The upcoming Assassin's Creed Mirage is a fascinating prospect for the longstanding franchise, and has predictably drawn the attention of many fans in the run-up to its release. By promising to return to the IP's roots of smaller-scale more narrative experiences, the title is boldly removing itself from the somewhat controversial RPG and open-world elements of the franchise's more recent installments.
As well as Assassin's Creed Mirage returning to the gameplay formula of older games, it also shares the Middle Eastern setting that the series was originally known for. Since the title is also set to feature some characters that appeared in the recent Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Mirage smartly appeals to fans of each era of gameplay. Of these characters, the likes of Basim will of course feature prominently, but others such as Hytham may play a much smaller role within Mirage.
Assassin's Creed Mirage's Setting and Featured Characters
As a prequel to Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Mirage will tell the tale of a younger Basim Ibn Ishaq in the protagonist role, in the wake of Basim playing a massive narrative part within Valhalla. From what promotional material currently exists of Mirage, it appears that the game will show Basim's transition from street thief to a highly skilled member of the Hidden Ones, who are the precursor group to the eventual Assassin Brotherhood.
Being set within Baghdad, many have already noted the potential narrative links between Mirage and the original Assassin's Creed, with Mirage not being set too long before the events of the franchise's launch title. Other pivotal characters to Mirage such as Roshan have already been confirmed, with many also assuming that Basim's apprentice Hytham will make an appearance within the game's narrative. That being said, fans probably should not expect Hytham's involvement to be large-scale, given the other narrative threads that the game will have to prioritize.
Hytham In Assassin's Creed Mirage
The relationship between Basim and Hytham is one of master and apprentice, and any interaction between the two is of course predicated on Basim first attaining the rank of Master Assassin following years of experience in the Hidden Ones. From this fact alone, it is clear to see why Hytham will likely not appear in great detail within Mirage's story, as the game's narrative will instead be focusing on Basim in an apprentice role under the tutelage of Roshan.
On top of this, the story of Mirage will have to focus on Basim's shared memories with the Isu God Loki. As revealed in Valhalla, Basim is a sage for Loki, with the memories of Loki being slowly regained by Basim over the course of his younger life. The name "Mirage" likely hints at the confusion that this will cause Basim, reinforcing just how important this plot point is to the overall narrative of the release.
With so much time being dedicated towards showing a younger Basim learning the ropes of the Hidden Ones and coming to terms with his status as a sage, it becomes clear that Mirage will likely not have much room to feature Hytham in any serious capacity. If the latter stages of Mirage's narrative show Basim as a fully fledged master then it is possible that Hytham will appear, although this role will have to take less precedence when compared to the game's more pressing overall plot points and Basim's personal character arc.
Assassin's Creed Mirage is in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.