Assassin's Creed Mirage adds permadeath mode
UPDATE: Cat assassin Easter egg found.
UPDATE 23/2/24: One last thing before the weekend! In happy news, Assassin's Creed fans have tracked down a new Easter egg added to Mirage this week as part of its latest patch (more on all that below).
This Easter egg centres on a very special feline Assassin - as previously teased - who can be found roaming the outskirts of Baghdad. See below for a closer look, courtesy of All-Around Player Gaming.
I would buy this outfit for my cat. Just saying, Ubisoft.
ORIGINAL STORY 20/2/24: There's no room for mistakes in Assassin's Creed Mirage's new Full Synchronisation Challenge mode, which arrives in the game via a fresh update due today.
The option essentially lets you try a permadeath run of the full game, which will end if main character Basim dies or commits any illegal actions (ie. killing civilians) that would normally see you kicked out of the Animus.
Full Synchronisation Mode will become available when you install today's patch 1.0.7 for Mirage, which launches at around 1pm UK time.
Once enabled, your permadeath run cannot be disabled. Cross-progression and cloud saves will become unavailable. When you do die (because of course you will), you'll get a stats screen showing your gameplay time, number of fights, cause of death, enemies killed and chosen difficulty.
That's right, you can opt for either easy, normal or hard modes with permadeath, with a smattering of cosmetic rewards on offer from each should you complete the full game.
Today's patch also adds the fan-requested transmog feature, which was also added post-launch in other recent Assassin's Creed titles, as well as a new Easter egg: a "special assassin you might meet purrusing the streets". Huh! Is this another oppurtunity to find the iconic Assassin's Creed cat?
A range of bug fixes are also included, as detailed on the Ubisoft blog.
Assassin's Creed Mirage launched last year and won praise for its back-to-basics approach to the franchise's time-worn formula. Also, you can hit the end credits in under 30 hours, which is nice.
"Through the warmth of familiar rituals returning after those bigger, rangier games, I get to see what's really special about this series, what it takes to create, perhaps, and what it can give us in return," our Chris Donlan wrote in Eurogamer's Assassin's Creed Mirage review.
Next up from the series is the highly-anticipated Assassin's Creed: Codename Red, or whatever it ends up being called, which is expected to launch later this year and be set in feudal Japan.