Miragehas already demonstrated all the ways in which it plans to deliver a traditionalACexperience. Social stealth plays a significant role once again, and players are back in the robes of an assassin, even if technically a Hidden One, and out of the armor of a warrior. There’s one aspect ofAssassin’s Creed Mirage, however, that fails to fully encapsulate the experience of the first fewACgames. It’s no shortcoming in raw gameplay, but instead in the lack of a competitive multiplayer mode. Without such a game mode,AC Miragemay be missing out on an opportunity to hook in players who remember it fondly.
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How Assassin’s Creed’s Multiplayer Expanded The Assassin Experience
Inthe early days ofAssassin’s Creed, the franchise was a purely solo experience. When the series reachedAssassin’s Creed Brotherhood, however, it began to experiment in more ways than one.AC Brotherhoodintroduced the series' first competitive multiplayer mode, pitting players against one another as Templars in training within the Animus. Players had to systematically hunt each other down, all while weeding out lookalikes, avoiding traps, and evading pursuers. It made for some light fun between story missions, and it was one of the more unique competitive multiplayer experiences at the time.
Ubisoft expanded onAC Brotherhood’s multiplayer in future installments, as it proved to be rather popular, and industry trends essentially compelled the developer to implement some kind of multiplayer mode. The developer remained rather dedicated to the game mode, as did fans, withAssassin’s Creed’s online multiplayer featuring inAC Revelations,AC 3, andAC 4: Black Flag. It was eventually abandoned forAC Unity’s co-op, but nothing could quite replicate the thrill of running through city streets while closely pursuing a live target or making a last-ditch effort to avoid a tail.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage Could Greatly Benefit From Competitive Multiplayer
Assassin’s Creed Miragepromises to go back to basics, and part of that should’ve included reintroducing competitive multiplayer. For many longtimeACfans, part of the classicACexperience was the competitive multiplayer, and bringing it back in some form could’ve convinced fans to tryAC Mirageif they’re at all hesitant. IfMirageis going to be a scaled-down experiencein terms of how long it takes to complete, competitive multiplayer would have also given players a reason to keep coming back once the credits roll. That way, Ubisoft could’ve maintained a more steady player base without inflating the story mode with superfluous content.
Assassin’s Creed Miragehas been a long time coming for many fans of the franchise. While the previous three entries had their bright spots, they were often criticized for not feeling likeAssassin’s Creedgames. AC Mirageseems to be thoroughly correcting that with its gameplay mechanics and storytelling, but for now, that seems to be all of the game. If Ubisoft wants to providea truly classicACexperience, a simple, straightforward competitive multiplayer mode could work wonders. Even if it’s added to the game after launch, it could helpAC Miragefeel like a multidimensional return to form.
Assassin’s Creed Miragereleases October 12 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
