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Assassin’s Creed Mirage might be more like Hitman than you realize

New Assassin’s Creed Mirage leaks hint at richer investigation gameplay, like IO Interactive’s Hitman series, is coming to AC Mirage on PS5, Xbox, and PC.

Assassin's Creed Mirage leaks gameplay features Hitman: an image of Basim from AC Mirage

Assassin’s Creed Mirage leaks are coming thick and fast ahead of June’s Ubisoft Forward showcase and – if what we’re hearing is true – it looks like Assassin’s Creed fans have quite a lot to look forward to when it comes to the upcoming release Assassin’s Creed Mirage. In fact, this is shaping up to be one of the best Assassin’s Creed games yet. We have known that this title is going to be a return to the series’ roots for a while now, but a content creator with a history of AC Mirage leaks has further teased a myriad of features that suggest we could be in for an investigative gameplay experience more similar to what we would see in IO Interactive’s Hitman series – and that’s very exciting.

Discussing leaked information about Assassin’s Creed Mirage in French, which was initially translated by fans on this Assassin’s Creed subreddit post and then double-checked by The Loadout using YouTube’s translation tool, renowned leaker ‘j0nathon’ has shared that this game will feature fewer assassination targets than recent Assassin’s Creed games that players will need to spend time investigating before attempting to eliminate – with options opening up as you continue to uncover more information about each target.

At a basic level, before looking into the details, this is something that echoes the gameplay structure presented to players in the immensely-popular stealth-action series Hitman World of Assassination. You’re thrown into an environemnt where you must investigate to find out where your target is, or will be, and how you can eliminate them. We know that is a little reductive, but that’s the bare bones of the gameplay structure – and that sounds like what we’re getting in Assassin’s Creed Mirage.

Fuelling comparisons further, while also further reinforcing claims that this game will see the reintroduction of a notoriety system to the Assassin’s Creed series, ‘j0nathan’ has also expressed that Basim will have “very little life” – dying after just a couple of hits. This will encourage stealth-based gameplay and – once again – echoes the Hitman series. Those of you who have played this game will know it’s not as easy as it looks to shoot your way out of a sticky situation if you’ve been spotted.

While this information, like these recent Assassin’s Creed Mirage leaks, will be welcome news to fans who don’t particularly like the RPG-heavy focus the series has taken with recent entries, it does suggest that we might be met with some rather out-dated gameplay experiences when the Assassin’s Creed Mirage release date rolls around. Missions structured around tailing targets and eavesdropping conversations are dated, but this is where Ubisoft could draw on Hitman to save Assassin’s Creed from these mediocre moments.

IO Interactive leans into these sorts of gameplay sequences in the Hitman series, but they’re presented to players as optional objectives – and always situated in a largely unguided mission overflowing with options when it comes to how you approach the main objective: eliminating your target.

At the moment, though, we don’t know how much freedom Assassin’s Creed players will enjoy when it comes to undertaking these investigations. But, we’re hopeful – it just remains to be seen whether that hope was misplaced, or not. As you can see below, though, the leaker sharing this information compares a lot of this to the original Assassin’s Creed game – which is somewhat worrying. However, like us, they also suggest that the “black box missions” – where you actually assassinate your target – will draw inspiration from the Hitman series.

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We know it’s important to take every leak with a pinch or two of salt, as there’s no telling how true this all is, but ‘j0nathan’ has a good track record when it comes to Assassin’s Creed Mirage leaks that corroborate with others and all the information he’s shared seems to line up with what we know officially about the game so far. GamesRadar’s interview with creative director Stéphane Boudon is packed with information about the scope and scale of this title – and where Ubisoft is drawing inspiration (although Hitman isn’t mentioned).

Will it be one of the best games of all time? We’re not so sure about that, as there’s some stiff competition there, but a Basim-based Assassin’s Creed game is bound to be interesting. So, while we wait for more information on all the Assassin’s Creed multiplayer games Ubisoft is supposedly working on, we can’t think of anyone better to lead the next chapter in this series.