[MUSIC PLAYING]
When we got the opportunity to work
on the next game of the series, we
sat down with the rest of the core team
and asked ourselves, as a fan, what kind of "Assassin's Creed"
game we'd most want to play.
Many of us felt the desire to revisit
some of the old imagery, narrative, scene,
and game plays that made us fall in love with the series.
SARAH BEAULIEU: After 15 years of journeys across the ages,
from the Third Crusade with Altair
to the Viking expansions with Eivor,
we wanted to go back closely to where it all began
and pay homage to the beginnings of "Assassin's Creed."
STEPHANE BOUDON: Coming off "Valhalla,"
we started to explore the idea of introducing a new playable
hero, Basim, and creating an experience that
is a love letter to the origins of the franchise, a coming
of age story with rhythm mechanics
to bring the feel of the early games into the modern day.
We are going back to the Middle East,
but this time in ninth-century Baghdad.
300 years before the time of Altair,
we are telling the story of Basim
and how he became a master assassin.
We looked at the first "AC" games and started to wonder,
what exactly defines the assassin experience to us?
And from there we put all our effort
into bringing our take on the assassin fantasy.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
As a Hidden One, parkour is a key pillar to the experience.
With Baghdad as your playground, we are bringing the action back
to urban environment.
For parkour, we looked to our previous games for inspiration
and chose to put the emphasis on comfort and fluidity.
In "Mirage," parkour is easy to learn and to master.
Our approach is closer to the Ezio games, where
it's all about keeping the flow and momentum going,
with the design centered around verticality.
Many elements from past games are making a return.
We have the corner swing, the ability
to vault over objects, elevators to quickly reach high ground,
with also new ingredients such as the pole vault,
allowing you to cross large gaps between two rooftops.
Of course, Basim is faster and more agile than Eivor was.
And to give that feeling, we worked out animations
to reinforce the sense of speed when jumping, vaulting,
and free roaming.
Streets are narrower, denser, and packed with obstacles
to navigate.
By choosing the right path through the environment,
you can move from street level to the rooftops
in the blink of an eye, a useful skill for any assassin.
Another core focus of "Mirage"'s
stealth, we want players to work in the shadows,
plan their next move, strike, and then vanish.
There are more ways to assassinate, with new killing
animations, some leveraging a stealthy approach,
others delivering a violent killing blow.
We also have direct throwbacks to the first games with moves
like the bench assassination that you
might recognize from "AC 2."
Also, kill from the rooftop gardens,
an old favorite of players.
SARAH BEAULIEU: We want to encourage you to be sneaky.
Basim has been trained to fight by the Hidden Ones,
but for him, combat is a last resort,
and his main approach is to hunt and strike
while remaining unnoticed.
We also reworked our enemy AI to improve detection
and vanishing loops, making our behaviors
more responsive and readable.
New enemy archetypes will also increase the stakes.
The marksman can shoot your eagle
and prevent you from using it, the spearman
pokes through haystacks, and horn bearer
can call for reinforcements.
That's where your assassin skills come in handy.
[KNIFE BLOWS]
SARAH BEAULIEU: During his training in Alamut,
Basim learns the ways of the creed
from his mentor, Roshan, and his fellow Hidden Ones.
We get to see him learn the tenets and philosophies that
will guide him through his missions,
like hiding in plain sight.
STEPHANE BOUDON: Social stealth is making a return.
We are bringing back the systemic blending
with larger crowds that allow you to move undetected
through the business location.
But you can also bribe more factions with specific tokens
in order to control AI groups and make
your way through guarded areas.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
As an assassin, your core mission
is to track down and eliminate the Order of the Ancients
and free Baghdad of their influence.
In our game, the Hidden Ones have established
a network of bureaus across the city
to keep an eye on the Order.
The bureaus in "Mirage" act as gameplay hubs from which you
can take on side contracts with various objectives,
from rescue missions to assassinations,
and help the Hidden Ones in their fight for freedom.
SARAH BEAULIEU: We want you to feel truly immersed
in the life of a Hidden One--
investigating your target's identities,
tracking their movements, and sharing information
with your allies.
Then, when the time is right, you
can strike from the shadows.
We've crafted a new investigation
board which replaces our most recent quest log in "Mirage."
STEPHANE BOUDON: And with our black box missions,
we give you the freedom to approach key assassination
missions however you see fit.
We know how excited our community is.
We also have a nice surprise for our long-timers.
We implemented a nostalgic visual filter as an option
for those who wish to explore the game
with the desaturated blue-gray color palette
from the very first "AC" game.
STEPHANE BOUDON: This is a project
led by a team of passionate people
who have their very own vision of the "Assassin" experience
in mind.
There is much to come.
And we can't wait to unveil more about Basim's journey.
[MUSIC PLAYING]