Assassin’s Creed Mirage really is going back to the series’ roots, ditching the XP-based progression system from recent entries. After three massive RPGs, all of which had DLC and expansions, the latest entry is going back to story-based progression.
In a new YouTube video called “The Master Assassin,” Creative director Stéphane Boudon confirmed that the game won’t have those RPG elements. Instead of grinding to get better skills, the lead character Basim will continue to progress as the story moves forward. This should be very good news to fans who missed the more stealth-focused approach from older games.
"The story of Mirage follows Basim’s evolution from apprentice to mentor, a journey that’s reflected in the game’s systems. There’s no XP-based progression in Mirage, instead, progression is linear and story-driven,” Boudon explains. “As you follow the story and complete missions, your rank increases within the Brotherhood, giving you new opportunities for missions, outfits, and tools."
While Assassin’s Creed Mirage is mostly free of RPG-style systems, there are still tools that can be upgraded and customized. Game designer Alexandre Rosset says that these weapons and tools will help add some strategy to the players’ stealthy assassinating. Even without being an RPG, there’s something to level up, at the least.
"We have new tools that can be upgraded and customised for Basim, giving him a deadly and effective Assassin toolset,” Rosset explains. “When fully upgraded, these tools can allow for some interesting and unexpected gameplay strategies."
Mirage going back to its roots is interesting, especially since recent entries have acted like stealth is just an option. That wouldn’t be a bad thing normally but this series based its identity on stealth and it seems to be regaining it again with this entry. Maybe future games will take notice or even combine the RPG elements but that’s just speculation.
Read More: Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag remake is reportedly in the works
Ubisoft will be releasing Assassin’s Creed Mirage for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, and PC on October 12.