Summary
Fans of theAssassin’s Creedfranchise will recognize Basim as the main villain ofAssassin’s Creed Valhalla. That made it more confusing whenUbisoftrevealed that this talented assassin would act as the protagonist for the upcomingAssassin’s Creed Mirage. While Basim was certainly a noteworthy character in Valhalla, it is strange for a series to highlightsuch a villainous character. Players have seen the end of Basim’s story, so why retread this ground by giving him his own game?
Although theAssassin’s Creedseries is no stranger to time travel or other sci-fi concepts, the developers have confirmed thatAssassin’s Creed: Miragewill indeed be a prequel toValhalla. In fact, the game is supposed to be set in Bagdad twenty years before the events of Valhalla. As such, players will get to experience a version of Basim Ibn Ishaq that is very different from the one showcased inValhalla.
8His Beginnings Are Familiar
To endear fans to a character they know to be villainous, the developers need togive Basim a sympathetic backstorya sympathetic backstory. As with Ezio in the previousAssassin’s Creedgames, Basim will start from humble beginnings before becoming a master assassin for the Hidden Ones.
The developers have already revealed that Basim started his journey as a lowly street thief before even joining the shadowy world of being an assassin. Hopefully, the start of Basim’s difficult road will help players understand his motivations later when he finally makes his choice to become a villain.
7Basim Is An Experiment
Basim is not an experiment in the sense that his character is going to have to endure some kind of Weapon X-level torture. Instead,Assassin’s Creed Miragemarks the first time that Ubisoft has brought back a villain from the franchise as a playable protagonist.
This means that the very idea of exploring a younger version of Basim isnew ground for the developer. Therefore, there is every chance that this idea may go awry. If something fromMiragedoes not perfectly line up withValhalla, fans should not fret; every new concept is bound to have teething problems.
6Naivety
By the time players meet Basim inAssassin’s Creed Valhalla, he has already reached the rank of master assassin. Perhaps that’s why his boss fight is so difficult. However, this rank is not one that is given lightly.
When fans get to playAssassin’s Creed Mirage, they will see Basim experiencethe world of the Hidden Onesfor the first time. As such, a revelation like this is bound to come with some naive insights from the protagonist. Maybe players will see Basim struggle to use his hidden blade instead of being on the deadly end of it for a change.
5Tragedy
Fortunately, the developers do not need to spend much time baking in the idea of tragedy in Basim’s life duringAssassin’s Creed Mirage.Players already know that he is due fora turn to the dark side, so the story can toy with this notion, especially now that fans are supposed to invest in the character enough that they want to play him.
Imagine seeing Basim living happily with his family. Fans will instantly suspect that these characters are not long for this world, and that is what sets Basim down a dark path. Hopefully, Ubisoft can play with fans' expectations in this way and make Basim’s eventual tragedy truly worth playing.
4Less of a Connection To The Gods
One of the driving forces behind Basim’s betrayal inAssassin’s Creed Valhallais that he believes that he is the reincarnation of the Norse God Loki. Such a pantheon of Gods is unlikely to reach the ears of a street thief in the Middle East during this time.
Perhaps fans will get to witness a version of Basim that is completely at odds withthe idea of a God. If not, it would be cool to see a character invested in the religious theories of Bagdad in the 9th century, only to have an awakening and pursue another culture that could lead to conflict down the line.
3Fatherhood
SinceAssassin’s Creed Mirageis supposed to mark a return to the Middle East, it only makes sense that the developers would refer to the series’ first protagonist, Altair.
The firstAssassin’s Creedgame takes place in the Middle East, and every subsequent assassin in the series has beena direct descendent of Altair. However, Altair’s parentage has always been a bit of a mystery. Wouldn’t it be great for the developers to turn this idea on its head inAssassin’s Creed Mirage? Basim may not turn out to be an ancestor of Altair, but it would be great if he ended up preceding the character in lineage somehow.
2Stealth
The developers at Ubisoft have claimed thatAssassin’s Creed Miragewill be closer to the original game’s formula. Since the games released afterAssassin’s Creed Originshave had more of a focus on combat, players can expectAssassin’s Creed Mirageto bemore parkour and stealth-heavy.
InAssassin’s Creed Valhalla, players were forced to engage in direct combat with Basim to defeat him. However, the direction that the new game is taking suggests that Basim will be more lithe and deadly this time around.
1Meeting Hytham
When meeting Basim inAssassin’s Creed Valhalla, he is already a mentor to another member of the Hidden Ones, Hytham. This character has a big presence in Valhalla, as he trains Eivor in the ways of the assassins and even convinces Sigurd to head to England in the first place.
Naturally, this mentor relationship puts Basim in a much more protective position. Before meeting Hytham, it is likely that Basim did not have this protective attitude. As such, fans canexpect to see this switch happenif Basim gets to meet Hytham in Assassin’s Creed: Mirage.
Assassin’s Creed Mirageis set to release on October 5 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. An iOS version will follow in early 2024.
