Assassin's Creed Mirage: One Year Later

[@Whitelight]

Go to buyraycon.com/whitelight for 15% off your order, plus free shipping! Brought to you by Raycon. I have been playing Valhalla. I started in March. I still haven't finished. The winds call me back to Randvi.

[@Mr.Heister]

Honestly Valhalla was too long

[@izanazir7088]

You are playing Valhalla the intended way, it never finishes...

[@Babybarschalarm]

Im glad Raycon gives you money to promote their crap lol. Sure is a better use than.. buying a Raycon. Earfuns blow them absolutely out of the water, every single time. Such a ripoff.

[@titularhero]

Valhalla the worst game I've ever finished

[@trashmann8132]

@@titularhero fr like i have 300 hours in that game and i only started a second playthrough. it's just bad

[@Biring1]

Can´t wait for "Concorde: One Week Later"

[@Omega-EP]

I get that we all hate the game, but at least have some merecy and call it by its actual name, yeah?

[@thedead073]

Nah, I revoke it's name. We shall now refer to it as Concorde​@@Omega-EP

[@iHaveTheDocuments]

​@@Omega-EP no, it deserves no such thing

[@DanteVerde-pt9zc]

@@Omega-EP It's garbage and deserves to be treated as such

[@im.ahumbleguy1101]

It doesn't deserve a video analysis that game

[@user_unknow_404]

When I first heard that Basim was a thief, I was really excited because I thought he would be sneaky and smooth in all his moves, but he's a fucking sack of potatoes trying to do parkour and he can't even pick locks, he opens chests with damn tokens.

[@3ftninja132]

Tokens?? Did they have loot boxes back then!?!? :O

[@reloadedspade176]

@@3ftninja132yeah ancient Ubisoft developed them

[@haruhirogrimgar6047]

​@@reloadedspade176 It was a secret Templar relic they kept in their back pocket to funnel wealth out of the masses.

[@stevenbobbybills]

Me paying a locked box 1 Merchant or Power token to open itself

[@TehPiemaygor]

I mean, you should have known when it was admitted that the game had the same bones as Valhalla.

[@GamingHawke]

Al-ghul was the funniest instance of black boxes to me. Complete the assassination however you see fit, as long as it's one of the 3 options we made for you or else your target won't appear.

[@TechLicker]

Isn't Al-Ghul the evil that destroy men? as described by mesurehead in the hit game disco elysium

[@mekacrab]

@@TechLicker nah it's an old dude that revives using mountain dew

[@TechLicker]

@@mekacrab the villain from Men?

[@shadowknightgaming1874]

@@mekacrabaint that the guy who likes kidnapping children and turning them into assassin's?

[@creed8712]

@@TechLickerno you’re thinking of the guy from Men. Ghul is from Man Be. The hit movie by Topher Lan

[@RohanQueens]

Assassins Creed is like a friend from highschool - you'll always love it but when it comes back from the dead to try to sell you something you gotta be careful

[@thebigcapitalism9826]

Lmao yeah

[@jjpierren]

😂a😂a²aeQaEqQ,d3😊😊QZD33😊

[@Duffyy1223]

0 sense

[@golem4617]

What?

[@thebigcapitalism9826]

@@golem4617 some people will get into Multi Level Marketing schemes (they are scams, pyramid schemes specifically) that require them to be a Salesman. They are known to find anyone they figure might buy their products, which includes old friends

[@__umbra]

7:50: "I didn't want to fast travel because I liked being in Baghdad more than I liked saving time." Now that is an achievement for a game beautifully articulated by whitelight.

[@addgame7961]

Except for the writing, Ubisoft has some of the best artists in the industry. It’s just a shame that those artists don’t have the luxury of working on better games.

[@TheButterAnvil]

Yep. Far cry 6 is stunning garbage

[@khankhomrad8855]

Maybe on the scenary side, but everything else? Combat, progression, writing, music, microtransaction, level design is all very stock. There is little to no innovation or stand out thing. They mastered the skill of looking good, just like many other studios have. Doesn't mean the general artistry is great, far from it.

[@mississippitornado6842]

every single company's artists get praised, yeah but i want to fucking enjoy the story way more than the art

[@echo3788]

@@khankhomrad8855tf are you talking about, ubisoft games even nowadays have great music

[@ayyyyoman]

​@@TheButterAnvilthat's a great way to describe FC6

[@drewlosthisaccount]

new whitelight dropped, time to get emotionally invested in a game i've never played lets go

[@Josiah04]

real

[@Carlisho]

Ikr, his videos are so good that by the end you feel like you know the game just as much as the most hardcore of fans… and then suffer the same pains as they do 😭

[@LeoKRogue]

When I titled my day one review "Mirage is (mostly) what I wanted" that 'mostly' is doing a _LOT_ of heavy lifting and describing something so small and simple: a sign that someone still cares. I received the game as a message that someone, somewhere, is Listening to us, and appreciated it didn't barrage me with an ocean of content to the point of drowning like ACOd and ACV did. Movement -- and other parts of this game made me feel numb. At the time, I cherished it for at least 'trying' and Hearing us, I still kind of do. But what Mirage ultimately is, still makes me sad. "I see what Altair could've done here. My hands _remember_ the inputs. But there's nothing I can do." God... This feeling. The art and themes of the entire Assassin's Creed franchise push freedom, and that was always symbolized and represented mentally by the way Assassins are Willing to move, and Able to move. To lose that and still be hoping for it ten years later still hurts. You're the only person so far who's actually described combat the way I myself experienced it, funny enough. What you mentioned, "I was one of the lucky ones," is exactly what I lived through. The difference between Normal and Hard, how it pushes you to behave, is something I felt from the very beginning. For me, Mirage is the only AC combat system where "combat is a soft fail-state" _actually_ made sense to me and felt reasonably enjoyable. For me, I _started_ on Hard and was confused for a little while when people were talking about Combat because I too had that sensation of, "Are we even talking about the same game?" It was only when I tried it on Normal later that I felt that sickly feeling of, oh, this is what people have been playing - no wonder they think it's dull. Hard _makes_ this game come alive, it taxes decision-making on several layers. I couldn't imagine playing on Normal and ever enjoying it, it becomes so disinterested in asking anything of me there. Tool-Modding is a big win for sure. I remember really enjoying that, and even going back to try out different combinations from time to time. I'm not sure how I feel about the Engineer skill that lets you lock in two Tier 1 traits on a tool. It's fun since it makes you pretty powerful but the fun of making a proper choice in that T1 does kind of lessen with it. Thank you for making this video. I know these are always a tough undertaking, and there's a lot of thought and emotion that goes into them, beyond their technical aspects. I appreciate them all.

[@valoulenstein9020]

Loved that video mate !

[@shaliir]

I'll always appreciate your thoughts on these games, you articulate a feeling I have but can't find the words to express. The fact that it's clear that SOMEONE at Ubisoft cares is what makes this hurt the most to me. They're fighting against the tide of apathy and greed and I don't think its a battle they can win. Thank you for the effort and love you've put into assassins creed over these many years. I'm sorry the effort couldn't be reciprocated by the series itself.

[@SL4PSH0CK]

sums up my experience since combat w/ AC never was a let down, still offers variety and offers interactive environment as leverage for its gameplay loop. and notably same as its level and environmental design and world building.

[@Honor_and_Steel]

"My hands remember the inputs" hit me like a truck my man. That's EXACTLY what I felt and couldn't find the words to describe it.

[@Ropotopolous]

I'm not a GOAT, Mr. Whitelight. I'm a masochist.

[@jdottdeestv8149]

You're pretty good.

[@sizeable-cult3169]

Nah, I think you're still a goat either way

[@Ropotopolous]

@@sizeable-cult3169 thank you, my oldest friend.

[@animusdrifter]

You're both my man

[@bloodymares]

Becoming the GOAT requires a touch of masochism. How can you master something without obsessive need to try over and over again to the point where you start hating it but keep going anyway?

[@ND88229]

The Basim/Loki dichotomy could’ve been one of the most interesting stories we’ve ever seen in AC. It could’ve been about an idealist who fights for a righteous cause, slowly being corrupted by his own lingering memories. Imagine Basim having dreams and visions of a son he never knew, one that was taken from him. The resentment that would build when his mentor and brothers tell him that what he’s feeling isn’t real.

[@rakshithanand8262]

I actually had a different idea. I guessed nehal was loki at the entrance to the isu temple when she said 'you don't want to know what this place is for'. I was fully expecting her to backstab Basim in the mindspace and hijack his body, bringing full circle the 'trust no-one except yourself' line she kept spouting- he could not even trust 'himself'. It's a real shame the biggest story point the game could have provided resolution to (how Basim became Loki to contrast Eivor who rejects Odin) is just... ignored. What a let-down.

[@ND88229]

@@rakshithanand8262 yeah really anything that takes advantage of the character. You could do so many cool things with this concept and they did the most boring and basic.

[@athos401]

He had potential to he an amazing new character, jumping from protagonist to antagonist based on who and when we're playing. But instead, old ubi decided to release a dlc like a full game, without any present day storyline, with the same bad parkour as valhalla, with a chunky model which definitely doesn't fit the character, with a combat system that is boring to say the least, and with a story that basically throws every opportunity in the wind. The only three great things of mirage were the stealth mechanics, the ambience and (partially) the music. I didn't include the graphics because cut scenes are simply horrendous, and facial expressions are a joke

[@yukikid2195]

@@athos401on the modern day part, have you seen the data mined cut scene? Just makes ya wonder what Ubisoft was gonna go for

[@Grandtemplar305]

I was thinking bout that last month how they could of turn his story to something so compelling but is what it is

[@boiimcfacto2364]

My feelings are so conflicted towards this game. On one hand, it's a step in the right direction and I want Ubisoft to understand this and start working to make Assassin's Creed Assassin's Creed again. I want them to see your nuanced take on its mechanics and learn what it will take to make AC good. On the other hand, it's been *17 YEARS* since Assassin's Creed 1 was released. After 17 years, all we get is a step towards making us feel like we did in the first game? It's like the promise of a legitimately *good* AC game is a fleeting dream. An illusion. A... What's the word for it again?

[@Rengokuo4o6]

A MIRAGE!!!!!!!!!!

[@Leon_SKennnedy]

Say it was a step in the right direction and Ubisoft invests actual effort and a better budget into making a proper AC game, mirage would still remain as the game that feels lesser in every way, hell it's already that compared to most of the other titles in the series.

[@btchiaintkidding7837]

one step in the right direction means nothing when you have taken 4 steps backwards, a step to the left and levitated 10 ft from the surface. AC1 has beaten Mirage in almost every aspect

[@boiimcfacto2364]

@@btchiaintkidding7837 Agreed 100%. Like yeah, Mirage is 1 point better than Valhalla. But Valhalla was at -10 points to begin with. I don't wanna compliment a game worth -9 points just because it's better than -10. Then again, if we don't tell Ubisoft that Mirage was a step in the right direction, we end up with AC Shadows at -100 points.

[@aclaymushroomwithaberet7084]

I think its a hallucination

[@marianovontrani418]

Ubi level designer must be a frustrating job, knowing the gameplay department will waste the beautiful stage you set more often than not.

[@izanazir7088]

Haha exactly. 😂

[@Ligmaballin]

Jokes aside Ubisoft deserves some credit when it comes to it's world design, it's insane how massive, yet full of interesting viewpoints their maps are. Like if you don't have enough money for new monthly game purchases, i'd honestly just get AC Odyssey or Valhalla cause you could sink 200 hrs in them and still find something new to do.

[@onejediboi]

I think the best part about this game was the world and environment, I loved Baghdad, it was dense and felt like an actual city like the old games, the codex was a fantastic addition so that people could learn about the time period, and hearing my language (Persian) which isn’t heard that much in media being spoken in a game part of one of my favourite series is such an amazing feeling

[@lucignolo8333]

Baghdad is dogshit

[@SIGNOR-G]

Do iraqi till speak farsi?

[@onejediboi]

@@SIGNOR-G no, they speak Arabic and Kurdish

[@SIGNOR-G]

@@onejediboi as i imagined a lot changed since medieval Iraq.

[@crypto40]

I really didn’t like the city. As much as I tried to like it imo it felt empty. The city being shrunk with just random npcs just standing there or being stuck in a rigged animation with nothing really feeling alive. Idk if it’s because I’m spoiled and grew up during the 360 era so knowing what an alive world really felt like or maybe it’s the more modern open world games all feeling the same. Ghost recon assassins creed or any new open world game there been released in the past few years. They all just start to feel look and play the same, I want Ubisoft and others devs to succeed but when open world gamer are just all starting to intertwine

[@kylernyhagen7519]

Every shot you show of it reminds me just how damn gorgeous Unity was.

[@LostToaster]

Now if only Ubi remembered that Unity is a co-op game and fixed that rotten potato they dare call a server…

[@amonmarquis4018]

​@@LostToasterimagine the FIX for the co-op BROKE 💀 yet somehow ubisoft still won't bother to acknowledge just how HARD players try just to make it work, they ignore that dedication and demand for soke weird reason, only reason i could possibly come up with is that they're doing it on purpose, keeping the game broken to maybe we'll finally give up and spend money on their new slop they hardly care about making work anyway

[@Ligmaballin]

It looked better than any AC game and somehow ran better than any modern AC game.

[@Ligmaballin]

Not always gorgeous, the grass looked low detailed, the LOD was horrendous, the textures were bad up close, the special effects like fire or smoke bombs looked mediocre. Visual vise the only thing that i think looked genuinely amazing was the lighting. And to be fair Unity is 95% buildings so it's easier to make it visually look great, Baghdad is a diverse city with more varied locations so it's harder to focus visuals on more different elements.

[@navyhusky2020]

I hope Ubisoft learns from their mistakes with this game and apply that knowledge to Shadows I also hope to get $1,000,000 in the mail and a pet giraffe

[@CatInSuit69]

at this point the latter is more likely than the former

[@reloadedspade176]

@@CatInSuit69😂

[@amonmarquis4018]

Lmao. good one. Ubisoft don't learn, they couldn't even learn to put a NOTORIETY system in a PIRATE GAAAAAME like jeesus

[@boldone66]

You might get the giraffe first

[@HoLDoN4Sec]

you have a more realistic chance to pet a giraffe and get a million USD wired to your bank account by accident than to see Ubisoft learn from their mistakes lol

[@nick_4972]

I forgot this game existed

[@brando3342]

We posted the exact same comment! 😂

[@teneesh3376]

And with that statement is probably gonna be a main reason why ubisoft won't take inspiration from this game. Ubisoft tends to throw away good ideas if the game itself panned or forgotten about. It happens all the damn time in this series

[@kurohaizaki8951]

As if it was a Mirage.

[@vta2265]

Same

[@Biring1]

I got the platinum for it and forgot it existed too.

[@EepsayYukay]

Holy shit, one year already? Only feels like a few months ago I was looking at videos of this game, and here we are...

[@CookinBeatloaf]

I didn't even know it released and it's already at $25 on Xbox

[@kron7536]

Time after the pandemic has been a giant blur

[@Jeremy-ql1or]

@@kron7536 That isn't because of the pandemic. It's because you are getting older.

[@kron7536]

@@Jeremy-ql1or i'm 19 mate, if that's old then 30+ year olds might as well be fossils

[@fallen6060]

Dude, you just opened my third eye. That's crazy. I completely agree with you. Time is a scary thing sometimes...

[@Mr.starvy]

On everything I love I totally forgot this game exists

[@KiomonDuck]

I 100% it in 25 hours and then it was gone. Like a mirage in the distance as I get further away.

[@IveNeverStoodUp]

I have 680 hours in it. if you actually like good video games it's very good

[@IveNeverStoodUp]

@@KiomonDuck youtube just notified me that someone liked YOUR comment. what the fuck is our world coming to?

[@Ewbie]

@@IveNeverStoodUp 680 hours on a 20 hour game? Name checks out lmao

[@KiomonDuck]

@@IveNeverStoodUp I think people are just sad you spent 680 hours on a boring game.

[@BroodierEagle]

I like how Assassin's Creed Unity's soundtrack starts playing when you discuss movement

[@jonbaxter2254]

Nassau ambient from Black Glag still the goat.

[@amonmarquis4018]

Some of the absolute best music in the franchise and I'd be disappointed if a whitelight AC video didn't have some in it

[@SL4PSH0CK]

totally! lowkey such a great motif. when it comes to movement? it all boils down to Unity given by no mounts and the compact and concise urban jungle of Paris as your playground.

[@Ligmaballin]

@@jonbaxter2254 Yeah AC3, Black Flag and Revolutions still has my favorite soundtracks, actually Valhalla might have my favorite soundtrack, but this just proves Ubisoft is good at making things like trailers, soundtracks, visual designs, but they always tend to fail when it comes to the actual core game.

[@LogoMotive11]

Your rant at the end of feeling imprisoned by your love for this franchise really hits home for me. I've been chasing the highs of the first few games for so long. It's been heartbreaking to see what these games are compared to what they could have been, knowing full well Ubisoft has all the tools needed to reach that potential. Was beyond excited for Mirage, for getting another Creed game in the style I remember. I truly felt utterly defeated upon playing a few hours of it.

[@thedudeabides3138]

This is such a great essay, really well considered with keenly observed aspects I'd never considered, all combined with a massive amount of editing to match the narration, you can be very proud of this, well done.

[@drakethedrake]

I've noticed that if there's one thing that tends to always excel in Ubisoft games it's usually the environments. And then unfortunately everything around it whether it seems to be gameplay or story ends up lacking in some way. The great environments can do a lot to make the game enjoyable to be in but everything else holding it back keeps the games from being an actually fantastic games.

[@im.ahumbleguy1101]

Mirage wasn't a return to its roots it was an attempt to make it look like so, it even failed to do that.

[@RikkiSan1]

Yep and the new game is an attempt to please the fans who always wanted a game set in Japan...I don't have my hopes high it's gonna be good.

[@Omega-EP]

its*, but yeah.

[@Omega-EP]

@@RikkiSan1 An attempt to please political activists, more like.

[@Sable19]

The game failed to do the only thing it promised 💀

[@Red_PlaysYT]

⁠@@Omega-EPelaborate on how it tries to please political activists? Genuinely curious. I don’t keep up with gaming news.

[@animusdrifter]

What an absolute banger, I'm so glad you went into the depths of how the parkour actually functions (I'm the type of person to have an infinite amount of shit to say on how to make those ejects more consistent despite hating the game), and there's even more to the backstory of how these ejects even came to be - somewhat tragic, somewhat encouraging.

[@Whitelight]

That means a lot. Your modded AC2 videos were inspirational.

[@animusdrifter]

@@Whitelight Makes me incredibly happy you both came across those and enjoyed them

[@clintsampson1440]

The parkour point about it being "okay" hits hard when we look back at how smooth something like Revelations was. It's crazy how games have gone backwards with technology improving.

[@TheBloopers30]

I mean. Even AC1 has smoother animations than Mirage. It's sad to see.

[@Wavecheckfoo]

@@TheBloopers30dawg that’s a straight lie I’m playing thru the ezio trilogy right now and parkour is straight ass and combat is even worse and there’s barely stealth im literally just walking up to people and stabbing in the back there’s no crouch button

[@kotrljajucaharinga9622]

I feel the ending deserved far more praise than it got. There shouldn't be a struggle or a lesson chucked into the last 15 minutes; the struggle is there to see for the entire game. There are hints for the entire game's runtime and the struggle is clearly shown through Nehal. There doesn't need to be fear of becoming someone else; actually I think the exact opposite is expected. The decision to "accept" Loki as a part of himself would be putting an enormous burden off his shoulders, it would be relieving. He has struggled for the entire game to keep Loki at bay; why would it be scary to finally let go? There also doesn't need to be denial; Basim has been in denial for the entire runtime of the game. He visualizes Loki as a close childhood friend, coming back to Nehal and away from what his idealistic side has tried so hard to pursue (being an assasin) is finally letting go of the denial. As the lyrics in Ezio's Family ask again and again, where is my home, who am I? All of this makes the ending heartbreaking and it is communicated very maturely and with a lot of restraint. I guess the very strong themes of the ending just resonate more with certain people and less with others making it feel less than what it is. If the second act was just written properly and not seemingly as if they made the gameplay and plopped some exposition around it; this would be a good story. This way the story is basically contained in the beggining and in the ending; which is a real shame because that on it's own is among the best stories AC has ever told. Also, I feel it is very inaccurate to say Mirage is "heartless". Charmless, maybe (in the second act). Heartless? No way.

[@Grandtemplar305]

Thought I was the only one who got it

[@masterassassin791]

Wow absolutely excellent video man, that skate park analogy was brilliant. And I'm so glad to see Ropotopolous get the respect he deserves.

[@triple7evenn]

Using songs from the Revelations' OST in certain parts...absolute cinema. In fact, almost every time a soundtrack was used from a previous entry in the franchise, it felt like a hint. "Hey, we did this YEARS ago and actually did it right! Anyways, here is your modernized and watered down version of it(with microtransactions)!"

[@kinography9085]

24:22 This section on social stealth is absolutely cathartic because it’s correct on every level. What’s disappointing is that the older games-that is, the very games Mirage is taking influence from-already had these problems figured out. The fundamental issues, as you said, are mechanical and design issues. Mirage’s blending is very basic, insofar as there is little you can do with it. The Ezio Trilogy, beyond having much stronger and more controllable factions, also had very powerful blending. This is because the Ezio Trilogy, as all games from AC2-Syndicate, had a Blend Grace Period, where walking out of a blend group would allow you to maintain a few extra seconds of invisibility. This is useful for several reasons, including evasion, walking through restricted areas, and most importantly, for Blend Assassinations, where the player character can low profile assassinate with complete invisibility so long as they are blended, even in this grace period. Mirage doesn’t have anything like this, as it has no Blend Grace Period. A seemingly small aberration, but its presence is sorely missed. You also discussed level design issues. The fundamental core of AC’s crowdblending systems is that it is a passive blending system that allows for dynamic interactions with the environment. This necessarily means that the level of dynamism is heavily dependent on the level design. Games like Brotherhood and Revelations were very good at this, because Rome and Constantinople were particularly designed in such a way that each block is a stealth layout: streets were carefully laid out with specific patrol routes, blend groups, factions, hiding spots, and parkour routes to create opportunities for interesting planning when combined with the mechanics. It’s a shame, because Mirage had a lot of potential. Its new civilian AI and reworking of Notoriety had potential for some of the best social stealth in the series. However, this implementation fundamentally misunderstands how social stealth worked in the older games-it’s merely obligatory, an aesthetic. It’s a damn shame.

[@crementine922]

It's been a YEAR since this game released?! Shit, time flies when you're a Ubislop product.

[@SIGNOR-G]

UbiFLOP

[@jakedunnegan]

That was exactly my reaction - only about 2 hours in on it.

[@jonbaxter2254]

More slop for the mill.

[@gumboyrulez001]

Almost a year

[@Leon_SKennnedy]

And barely anyone remembered the game till whitelight dropped

[@turboyarag]

21:23 In Julio Cortázar's "Rayuela" you can read the book in the order you want, even the author proposes an order where you start in chapter 73 and then you follow his instructions

[@onemorescout]

At first I thought this video was for an old Origins DLC I didn’t know about

[@leo619ribas]

And you know what’s funny? Ghost of Tsushima manual jump feels SO FREAKING GOOD Probably better than it’s ever been on AC

[@Starless85]

Amazing as always. You’re an excellent writer dude.

[@caolmhurich4968]

What amazes me still is that for the with the budget of 1 modern AC game we got the first 4 games, which so many of us see as the peak.

[@RobbertZeeman-cn9lp]

I started replaying AC2 last week. And men i remember where all the lore came from! The pieces of Eden! The Templars grasp at different cities. The Assassins! Men those where the days!

[@jakedunnegan]

Your videos are "Must Watch TV" the second they drop. Side note - always balanced. You're not just always dogging and negative - you line up the good and the bad. Add to the fact you're hysterical, (like the line about Basam not moving from a guy like the NPC said his mom was fat) - great stuff man! Just wish you dropped more videos!

[@rRicken]

Wasting away at work listening to old Whitelight videos to pass the day and this appeared as if to liberate me. The 9-5 grind never sounded so good

[@vaalgarth6998]

Ngl i did legitimately like the free running in Mirage, the issue of sprinting being broken is absolutely annoying as hell but i fixed that by swapping the sprint input to 'hold' and assigning it to RT like the og games. So the only thing left for me to really notice was just how amazing Baghdad was as well as the music. The whole experience just made me feel like i was playing Assassins Creed for the first time again, even with all of Mirage's problems :3c After Odyssey and Valhalla this game was SUCH a breath of fresh air istg, Ubisoft's evil plan to break down our expectations so now that decent games are amazing games in our eyes lmao

[@ElTequilla]

Also known as Sonic Syndrome 😂

[@LazerzZ]

This video will be the only way I ever consume Mirage, and I’d honestly say that’s living the life

[@Gmododo]

The fact that Mirage doesn't bother with selling you on the assassin's idea and beliefs for me just means that ubisoft simply has absolutely no direction, vision or narrative planning with the AC series. It's just mindless game after mindless game now. What even happened to "We work in shadow to serve the light"??

[@TrajGreekFire]

idk, hip hop in sengoku japan?

[@sleeper6548]

@@TrajGreekFire Sprinkle some chinese music in between maybe?

[@johannlothe]

@@sleeper6548 let's hear it for the gliding horses.

[@user-vp6cq4sv3d]

​​@@sleeper6548The ancestry of Japan's population is predominantly Chinese/Korean anyways. Why do you think the Castles look almost identical? Whiteknighting Japan is weird.

[@sleeper6548]

@@user-vp6cq4sv3d Yes, but the era Shadows is based has culture very different than Chinese one, it did originate from China, but the culture doesnt stay the same for centuries, it evolves, and this is like the later stage of Old Japanese culture, which ubisoft is fucking up like craaazy

[@epicmit9618]

All your reviews go sufficiently in depth and your narration and storytelling has improved a lot. This is no exception. That 'heights of assasin's creed' video is really special. Also, you are great at describing something lengthy with just a few but very meaningful and hard hitting words. Great video, looking forward to whatever's next. Also, that latest control retrospective was great, the effort came through easily.

[@newdraftanimations]

18:24 You couldn't have said it better. Gives the idea perfectly

[@JensenStiles]

14:19 Just wanted to acknowledge that smooth, subtle cut from the AC1 clip to the Mirage clip. I see you.

[@ValentineShevelev]

Whitelight's video is like Christmas coming early. Thank you.

[@61f757r34m]

it doesnt feel like a year has passed

[@gumboyrulez001]

True but it will be a year old on October 5th. Time really flies

[@Pedro_Le_Chef]

@@gumboyrulez001 HA I KNEW IT! It's only been eleven months!

[@DESARD12]

I should thank 6 years ago me for finding your channel, it's always nice to see a vid from you pop up.

[@twixx1]

My favourite bit of this video is it's comprehensive and detailed analysis of that classic AC staple, the modern day segments.

[@smanrules101]

12:56 Low effort is not "normal" I don't understand why the past decade, people have been fine with paying for slop and garbage. I understand your point and just adding onto how disappointing I was when I played this game. I haven't even gone back yet because I have such problems with the parkour. Christ, it's why I fell in love with this series! Rant over. I'm just happy to see I'm not the only one that felt the same with the traversal

[@sreeshnelp]

Mirage was the best AC game I've ever played, making feel things I've never ever felt in an AC game before, because of two simple options - I played the entire game blind with Permadeath on, on the hardest difficulty. The tension, the planning, the escapes only to come back in and try again, I truly felt immersed in a way I haven't before. This video's a gargantuan undertaking and perfectly wrestles into a rough, ugly, conflicted box what many AC fans and I feel about Mirage. Kudos as always, Mr. Whitelight.

[@mrbungnuggets1417]

Best reviewer on the internet hands down, presentation, writing, execution and vocal delivery is all, always, flawless

[@iherok]

Brilliant summery. You nailed every aspect of it ! Such a precise description of this game.

[@Baptann]

I’m pretty sure I singlehanded manifested a new whitelight video into existence with how much I wanted to watch a new one today so you’re welcome everyone

[@koyrion]

I remember i was hype for the game but then I was completely disappointed when it wasn't a classic AC experience.

[@koyrion]

Real

[@beedawitch]

Most of the stuff in this video can be summarized to two things: bordeaux didnt have the time or budget to make a TRUE back to roots experience. You can tell they tried their best, but it isnt enough. Even tho i like Mirage i can mostly agree to this whole video (except for some parkour stuff) Also i swear most of the bugs/glitches he experienced i have never experienced in a 200+ hour game time lmao

[@marcusclark1339]

no even on a budget the basis of things not here are unacceptable, they have as much as the early games did but hackneyed by a terrible engine and connection to valhalla "never experienced personally" means nothing, the problems exist

[@beedawitch]

@@marcusclark1339 i totally agree to this too, the basis of the game doomed It from the start

[@amonmarquis4018]

I drop everything I'm doing to watch your new vids man, you put my thoughts into words like you're some wizard siphoning my inner commentary, it's crazy it's already been a year when it feels like a bought, played and dumped this game 4 months ago, which means it took me nearly a year to even beat the campaign, as a serious AC fan and critic myself (in a personal way) it's crazy to think it even took me that long, my heart shatters with every new AC excuse ubisoft releases because I can't even fathom how and why they've succeeded before but when they move on they only seem to carry over the mistakes, never the wins. Being able to watch a video like yours that so magically encapsulates everything I've ever thought and failed to explain to someone visibly questioning why my gameplay is sometimes seemless and stunning and then I suddenly drop to a neanderthals level of unga bunga fumble jungle. Your videos help line up my own personal retrospectives in a neat orderly fashion that helps me spread the info onto friends and randoms who have questions or confusion over AC as a continuing stream of games that aired in 2009/11 (can't remember right this second) And currently writing this I've finally remembered what my initial comment idea was. Why is it when you say all these things about AC is a retrospective analysis worth listening to a straight hour of, but when i do the exact same thing.. people call it yapping. I really hate that stigma In people, only listen to the published man but the same words from an unfamiliar mouth is treated In the utmost opposite way, really shows how people truly function and how easily they're essentially hypnotised as long as whatever is being shed upon them comes from someome they know or respect or admire

[@mekacrab]

It's unbelievable that the parkour still has that many flaws after 17 YEARS

[@Vocarin]

This is excellent. I've gone through all of your AC content and I always come back for your critical but fair assessments and the depth of analysis that's hard to come by anywhere these days. This is one I've watched three or fours times and I always get a lot out of it. Thanks for making these, they're outstanding.

[@RiverdudeCovers]

Oh boy a new Assassins Creed Whitelight video, we eating good today!!!!

[@AbyssDarkKnight]

Dang man, I thought you were dead. It's good to see you're still making good quality reviews. I watched that prototype 3 video like three times. You should try making more videos like that on other games that dead. Keep up the good work and I hope you guys are taking care of yourselves

[@logicerrormusic]

"Basim has to accelerate 0/60 like a Fiat Panda tugging a canal boat" had me dying 😂

[@thebulletkin8393]

Thank you so much for making this, summarises my experiences and troubles to a T. I really want AC to push movement more than it has done for the last decade, and mirage tried so hard with the hand it’s been dealt that it makes me appreciate it more than any of the rpg creeds. I feel like this kind of content is the only real way we will ever be able to see any major change.

[@nathanielsmith2617]

As someone who thoroughly enjoyed Mirage, I appreciate your focus on the movement downgrades made over the years. I've been going through the Ezio collection on Switch recently and am astounded by the lack of depth in Mirage compared to Brotherhood, or even AC2. Even combat feels more restrained to me, although I think that is largely due to the stamina bar. I never understood why Basim is able to run and climb across Baghdad for literally ever, but somehow can't swing a sword more than a couple of times before becoming helpless. Great video, looking forward to finishing it and hearing your closing thoughts!

[@Fabbyyy]

Congrats on the sponsor. Love your content.

[@KingsandGenerals]

28:36 can confirm

[@docrasky9463]

I absolutely love these in depth video essays you do! The observations you make, and then bundle so succinctly into an interesting monologue always has me getting invested and watching til the end. Well done!

[@JLM-y5g]

I still maintain that the writing took a nosedive with Unity and the hard tilt into Sci-fi/Fantasy; we saw the fading embers of the Assassin-Templar dichotomy and duality with Dead Kings (In combination with Arno's final speech), and was snuffed out entirely by the time we reached Syndicate. AC3, AC4, and Rogue had some of the strongest writing in the entire series. Some people will target Origins as a standout, but I will disagree with that for one reason: Pacing. By the time I reached the end of Origins, I just wanted to be done; it's (usually) been so long that I find myself unable to care. The philosophical questions might be interesting, but waiting several hours for their conclusions really sours it for me. People will also target Black Flag, calling out my love for that game (despite its long runtime), but Black Flag has a consistent tone and narrative depth that you can't really get with the massive open world RPGs that the new games are. I also kind of think the Ezio trilogy is overrated and doesn't really have the narrative maturity of AC1 or AC3-Rogue.

[@stormysoup1083]

Valhalla had a pretty good but poorly paced story but now it seems like we're only get dogshit unless Darby is writing

[@JLM-y5g]

@@stormysoup1083 Valhalla was bog-standard historical viking fiction (until the goofy sci-fi stuff starts). Not bad, but not particularly standout either. It's not good as a sci-fi game, it's not good as an AC game, and it doesn't really excel at the viking fantasy it tries so hard to cultivate; so who is the game even made for at that point? Also, if you're picking up the game in scattered play sessions as the viking simulator it's advertised as, you're going to reach many of the more esoteric sections and feel rightfully confused.

[@callandor5865]

I read and appreciate, my views are the opposite about Ezio and AC3-Rogue and instead I think everything "Assassin's Creed" went away fast with Revelations, but still I appreciate

[@stormysoup1083]

@@JLM-y5g Assassin's Creed has always been a science fiction story(it's about simulating the past with technology and ancient alien conspiracies) and I honestly think thematically, it's the most on brand AC has been since Black Flag and shares a lot of thematic parallels with that game, Eivor's eventual disillusionment and rejection for her ambition of conquering England and dying a glorious warrior's death to protect and live peacefully with the people she cares about, mirrors Edward's dissilusionment with his ambitions as a pirate, it's definitely got a lot more going on than Mirage which really has nothing to do with the core ideas and themes of AC other than having guys in hoods, of course all of this shit is in a shitty 100 hour Viking RPG which I wouldn't replay at gunpoint but it's still the one thing in that game which I find genuinely impressive

[@JLM-y5g]

@@stormysoup1083 I'm going to be really, brutally honest for a second (bear with me): *"hard* sci-fi tilt." - When I said this, I meant the Sci-fi elements becoming more than an odd bit of set-dressing or a narrative macguffin; they were there, they were serviceable, and they didn't actively get in the way of the story being told... the few times they were used was to move the plot forward meaningfully; Valhalla's DLCs make my point here even greater. If a game has a good story (and said story is marketed as a core feature) paced poorly by its gameplay, then I'd argue it's not a good story. Pacing is a core tenet of any good story, and Valhalla's pacing is all over the place. You could distill a lot of Valhalla's main sci-fi narrative into a lore entry, and most people would have gained equal or greater value from it. Equally, you could have simply said "Eivor was a viking, rah" and you would have given equal or greater value to most people with that single line. What value does Valhalla provide to the player beyond being junk food? Valhalla tries to hit those same notes that Black Flag did, sure... but Edward wasn't a God in diguise, he was a struggling welshman that wanted the best for his growing family; Edward was deeply relatable as a human being, and his conversion to the Assassins and his role in the Assassin-Templar conflict made a great deal of sense. Eivor is cool, I like them, but they don't make sense for the ideological conflict at the core of AC, and this shows. As for Mirage, that's a whole other can of worms... It felt like Ubisoft was puppeting around a corpse.

[@triplestandart7613]

Incredibly artistic. The writing is amazing, the analysis precise and the narration itself critical yet comforting in a way.

[@ronuss]

Everytime he switches from mirage to unity, unity looks like the newer game. That says it all...

[@wiper7000]

Bro, please write a book. Your prose and writing is just fantastic.

[@shawklan27]

It's been one year already?! 🤯 WTF!?!?!

[@zaidebtw4438]

With the parkour I think the slides and rolls help make it a lot smoother. The acceleration period when running is gone once you factor in the slides and rolls. Not defending the parkour here it’s absolutely terrible but this makes the parkour just a little bit more enjoyable.

[@Crusaderrocks]

So glad you’ve mentioned all the things I’ve long thought about this game, when everyone was saying how incredible this game was at launch I was left scratching my head. The only AC game I’ve never finished and don’t have any intention of doing.

[@joshuathompson2404]

Ubisoft's strengths are as predictable as their failures....very well said. You definitely can't deny them their strengths.

[@fardeen8004]

It's always a treat whenever whitelight posts a new vod

[@jadenpokemon8952]

It's crazy to me how I can watch someone use the parkour system in this game having never played it and FEEL how clunky and terrible it is.

[@Dupertron-lo9pz]

Just discovered your channel. You are the most eloquent and articulate reviewer I’ve subscribed to.

[@dylannlala4771]

It’s been a year alr???

[@exodus9001]

It's so insane how deep Ubislop has dug itself with this series. I still use 'nothing is true, everything is permitted' in regular conversation to this day, and that finale at the home base is one of the greatest betrayals I've ever experienced. I've hated having to hold down a button to go fast since I was a child and that's why I dropped it after Black Flag, but I admire your dedication to the spirit of these games that allows you to persevere through the trashy aspects. Though I may wish you free of the curse that binds you to these games, I appreciate your eyes upon them as always.

[@hundvd_7]

18:12 Man, Unity still looks as gorgeous as the day it came out

[@SaltSpirits]

breaking news: game has not been updated to look worse

[@CatInSuit69]

@@SaltSpirits moreover its a decade old game with graphics that have aged extremely well for the most part and thats at least a little impressive which is i think what the person was actually trying to say

[@GlazeonthewickeR]

@@SaltSpirits you grow up under a fucking rock or something?

[@yunghitnit666]

It looks great but man on ps4 lags like crazy because of the crowds I uninstalled it because of that big problem I couldn’t enjoy it

[@SaltSpirits]

@@CatInSuit69 plenty of old games with graphics that have aged well, unlike the vast majority of modern “hyperrealistic” games that don’t age well 3 years after launch because developers still haven’t realized that constantly pushing the edge of technology instead of focusing on a cohesive and timeless art style gives your game an immediate graphical shelf life (aka whenever any mild advancement in graphics tech is made)

[@nightowl2749]

I loved the set dressing in this game. It was a setting I've wanted to walk through for a very long time. But indeed, the "post it notes" killed it completely. I could have forgiven the less than stellar combat, and I was actually pleased to learn about the harder setting and skill ceiling that makes it sound far more fun, but I was so lost and bored with the story, that I was just going through the motions to go through the motions. It was so dull that I could never even finished the game.

[@ValiantInstance]

This was my first AC game since Black Flag. I used to be obsessed with it in the Ezio days. Within 24 hours I'd traded it in for something else.

[@titularhero]

But it's so fun! But if you want somone more like black flag play rogue. Unity is also good fun

[@ValiantInstance]

@@titularhero It's soulless. Just like every Ubisoft game in the past 5 years.

[@user-vp6cq4sv3d]

​@@ValiantInstanceReddit moment.

[@oscar12ty]

in regards to the parkour it feels more like objects have "moves" instead of the player having moves

[@DJ-1Q84]

It's a modern Ubisoft game what did you expect?

[@00HoODBoy]

Reminded me of why this channel is fantastic in the first 5 minutes. Putting the finger on a lot of things i found intangible

[@immortalkombat9289]

Game came and went by like a Mirage...

[@jonbaxter2254]

It's time for me to become Assassins Creed: Mirage!

[@MovieKiller333]

Yes because its a single player game?

[@thereseemstobeenanerror1219]

​@@MovieKiller333 Not what they meant

[@joerieper]

Whitelight does it again, makes me want to play a game I stopped halfway through and probably finish.

[@matthewmcshane399]

I enjoyed mirage. I thought it was pretty good for a project that started as just a dlc for valhalla. I understand some of the criticisms levelled in this video but I still think the game is good. I can't wait to see what they'll do with basim in the present day storyline.

[@CatInSuit69]

new whitelight video its all over my desk

[@Gigopz]

Im glad Mirage exists, its in my top 3 AC games and I loved almost everything about it, I just wanted more. I disagree that's its any clunkier than the older games especially after replaying them all recently, Mirage has many problems, yet I loved every second of it, hope Ubisoft Bordeaux gets to make an actual full scale game next time.

[@argo117007]

I love your videos, they bring me peace and comfort in the cold winter that is life

[@CaptainZlex]

Dying Light 2 does parkour the way Assassin's Creed should. Lots of different moves to master and use in different situations to move through the environment as fast and smoothly as possible.

[@rougenarwhal8378]

It's about time, WL! Thanks for keeping up with this series

[@BGLNZ]

In most games and franchises I would say studios try to improve upon their formula. In ubisofts case they seem to keep regressing in many ways rather than improving upon the good they used to have 😅

[@baddabing4494]

The watered down RPG parkour has caused severe damage to what used to be one of the defining features of the franchise

[@brando3342]

I forgot this game existed lol

[@fmeu7733]

Super happy that you posted, love your content!

[@somanyfruitsmango9021]

The worst part about Ubisoft games is that you can tell they would be amazing if they weren't made by Ubisoft.

[@Buff_Cupcake]

Yessss I was hoping you would cover this game before Shadows arrives.