The upcoming Assassin's Creed Mirage is one of the most-anticipated releases to come from Ubisoft's franchise in some time. With the game said to be going back to the series' roots through a more intimate, stealth-driven experience, the title could mark a return to gameplay that many thought the IP had completely abandoned. It's connections to the past can also be more than skin deep.

On top of the intriguing gameplay of Assassin's Creed Mirage, the release has a unique narrative with ties to some of the most iconic entires in the series. While Mirage is a prequel to the events of Assassin's Creed Valhalla, it is also geographically and temporally close to the original Assassin's Creed. Thus, Mirage could offer a crucial link between the franchise's oldest and most recent installments.

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The Setting of Assassin's Creed Mirage

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Assassin's Creed Mirage is set to feature Basim Ibn Ishaq, who previously played a vital part in the bombastic events of Assassin's Creed Valhalla. Mirage will tell the story of a younger Basim being inducted into the Hidden Ones, a precursor group that would become the iconic Assassin Brotherhood.

The game will take place primarily within the city of Baghdad in the ninth century, 20 years prior to the European-set Valhalla. With such close timeframes and shared characters, the links between Mirage and Valhalla are obvious, although it is worth also noting the potential links this upcoming title will share with 2007's Assassin's Creed. It primarily takes place in the Middle East during the Third Crusade in 1191. With Mirage taking the franchise back to its Middle Eastern roots, the upcoming game has a few options to link Valhalla in with its predecessor.

Assassin's Creed Hytham and Basim

Ubisoft will be well aware of the geographical links between the upcoming Mirage and the original Assassin's Creed, so the studio would be remiss to not explore this within the events of Mirage. While the timeline does not quite line up to facilitate a cameo by Assassin's Creed's original protagonist Altair Ibn-LaʼAhad, the geographical setting of Mirage could plant seeds for the formation of the true Assassin Brotherhood.

With the Assassin Brotherhood forming shortly before the events of the first Assassin's Creed, there is a clear precedent for Mirage to portray some of the most poignant events in the history of the Middle East that precipitated this transformation away from the Hidden Ones. The Hidden Ones narrative of Mirage could easily foreshadow internal struggles within the organization, as well as its conflict against the Order of the Ancients - who became the Templar Order around the same time as the Hidden Ones made their transition.

This would link Mirage to the first Assassin's Creed, as well as Valhalla. Should Basim play a large role in these transformative events as the game's protagonist, a core character from Valhalla will have directly influenced the narrative framework of the franchise's original title. While Mirage will, of course, want to tell a more granular character-driven story, Ubisoft will likely capitalize on the similar setting of the game to create a link between Valhalla and the first Assassin's Creed that may leave room for plenty more stories to be told going forward.

Assassin's Creed Mirage is in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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