The Future of Assassin’s Creed at UbiForward 2023 Part 3 - Assassin's Creed Mirage Story Trailer
Breakdown
Banner by Thea Marie Rivedal (Moonchildgecko) from TOWCB Art Team.
Welcome to the third part in a new series breaking down all of the Assassin's Creed content presented at Ubisoft Forward 2023.
In part three, we take a look at Assassin's Creed Mirage Story Trailer reveal!
Related articles
Mirage is the game that many fans tuned in to learn more about at UbiForward this year. It has been pitched as a return to roots when it releases on October 12th 2023.
The story trailer opens on a skyline of 9th Century Baghdad where a young thief named Basim is cornered by two Caliphate guards.
As one of the guards raises his sword, Mentor Assassin, Roshan attacks him from behind by stabbing through the soldier with her sword.
She dispatches the second guard and helps Basim off the ground while directing him to “Move.”
A look at Roshan and the signature Assassin’s hood.
Roshan takes out a guard by the stairs, climbs and dodges two more before pivoting off the wall to stab one guard and kick the second off of the landing.
Roshan and Basim climb a tower and when the young thief sees the Assassin on the edge of the building, he asks “What are you doing?!” to be met with a calm “Don’t think.” before Roshan performs a Leap of Faith. Basim attempts to follow suit but is chased onto the synchronization point beam where he dodges the guard’s blade, only to fall backwards into the water below. The trailer song “How Villains Are Made” by Madalen Duke plays its first line “Time to put my medal on” a nod to Basim putting on the robes of The Hidden Ones?
It is here that we see what many have determined to be the djinn that haunts Basim’s mind. Could this be a reference to the Sage’s connection to Loki from Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, or is this a horrific way of depicting the evil of the men Basim kills in a Confession Room?
The trailer continues at a later point where Basim is seen sitting around a fire with four other people. From the matching markings on their clothing, they appear to be members of the Assassin’s Brotherhood. Prominent are Basim, Fuladh, and a female character on the right. The two in the foreground are not as visible.
The female character speaks to Fuladh, “Tell Basim the story of the feather.”
He turns to Basim, “Our tradition of the feather comes from Egypt. The feathers of the heron were dipped in the blood of the targets.”
Basim kneels over a member of The Order of the Ancients, the man’s identifying golden mask (much like the Cult of Kosmos masks) can be seen in the lower right corner of the dark scene. For this character, their mask has a large golden crescent mustache. Could this be representative to the “Mask of Agamemnon” from Greek mythology, the original nation of the Order, or is it part of the history of Baghdad and the Middle East that we will learn more about in the game? Similar to this, Assassin’s Creed Origins had masks for some of the Order’s members, based on animals from the region.
Basim looks at the feather as Fuladh continues the story about the feathers, seeming to contemplate what it means and symbolizes before marking it with the blood of the mustache mask Ancient.
Based on the simple clothing of the man and the way that Basim took pause before finishing his time in this Confession Room, I would assume that this is his first assassination as a member of the Hidden Ones and said target is some form of street level authority, similar to Tamir from Assassin’s Creed (2007).
A transitional fight scene with Basim and members of the city guard moves us to a landscape shot of Alamut and Basim’s Aquila Heliaca eagle, Enkidu (based on the myth of Gilgamesh). In this Epic, Enkidu was created by the goddess, Aruru to match the power of the tyrannical ruling Gilgamesh and after fighting him, the two found an equal in the other and became friends. It is later in the Epic that Enkidu dies and so causes Gilgamesh to mourn the loss of his friend, ceasing his rule over the city of Uruk and bringing an understanding to him that he is not immortal. Seeing that Basim no longer travels with Enkidu, is there a similar fate for the feathered companion that helps Basim come to terms with the loss of believing himself to be “a god”? Could Enkidu bring forth the connection to Loki?
“The feathers forge our paths. Remind us of who we are. Who we can be.” Fuladh continues as Enkidu flys over a combat circle where Basim (now an Initiate, with no colored sash) fights Roshan with his dual blades. She parries his attack and kicks him away from her. The surrounding area has banners with the Assassin’s logo, showing that Alamut is the headquarters (or will be) for the brotherhood.
Four Order of the Ancient masks are shown, including the recurring mask with the mustache, leading me to believe even more that they will be the first target in the game. With the length of the game stated to be around 30 hours playtime, I could easily see room for eight targets with a scattering of smaller targets that players may have to eliminate to get information, similar to the hierarchy trees from the RPG games.
Roshan explains to Basim as she gives him a feather, “The Order has held dominion over men and their empires for centuries. Strike quickly and end this.” This is an assignment she has provided to what appears to be a higher ranked Basim as he now has his blue sash, and matches his outfit from when he assassinated the mustached Ancient earlier in the trailer. Could this be his first assignment?
We can also see from his outfit that he has the brooch that is being replicated in physical form for the game’s collector’s edition. Could this be a gift from a friend in his past, or a trophy that he wears in defiance of the city’s government?
Basim and Enkidu stand above the city looking out towards the sunset as Basim’s friend, Nehal asks, “Swallow your questions. Serve without complaint. Who is she to tell you when to strike?” From the rebellious nature of the character and being a street kid like Basim, it is assumed that she is questioning his joining The Hidden Ones and how he is taking orders from the outsider to their world, Roshan.
“Everything you do serves The Hidden Ones.” Ali ibn Muhammad (an historical figure) says to Basim as a scene showing a sneak assassination is played. Ali is the leader of the Zanj Rebellion, the key historical point in the story of Assassin’s Creed Mirage. According to his character snippet on the site, he works alongside The Hidden Ones, but doesn’t respect their creed as he doesn’t believe that there should be restrictions to obtaining freedom.
Basim performs a confident Leap of Faith as the outer environments of Baghdad are shown, with Basim traveling with two companions across the desert on camelback. The developers have stated in previous interviews that there would be a small map to explore outside of the city of Baghdad. A sandstorm is moving towards them which will most likely play into at least one Sequence of the game’s story. This could be a similar experience to when Bayek of Siwa fought The Hyena in Giza during the events of AC Origins. I would assume that this is a venture that Basim is taking to return to Alamut from Baghdad.
The song “How Villains Are Made” continues playing as the desert scene closes. “Whose neck to cut? | I don't know | Whose side I'm on?” This is a very heavy indication that Basim will face the struggle of supporting his people against the Caliphate and his new place within The Hidden Ones.
“You are not the first to walk the shadows broken. Pour your pain into the Brotherhood.” Roshan attempts to motivate Basim, most likely after a failure or conflict with his previous life.
Another scene of Basim parkouring through the layered streets of Baghdad before performing another air assassination. The scaffolding and posts throughout are a good indication of the freedom players will have moving through the map.
“We are messengers of justice, and not the final judges” Fuladh finishes his story on the heron feathers as Basim extends his hidden blade, ready to kill a man speaking to an audience within what appears to be the House of Wisdom (the Grand Library of Baghdad).
Basim rushes a heavy guard and knocks him to the ground, a sprint assassination.
Basim and Nehal ride out of the city. Basim is shown here not in his Assassin’s garb, so this could be prior to his initiation, but from the look on her face, this could be during a turning point in the story where Basim must choose who to protect as the Zanj Rebellion begins.
A wealthy man backhands street-clothed Basim. The dark lighting in the scene is either a memory or a nightmare as the djinn appears before the main character. Is it trying to scare him, or trying to get the young protagonist to give into his anger? “He knows not what he is. Have you not wondered, that’s your nature?” Will Basim be an anti-hero for this story?
Basim releases his Hidden Blade for the first time in a scene with Roshan in the background. This is most likely after his ceremony as his left ring finger has been removed.
The trailer song continues as Basim stands in the shadows: “When the lines are blurred and faded” But the final lines of the verse don't play. The next lyrics are “No one ever starts that way | This is how villains are made”. If this isn’t an indication of Basim giving into his anger, his demons, or Loki, I don’t know what is.
The trailer ends with the game logo, title card, release date, and marketing to pre-order the Deluxe Edition with the Prince of Persia costume add-on. The game will release on October 12, 2023 and has all of us at The Ones Who Came Before very excited.
About the Author
Mike Smith is a collector of all things Assassin's Creed and a major supporter of transmedia who joined TOWCB as a writer from 2021 - 2024
With nearly a full library of Assassin's Creed media, his work explored the universe in order of Genetic Memory.
Notably, his Assassin's Creed Timeline became an essential tool for fans of the franchise looking to complete their collection and consume AC media in a particular order.
Michael Smith