"Ubisoft delivers a truly excellent experience with Assassin’s Creed Mirage, wonderfully blending this series’ past and present to provide players with a compact, engaging story driven by captivating characters and secrets worth seeking. It’s everything you could want from an Assassin’s Creed game and a welcome sign of things to come after a divisive few years."
"From the more classic costuming to the focus on stealth and streamlined parkour, this is a beautiful return to the classic games. And oh boy does it look good doing it."
IGN (8/10)
"I’d recommend Mirage to anyone who’s lapsed on Assassin’s Creed, as its back-to-basics approach is a successful first step in returning the feeling that the earlier industry-defining games gave me so long ago."
"When Assassin’s Creed Mirage is at its best, it’s an entertaining experience. But in between those moments, the repetitiveness really starts to weigh it down. The middle part of the game is a bit hard to get through just because of how boring it gets."
"Assassin's Creed Mirage sets off in search of its roots, and it finds them — both for better and worse. Undeniably basic in its approach to stealth and combat, it feels oddly dated in terms of design, but it's also a refreshing reminder of series' original strengths.
Ultimately, it's a solid sandbox title, and it successfully scratches the hidden blade itch that was so clearly absent in Odyssey and Valhalla."
"Mirage does get back to the basics that first defined the series by refocusing on social stealth and making it fun to learn about a city's history, but a weak cast of characters keeps it from reaching the same heights as some of its earliest predecessors."
Looking at the Metacritic score for Assassin's Creed Mirage, it's actually a bit lower than we'd expected - 77 for PC and PlayStation 5, and 76 for Xbox Series X. That's still a positive score without a doubt, and we've definitely enjoyed our time with the game here at Pure Xbox, but it's perhaps a surprise that it didn't end up in the '80s overall.
Assassin's Creed Mirage launches this Thursday (October 5th) on Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, and it appears the Deluxe Edition will also be available with Ubisoft Plus if you want to try before you buy.