‘Assassin’s Creed Mirage’ Counts As A Cosy Game
Exploring a vibrant bazaar in ninth century Baghdad? Helping shopkeepers find their supply of tea leaves and catch thieves? Assassinating a few unsuspecting bad guys along the way? Assassin’s Creed Mirage sounds like a cosy game to me.
As a self-proclaimed cosy gamer, I’m well versed in the classics of the genre like Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley. I’ve spent hours planning out my island, rearranging furniture, growing starfruit, and hunting for gems.
But those days are over. That’s right. At the risk of losing my cosy gamer membership, I’m done with the typical life sim that has slowly become synonymous with warm and fuzzy games. I don’t want to fix up some farm. I want action. I want suspense. I want real life texture.
So, I’m switching sides and looking for cosiness elsewhere. First up is Assassin’s Creed Mirage, which I got to try out for a few hours before it comes out on October 5th.
A Short History Of Assassin’s Creed
The Assassin’s Creed franchise is one of the most well-known and successful games on the market. It’s labelled as an “action-adventure stealth game” and it’s the thirteenth major instalment of a franchise that’s been on a bit of a journey.
Essentially, when it started in 2007, Assassin’s Creed was focused on stealth missions presented in a linear narrative. In 2017 with Assassin’s Creed Origins, it went a little more open world, enabling you to move freely, create your own narrative and find quests by talking to different characters.
Now, with Assassin’s Creed Mirage, the franchise is said to be returning to its stealthy origins and a more straightforward narrative design. And it’s bringing back the social stealth mechanic from earlier games, where you’re encouraged to keep your assassinating on the DL so you won’t be recognised while strolling through the bazaar. (Basically, don’t kill people in public because they’ll remember you.)
What Makes A Game Cosy?
For me, a cosy game needs three things: a cute story, an inviting environment (not all the time, since there needs to be some challenging aspects), and charming music. The actual type of game, where it’s a life sim, action-adventure, puzzle, or otherwise, doesn’t really matter — but it has to be more than just combat, and it has to work well.
The storyline of Assassin’s Creed Mirage is definitely cool, and I think there’s an argument to be made for its cuteness. Basim, our protagonist, is a street thief who learns to fight for a bigger cause under his mentor Roshan and becomes a Hidden One. It’s like if Aladdin became an assassin instead of meeting Jasmine.
The game is set in ninth century Baghdad and the environment is gorgeous. You train to be a Hidden One in an incredible mountain hideout. You can explore the bazaar, help shopkeepers with the various side quests, and explore the city while carrying out your main quest. Just don’t stab anyone out in the open.
The music, while beautiful and cinematic, is a little intense. But so is the game. It’s hard to imagine Basim hopping from rooftop to rooftop with the bouncy tunes of Spring from Stardew Valley. But overall there’s a sense of exploration and wonder that hooks me into a game. Not cosy, but still incredible.
The return of Assassins Creed Mirage to the stealth-oriented playstyle of the original games will definitely earn brownie points from OG fans. As a complete newbie to the AC games, playing four hours of a highly anticipated long-running franchise was a little intimidating.
But the focus on stealth meant that missions were more about collecting clues and hiding from guards, which helped make it feel a little more approachable. On one mission, I was on the hunt for some tea leaves and would only kill silently and professionally when someone was in my way. Which, yeah, is the name of the game. (The truth is that I got caught out multiple times and many people had to die. But hey, that’s also the name of the game.)
So, Is It Cosy?
There are cosier games out there, but I think Assassins Creed Mirage is a contender. There are a lot of mechanics that you may have to learn, but with a mentor like Roshan in the story to show you the ropes, you’re in good hands. The location and time period also feels vibrant and rich, and the focus on stealth missions means that you can avoid fighting unless necessary.
Some of you may die (like I did, many times), but it’s a sacrifice worth making to expand your cosy gaming repertoire and add many more games to the roster.
Lia Kim is a culture writer/producer at Junkee who loves games, but don’t call her a gamer. She’s on most socials as @ellekaylia.