Why Assassin's Creed Mirage Won't Have Some Of The RPG Elements Of Previous Games
When video game franchises get older, they can fall into the trap of repetitiveness. Fans have certainly accused the "Assassin's Creed" franchise of this on multiple occasions. Perhaps that is why the series' latest installment, "Assassin's Creed Mirage" is looking to shake things up and ensure the storyline will be changing forever.
Sure, the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality can certainly work in many cases. However, if players get a game that is too similar to its predecessor, they may begin to question whether or not they should even bother buying future installments, no matter how complex and well-planned they are.
In a recent interview with Screen Rant, the narrative director of "Mirage," Sarah Beaulieu, revealed that the classic series' latest installment would be mixing things up by stripping back many of the series' new features to better mimic the original "Assassin's Creed." One feature on the chopping block is the game's RPG elements. During the interview, Beaulieu made it crystal clear why this decision was necessary.
Mirage is removing RPG elements
Many RPG elements that have appeared in recent "Assassin's Creed" titles — such as leveling, for instance — have been removed in "Mirage." When asked point blank why this decision was made, Beaulieu revealed that the Ubisoft developers wanted more control over the main character's development.
"[W]hen you actually start working on a character that is supposed to evolve through the game, that means if you have a beginning, turning points, and an end, which is the definition of linear, it's not possible with someone with this kind of story to actually create multiple paths for the player," Beaulieu explained.
This linear story gives Beaulieu's team at Ubisoft the margin to make sure the game's main character, Basim, develops exactly as he needs to in order to become the master assassin players have already seen him as in "Assassin's Creed Valhalla," which is set 20 years after "Mirage," according to Ubisoft. Beaulieu is confident this decision will ultimately ensure that Basim is a strong character with a consistent story arc.
"For me, having a strong main character, you get somebody you relate to, I hope. That's what was a key thing for us as writers," she said. Whether this return to a linear story is a popular choice, of course, remains to be seen. However, with a compelling character arc combined with fun gameplay, "Assassin's Creed Mirage" will hopefully set itself up for success.