Assassin’s Creed Mirage’s creative director shares his plans about Basim’s story. Read on to find out more about his insight and know how critics are responding to the game.
Assassin's Creed Mirage the Story of Basim
Creative Director On Continuing Basim’s Narrative
In a recent Ask Me Anything (AMA) on Reddit, Assassin’s Creed Mirage’s (AC Mirage) Creative Director Stéphane Boudon hinted at potentially revisiting Basim’s character in the future, mentioning that they "have ideas on how we could extend the story of Basim." However, he emphasized that no post-launch content is planned. "Mirage has been designed as a standalone experience without any DLC plan," he clarified.
It was unconfirmed whether the game’s protagonist will cameo in future AC games or if there will otherwise be a Basim-focused sequel down the line. Likewise unclear is which aspects of Basim’s narrative are to be potentially tackled.
Still A Lot to Say About Basim’s Storyline
WARNING: SPOILERS FOR AC MIRAGE AHEAD.
Basim, who was featured as the main antagonist in AC Valhalla, had his story in Mirage revolve around his initiation to the Hidden Ones, along with the events and intrigues surrounding the Order of the Ancient and the ancient city of Baghdad. "Telling the coming-of-age story of Basim was a blast for us so clearly yes, we still have a lot to say about Basim," Boudon said. " On the other hand, creating a game with that much constrain[t]s is a difficult exercise and as the team we would also love to explore new horizons and having more creative freedom."
The gap and events between Basim’s storyline that took place canonically much later in Valhalla and his earlier years as his younger self in Mirage were unexplored. This left a huge question mark on Basim’s overall narrative following his realization at the end of Mirage of his real origin and essence as the reincarnation of Loki.
Creative Director Answers Bold Question
Meanwhile, one user bravely asked in the AMA the team’s decision behind cutting an infamous piece of footage during the final phases of the game. The footage in question showed a cutscene that led to speculation that the game took place later than one would've expected in the timeline (we won't go into the details of the cut footage here). However, Boudon merely cheekily replied, "All we can say is that what's not in your playthrough does not exist. ;)"
Mirage also failed to address how some members of the Order of the Ancient, such as the despicable Al-Ghul, knew beforehand that Basim was Loki reincarnated. In AC lore, Loki is an "Isu," ancient species of humanoid beings responsible for the birth of the human race.
The Isu storyline is central to the AC series, and is still filled with intrigue and mystery. As such, fans wondered if these mythological themes will continue to be a mainstay in the franchise. For now, it seems it’s still up in the air. "For Mirage specifically, exploring Basim's past after the release of Valhalla offered cool opportunities to explore the Isu in a unique way," Boudon said. "For the future, I can’t speak obviously for other dev teams, it’s up to them to define its importance up to the experience they want you to live."
AC Mirage has received generally positive reviews since its release last October 5, receiving a score of 86/100 from Game8, 8/10 from IGN, 77% from PC Gamer, and stands at a 76% on Metacritic.
Source:
AC Mirage Reddit AMA Page
Video Games Chronicle Article
