Assassin’s Creed Miragehas now been officially confirmed by Ubisoft, corroborating some longstanding rumors surrounding the mysterious title. Originally under the working titleAssassin’s Creed Rift, Mirageis now slated to be the next standalone addition to the iconic franchise.
While details surroundingAssassin’s Creed Mirageare few and far between, a lot of information can be inferred from the official artwork and images that fans have seen. It seems the game will have the established character Basim Ibn Ishaq as its protagonist, and the plot could very well set the groundwork for a sad tale.
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The Story of Basim in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
Basim Ibn Ishaq was an integral character in the story ofAssassin’s Creed Valhalla, being a high-ranking member of the Hidden Ones organization that woulddevelop over time to become the Assassin Brotherhood. Along with his student Hytham, Basim traveled to Medieval England with Sigurd and subsequently met Eivor, introducing them to the hidden blade and the more stealth-oriented tenets of the Hidden Ones.
However, it is revealed that Basim’s mind had long been absorbed and controlled by the Isu god Loki who, along with other gods such as Odin, beamed his consciousness into the human gene pool in order to survive the Great Catastrophe that wiped outthe advanced Isu race. Remembering his ill-treatment at the hands of Odin, Loki dedicated his reborn physical form to hunting down Odin and enacting revenge.
Realizing that Odin has physically manifested inside Eivor in a more subtle manner, Basim acted as an unconscious vessel for Loki, who droveBasim to betray Eivorbefore being trapped in a form of stasis until the year 2020. Despite forming a tentative alliance with the modern-day Assassins, the trademark unpredictability of Loki will likely see him become a villain in subsequent titles, with the live-service titleAssassin’s Creed Infinitybeing a perfect candidate.
How Assassin’s Creed Mirage Might Change Basim
As previously mentioned, it is believed thatAssassin’s Creed Miragewill feature Basim as its protagonist giventhe official art forMirage.Miragemay take palace before the events ofValhalla, exploring Basim as his true self, largely unhindered by the presence of Loki.
Loki probably took a lot from Basim’s pre-existing personality while maintaining his cover through everyday interactions, and it can be said that Basim inValhallawas decidedly wise and magnanimous prior to the Loki reveal. This means players will most likely play as a Basim who embodies these positive characteristics inMirage, and will have to watch as his selfless traits become overshadowed and dominated by Loki’s influence. With it being likely thatBasim and Loki will have different gameplay segments inMirage, this shift in character could be clearly portrayed.
In this way,Miragecould establish Basim as the model Assassin, embodying the traits of an honorable and compassionate individual, before the invasion of his psyche turns him into a more jaded and scheming figure. As previously mentioned, the positive portrayal of Basim inMiragecould have heartbreaking effects further down the line, with therumoredAssassin’s Creed Infinitypossibly having a multitude of geographical and temporal settings for players to explore. The timeline of Basim is still largely unfinished due to his presence among modern-day Assassins, and a more informed impression of his prior purity will only make it all the more difficult to address Basim as an antagonist in future games.
Assassin’s Creed Mirageis currently in development.
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