Assassin’s Creed Mirage: Contracts Highlighted in Hands-on Experience

In-depth Exploration of Baghdad’s Thrilling Contracts

During my recent visit to Ubisoft Bordeaux in France, I had the opportunity to delve into the thrilling world of Assassin’s Creed Mirage. Specifically, I focused on the exploration of Baghdad and the contracts that awaited me there. Let’s dive in and explore my hands-on experience.

Baghdad: A Reimagined Playground

My time in Baghdad was nothing short of exhilarating. The city felt like a spiritual reimagining of Jerusalem from 2007’s Assassin’s Creed. With its sprawling rooftops and intricate parkour paths, Baghdad offered the perfect playground for Basim Ibn Is’haq, the game’s protagonist. I found myself bouncing from objective to objective, completely immersed in the city’s rich atmosphere.

The Highlight: Contracts

The true highlight of my experience was undoubtedly the contracts I encountered. Each contract presented a unique challenge and drew me further into Basim’s journey. Whether it was eliminating a target, obtaining a valuable item, or completing a specific task like moving a boat, every contract felt like a miniature assassination vignette.

Interestingly, the level of progression for Basim influenced the complexity and length of each contract. While the early game contracts could be completed in as little as 10 minutes, the late game ones demanded close to half an hour of strategic thinking and precision. This reminded me of the World of Assassination trilogy from IO Interactive’s Hitman series, where each level is meticulously designed to offer various approaches to completing the mission.

Faction Links and Progression

Completing contracts is not only thrilling but also essential for advancing Basim’s relationship with different factions in Baghdad. Each contract is tied to a specific faction, and successfully completing them boosts your reputation and unlocks various rewards.

Mirage’s Creative Director, Stephane Boudon, explained that the factions can offer valuable rewards and favors. By completing contracts, players earn special tokens that can be used to bribe city speakers known as Munadi, as well as distract guards with entertainers. These tokens serve as a sub-economic system within the game, offering new avenues of progression. While completing contracts is optional, the rewards and services they provide make them highly compelling.

Freedom in Contract Selection

One particular aspect I appreciated about Mirage’s contract system was the freedom to collect all contracts from the Hidden Ones bureau’s contract board at once. This allowed me to take on contracts whenever I found myself near their location, instead of having to backtrack or interrupt the main story.

The World and Quest Director, Simon Arseneault, explained that some contracts are follow-ups to others, but players have the ability to tackle multiple contracts simultaneously. This not only encourages exploration but also offers a wider range of activities and challenges for players to enjoy. When collecting all contracts at once, players can expect to have four to five in their queue, providing them with ample opportunities for thrilling gameplay.

Achieving Full Contract Lines

As contracts are connected to broader faction narratives within Baghdad, players have the chance to complete entire contract lines. For example, I had the opportunity to collect trinkets and special goods for a merchant named Dervis. Completing an entire contract line will yield the best rewards, including exclusive items for purchase from the merchant.

Contracts: The Essential Choice

Despite the Mirage development team emphasizing that contracts are optional, I found them too enjoyable and rewarding to overlook. The vibrant world, coupled with the excitement of completing contracts and reaping their benefits, made them an essential part of my playthrough. Ubisoft Bordeaux, known for reintroducing contracts in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s Wrath of the Druids DLC, has once again proven their expertise in creating engaging contract experiences.

As the release of Assassin’s Creed Mirage on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC approaches on October 5th, I eagerly anticipate the new contracts that await players in this highly anticipated installment of the franchise.

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