Fans of the original Assassin’s Creed and its blue colour palette will be able to turn on a “nostalgic” filter in Assassin’s Creed Mirage.
When the original Assassin’s Creed launched in 2007, it’s doubtful that even Ubisoft could have predicted that it would still be such a huge franchise 15 years later. But this October, Assassin’s Creed Mirage will serve as both a current-gen sequel and a 15th anniversary nod to the series’ lineage, with a more contained campaign designed as a self-described return to Assassin’s Creeds 2000s roots.
For those with fond memories of 2007’s Assassin’s Creed – and in particular its washed-out, steely colour palette – there’s good news. As revealed in an article on Game Informer, Ubisoft Bordeaux has added a “nostalgic” Assassin’s Creed 1 filter to Assassin’s Creed Mirage. Turn it on, and the streets of 9th century Baghdad will take on take on a blue hue markedly like the one seen in the first game’s depiction of the Holy Land circa 1191 AD.
“We know players, and I’m one of those players, have a nostalgic feeling [for Assassin’s Creed’s colour palette],” artistic director Jean-Luc Sala told Game Informer. “They have a purpose in AC1. But we wanted to show this setting in this lighting and say, ‘It’s there if you want it.’ It’s just like playing L.A. Noire in black and white or Ghost of Tsushima with the Kurosawa filter.”
You can see the filter in action in the video above – and it really does have that low-contrast feel of the first Assassin’s Creed. We’re not sure how many people will actually use it, but it’s an affectionate inclusion nonetheless.
In line with its more compact design, Assassin’s Creed Mirage will take around 20 to 24 hours to complete according to lead producer Fabian Salamon. That’ll be music to the ears for those of us who enjoyed but struggled to find time to uncover everything in the vast maps of, say, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla or Odyssey.
Assassin’s Creed: Mirage is due out on 12 October for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
