The build-up to the release of Assassin’s Creed Mirage is in full flow, so here’s our look ahead at the map size that we’re likely to get this time around. Unlike previous games like Odyssey and Valhalla, where the map size just kept on getting bigger, Mirage looks set to be a tighter beast.
We suspect that this will mean it’s going to be smaller than the last few Assassin’s Creed titles, but the question is how much smaller the map is going to be. We know that Mirage is located in Baghdad in the 9th Century, so there’s the city to explore, but what does this mean for the size of the game.
The other big question is how much of the surrounding area of Baghdad is going to be included in the map for Assassin’s Creed Mirage. We know that it will go beyond the walls, but how far is a good indicator of what to expect from the environment in terms of variety and activities you’ll be able to do in the game.
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Assassin’s Creed Mirage map size factors
What we know for sure about Assassin’s Creed Mirage is that it’s set to be a return to the stealth approach that was the focus for the first two games in the series. The result of this for the map size is that everything is sort of condensed, so there will be a little less focus on it being a huge open world game.
The first Assassin’s Creed game was set during the Third Crusade, so featured areas of Jerusalem and Damascus, along with a couple more cities. Here there were maps for each of the cities and while the size was decent for the time in 20007 when the game came out, they’re tiny in comparison to the more recent titles.
It was a similar situation for Assassin’s Creed II, which featured the cities of Venice and Florence. It wasn’t until the third game that the exploration took in more of the surrounding areas with 18th century Colonial America being the location, but Assassin’s Creed 4 Black Flag was the first game to give us a big, joined up map to explore.
If you piece all of these factors together, we’re expecting the Assassin’s Creed Mirage map to be city focused, but with the surrounding countryside added in like in the more recent titles. Ubisoft has already confirmed that there will be a variety of biomes to explore around the city, so this should add to the map size.
We’ve already seen farmland, grass, desert, palm trees oasis, deep ravines,, mountains and the River Tigris and its various tributaries, so the action won’t just take place in Baghdad itself. You can see all of these in action for yourself in the video below during the final section at 5:21 where they talk about how Mirage will play out beyond Baghdad.
You can also see throughout the video that there is going to be a lot of diverse experiences crammed into the map size with everything from camel rides in the desert to ostrich hunting on horseback. It’s clear that there’s still going to be a good amount of space to roam around in, but equally that space is going to be more richly packed with activity, people and wildlife.
It’s clearly not going to be anywhere near as big as Assassin’s Creed Valhalla or Odyssey, but Mirage looks set to be more densely filled to compensate. This is clearly a continuation of the efforts by Ubisoft to return to the type of experience gamers had in I and II, while still giving us a little more exploration beyond the city walls.
There are also plenty of moments in the video that showcase the size of 9th Century Baghdad itself to add to your understanding of the space you’ll have to play with. During section two, History & Authenticity, historian, Raphael Weyland talks about the four core districts of the city and their differences.
Firstly, there’s Abbasiyah, the cultural and educational center of Baghdad where scholars come together to share and discuss the various scientific discoveries of the Abbasid Empire. It the home of the House of Wisdom, which is a bit like the city’s university, which looks pretty cool with its blue domes and palm trees.
Next there’s Karkh, which is Assassin’s Creed Mirage’s merchant district where traders from China, the Byzantine Empire (modern day Turkey) and Spain converged to sell their far-flung wares. You can see in the map below that Abbasiya is in the south west of the city next to Karkh in the south east.
In the north we have Harbiyah, which closes the outer circle of Baghdad with the River Tigris skirting its edges to the north east. It is described as the industrial heart of Baghdad with its densely packed alleys and grimy underbelly of thugs and slavers all trying to get their slice of the pie.
AdvertisementFinally, there’s the Round City (known at the time as Madinat as-Salam – the City of Peace), which takes its place right in the center of it all, enclosed behind the inner wall. It’s the home of the caliph, the ruler of the Abbasid Empire, who’s seat of power was within the Palace of the Golden Gate in the very center of the city.
With the image above, video and notes you should have a pretty good idea about what to expect from the Assassin’s Creed map size. It’s going to be a different experience to the last few we’ve had with its focus on city life and stealth, but there’s bound to be enough of a hybrid model to keep the action RPG fans happy enough.
You can also check out our computer games section to keep tabs on other releases. You can also visit the Ubisoft website at www.ubisoft.com/en-gb/game/assassins-creed/mirage for more details on Assassin’s Creed Mirage.
