Assassin's Creed Mirage is (mostly) what I wanted. 

MY CONTROLLER BINDINGS: Hold R2/RT: Sprint Hold R3: Assassin Focus Click R3: Eagle Vision Double-Tap Down DPAD: Heal Hold Down DPAD: Tool Wheel

No offense to other people reviewing this game, but watching someone who's actually good play this game makes it look so much better. I actually want to play this game now lol

Bordeaux needs to be allowed to make more games like this. They instantly became my favourite Ubisoft studio (still) working on AC.

Wow this is easily the most accurate AC Mirage review I’ve seen. Been a big fan of your work in the past but this reminds me how often I use your videos to demonstrate the AC potential. Job well done. And yes, I am one of those fans who held out hope that the movement would be better than what we clearly saw in the promo material lol

This is nice to hear as a classic fan. I think I’ll forever be in mourning for what AC was and it being gone, but it’s nice to see it’s not completely gone.

Incredible, in-depth video. Sets expectations accurately, provides hard anecdotal evidence and injects helpful tips throughout which I'm sure everyone watching will appreciate immensely. A required viewing for anyone on the fence for picking up the game, and a solidification of your channel as one of the premiere AC content creators on the platform. May coverage of this game bring you a lot of success

If they gave Bordeaux the resources this couldve been the game we had dreamed of! And yes everyone should immediately bind sprint to HOLD RT I have no idea why Ubi didnt do this in the first place FFS

My biggest complaint in the old showcases was how slow the strides were, and it actually looks like they sped it up quite nicely, I'm glad to see that they listened to what people were saying, if you're not gonna give us side and back ejects and ascent & descent parkour at least make what you have look and feel good, and they seem to have done it (to an extent)

I hope this game does exceedingly well because if it lets Ubisoft Bordeaux become the studio that makes classic AC experiences, with each release improving on the movement and stealth, that would make me so happy

Lot's of good stuff out today, but this is the video I was most looking forward to. Thoughtful and passionate as ever. Your musings on Basim and Nehal's relationship are especially encouraging! Great stuff as always.

As you said, you can really feel how much the devs cared and tried. And given the tools they had to make Mirage, it's such an impressive effort. Just good, honest AC, and I hope the game is successful enough to allow for more.

Imagine if Ubisoft Bordeaux had the time to create an AC game without the limitations of the RPG AC engine. Their game design screams old school AC. If they just had time, resources and creative freedom; I honestly think they could make a phenomenal AC game. Great video as always, Leo ❤

This is what you call setting the benchmarks for reviews. The depth, articulation, points covered, tips, insights along with fantastic gameplay bits. I am missing words to appreciate your hard work but this is pure gold from you! Love you Leo! ❤ You are a true Assassin man. And yeah, big cheers for Ubisoft!

Seeing the movement clips @ 4:28 reminded me of what I originally started doing parkour for. My original intent when first getting into it was proving that Origins parkour, while not nearly as in depth as old AC movement, still had potential that was limited by the map design. I practically forced the game to do things it obviously didn't want to. Here in Mirage however, it looks like those mechanics are actually somewhat encouraged, or at least the restrictions on them have been reduced significantly. Side ejecting doesn't exist like it used to (obviously) but it did exist to an extent in Origins and the game would behave strangely once you forced a proper one to happen (the most common issue was your character would jump to the side but the model would be facing the wrong direction xD) while here it looks much more consistent alongside the map design being much better. I had forgotten what my original goal was; to show the RPG parkour in a better light, and had ultimately given up on it in favor of AC3 and older AC's. Now I feel a bit reinvigorated to get Mirage and return to the "rpg" system and try my best to showcase it in the best possible way.

This is by far the best Mirage review I've seen. It's very easy to understand, you also bring up good points, and I like the optimism that you show towards the game. Other people are busy being frustrated and mad on how the movement feels magnetic or clunky at times, I'm just happy that we are finally getting an ASSASSIN'S creed game rather than being a 100+ hour RPG with 50-100+ levels for your character

After playing Mirage for over 30 hours my favorite part is the contracts. Doing a hit to gain gear or experience captures the essence of being an assassin. I hope future games retain this lesson. No more running around in the woods like a dhead to find treasure or skill points.

Thank you so much for all these amazing videos. I just got back into assassins creed having not played it from the beginning since I was about 8/9. I never realized how deep this franchise truly is

You know, at the start, when you mentioned, "Is this game anything like AC 1-Revelations?" Nah, it wasn't, and it never meant to be". But that's exactly how it was pitched - a throwback to the classics, not like Valhalla, Odyssey, or Origins. This really highlights a big issue with gaming standards. Why should a game in the PS5 era struggle to match the heights of the original classics from the PS3 era? Why is it so widely accepted that revisiting that original style, with the bold aim to surpass the originals while seamlessly blending in modern upgrades for a more immersive PS5 experience, feels near impossible? Unless we challenge and shift our expectations, Mirage is just gonna stay stuck in mediocrity, a faint echo of its former glory that relies on our nostalgia for a better time. If we're cool with that, then that's all we're gonna get. You're spot on in saying this feels the most Assassin's Creed since Unity. But let's be real, it's Valhalla with fewer bells and whistles, trying to wear AC 1's shoes. If we settle for this, it's what we'll keep getting.

"This is just Assassin's Creed" god that made me almost break into tears, I've been waiting to hear that for so long. Mirage is the most fun I've had with this series since Unity launched and I finished Black Flag. Great vid man ❤

Seeing someone describe something they love is so inspiring, i kinda feel like i got locked into AC Unity and that for me became the representation of the game. So whenever i'm feeling nostalgic i'm like "feel like downloading Unity again" because the environment and tematic of the game just makes me so happy. But after watching this i got really inspired to try Mirage just like i got inspired to try Unity when you used to review that so much. You really the voice of this game, whenever you speak we listen and listen carefully. Keep inspiring us all Leo.

This review made me fall in love with Mirage. Everything that I care about in a game is just there, simple as that. Can’t wait to play it, and thank you for this thorough analysis

This is the most complete AC Mirage review I've seen. You cover pretty much everything that I wanted to know, especially regarding to control configuration and movement. Thank you so much for covering this.

I wont lie i've never seen a review on any game as detailed and thoughtful as this one. I was hoping you would get early access and I am glad you did. You are the only person on youtube who's judgement I fully trust. Keep up the good work!

That clip at 5:09 is all i need to see! Even though it's not what i hoped, but the little kid in me jumped with excitement! Thank you for your straight to the point approach in this video! Always be the awesome and compassionate person that you are Leo, especially in this fandom. Keep it up man!

This is the only assassins creed mirage review that Matters because every other review does not get it like this guy 👏

this is like the prefect ac review for me you talk about exactly what i want to know. thank you also cant wait to play mirage myself and watch you streams

Genuinely the best take I’ve seen on this game. Well done!

Hey leo, they 100% referenced you in the game and even if this isn't referring specifically to you it at least should have. There is a tale of baghdad where you have to help a monk find a grave of a man he's looking for that he worships. The grave says, "Leo the Enlightened. His wisdom was only exceeded by his piousness." I just completed this and all I could think about is how the description fits you perfectly lol

Thank you Leo! You’ve discussed literally every niche feature I want from an AC

As always, a Leo K's video flies by no matter the runtime. I'm glad you took the time with this one, you can see and hear some considerations for Mirage in the grander scheme of the franchise I haven't got from other reviews or analysis

Just listened to this entire video while on a run. Great video, and thank you for basically covering everything possible😂 will be purchasing Mirage as soon as I get home, and just subbed also🙏🏻

Most reasonable and fair review from a classic AC fan

"The city has more chances that say yes to you for trying something clever. It doesn't always work. There will be moments where you'll wanna move in a way but the game just doesn't let you." So it IS like Unity after all?

Best review I've seen. Thank you for this. Hope Ubi watches it all the way through.

Having listened and watched every review I've been able to find I have liked yours best. In the leadup to the game you, Master Assassin, and a few others have expressed tempered views of the game. Almost every other reviewer and many comments indicate there was a really large group of people who fully expected Mirage to be something it was never advertised to be. Thanks for the controller configs from earlier too!

This is a wonderfully crafted review. Thank you!

You definitely got me a lil more interested in this than I expected, this may not be an AC1 or even a Unity but after watching this, I’d probably still have a decent time with this also the amount of depth this video goes into is staggering, this is definitely the most reliable video on this game rn

This is exactly the type of video I wanted, you even covered the matter of back- and side-ejects, I’ve been wondering about that one. To echo some sentiments here, I hope Bordeaux gets to make more ACs and Ubi does in fact produce projects that’ll appeal to different parts of the fan base rather than trying to impress everyone.

This is the best AC Mirage review I've seen. Well done, and thank you.

Coming into this game with realistic expectations it still looks soo good to me. Thank you for this in-depth review and showcase style video Leo. Well done.

Very in-depth, very insightful, and very genuine. Everything I love about your reviews/analyses. I just hope you didn't burn yourself out; the turnaround on something this long seemed pretty quick. As always with your more analytical content, I think almost anyone will find something useful to take away. AC fans are really lucky to have such a voice to look to.

WE CAN BIND SPRINT AS HOLD??? Seriously, why tf did nobody else mention it before? I've wanted this since Valhalla came out.

not even a big AC fan, I haven’t played since ACIII, but man the passion for your video really stands out and is what drew me. Keep up the excellent work i’m happy to see your video doing so good! I might even end up checking out Assassins Creed now for the first time in forever

Thank you. This is the exact video I was looking for - I just altered the button mapping and now I'm actually enjoying the movement. It was the one thing keeping me from playing

Fast pace the main story my first go, in which I completed the game. Now I am replaying the game and working my way with doing everything while taking my time with the story, doing contracts, collecting trinkets and all that stuff. Then exploring the map. Great game.

this review made me want to play the game. i was sort of leaning towards not, but now i think im going to. thanks. and this review is the best i've seen, i like the in depth on specific topics (stealth, combat, parkour, etc. basically the chapter names on the vid), and the tips and such. leo k is the favorite person for me to hear talk about the game. learned how to enjoy the old games with vids like your vault tutorial, old style ac parkour guide, ac unity guide vids and such.

Finally, my "Leo K talks about new AC game" fix is here. Most pleasant hour of my week so far.

Maaaaan you opened my eyes to usefullness of assassin focus! Thank you so much! Great content as usual!

Something I think we can all agree on but wasnt mentioned was the soundtrack across the board on this game absolutely phenomenal and honestly the best soundtrack in the series imo. Almost every track that is played throughout the game, even the pause and menu screen, all just fits the aesthetic of the atmosphere making it really feel like you're in 9th century Bagdad. The sound team of the AC games rarely miss but they really dug into this game so I just needed to give my appreciation to them aswell.

Awesome video Leo, I really enjoyed it and props to you for being completely fair and honest with your audience. This is the only Mirage review that any old AC fan needs.

Finally got the time to watch this and I’m so glad I did, even though I played the game already I loved hearing your insights.

What an incredible abd detailed review! You've answerd literally all of my questions even ones i didn't know that i needed or thought of! Brilliant 👏🏽👌🏼

The Mentor has spoken

Another notion for Button remapping: Put Assassination on a different button than combat attack. The Assassinate prompt shows up late quite often. Blew my cover a couple of times in the first hours because I just did a combat attack, as the game didn't prompt Assassinate yet. I personally put it on L3 (had eagle vision on that before), together with "readjust camera", as that wouldn't do any harm in a stealth situation.

thank you so much for this video man! I'm speechless, thank you so much!

The upload I've been waiting for the most for this game, and it's 55 minutes long! A true blessing from the master himself.

Just finished watching the whole thing. I really love watching you. Theres something about your personality that makes me feel comfortable and homely when watching you. Specially loved your AC Unity story playthrough. Hope you do the same style of playthrough with mirage. A little bit about myself is that I've loved this series for 8 longs years without ever getting to play it myself due to my family never owning a PC nor WiFi.I grew up watching the RU-vidrs play the game on 360p to save mobile data. Assassin's Creed always fascinated me. Being from a very small town in a very small third world country, I never got to learn about foreign culture or ancient history and civilization from school. The books are mostly filled with good things about the current tyrannical ruler. AC really showed me the history. History was our playground, hanging out with Leonardo DaVinci??? Cmon!! Beautiful architectures from different time periods, remaking of historical landmarks and cities long gone... Then parkour!! The movement!! The philosophy that we shouldn't stop learning how to move through this world just when after learning how to walk on our two feets but to find the most coolest, badassest way possible, defying gravity. Genetic engineering allowing you to relive history! Amazing soundtracks! Characters like Ezio! Edward Kenway! The only game I've ever been obsessed with and you,Leo K the best AC RU-vidr. Well now I just spent all of my savings for going to college and bought a laptop instead (to hopefully also make a living out of it,in a strange time of my life) So yeah!!! ABOUT TO ACTUALLY PLAYYY ASSASSIN'S CREED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE AFTER 8 LONG YEARS OF LOVING IT!!! SO STOCKED but theres also some wounds by loving Well that was one hell of a rant, knowing you, you also love to rant. Hope you read this. Hope you have an amazing life ahead. Always loved your company, wish you talked about others things in life too like how to actually live and how to be an adult, wish you were there for me to explain everything about life. May fog shroud you, may stars light your way, and may the night keep you safe ❤

been around since AC1 & i really thought the lack of intentional side/back ejects would be my make or break point. Surprised to say that, while lacking, all the other surrounding facets of the game are SO STRONG that i can’t help but love this game. If it had the parkour system that i wanted (Ac1 or Ezio trilogy or Unity) this would perhaps be a top 5 game in the franchise for me. Still early, only killed 1st assassination targets & just leveling up on some contracts right now. But if the story can hold up this will easily be my fav entry in years!

This was such an amazing review that speaks directly to me, Thank you🥰

This might be one of best breakdowns I watched

It's really sad to see how some people that expected Unity 2 basically are trashing game because of too high expectations :( Thanks for detailed review and your work, it really helps to understand what kind of game it is and what I can expect

HA! Finally a review by someone who knows what he's talking about & gives useful tips, instead of being an obnoxious, click-baiting troll. Well done.

Stealth has always been my favorite part of the AC games, so this review has me VERY excited!

Thank you for this amazing review and your tip on binding sprint. I often found the movement to be so frustrating and inconsistent as Basim would randomly stop sprinting and go to a light jog.

So 55 Minutes later im finished with the video. Honestly this just confirmed what I was hoping for and what I was expecting. And this is enough. Especially gameplay which is probably my favorite factor seems to outstand. Treviso allready proved it. Cant wait to get my hands on this tomorrow morning and do some Reapers on it later. One thing im mostly disappointet is that the animation seem to random which could lead in break of flow.

Thank you for being honest, and transparent, and speaking in the perspective of your intended audience. Thank you for tempering expectations from the very beginning, and producing such a genuine and full of heart, perceptive, and in-depth video on this game. This instills a feeling of confidence and excitement in AC that I haven't felt in a very long time, and I'm sorry to be speaking like such an old guard here but...AC should've never been an RPG. This is what we've been waiting for and thank you to Ubi Bordeaux for making such a thing possible.

The moment I fell in love with this game was the first time I saw the Damascus Gate. One of only four gates into the Round City, closely watched by the Caliph's men for any trespassers. One does not simply walk into the district of Baghdad's upper class. You can try to climb in above the eyes of the guards, use tools to distract and sneak around them, bribe some townspeople to help you enter, or fight your way inside. Either way, you're not getting in for free and it won't be easy. These gates are my favorite locations in Mirage. Such an immersive way to block the endgame district from a new player, while also encouraging the brave ones to challenge themselves. I love the walls and checkpoints that you need to pass through to get to a different district. In most AC games you can just avoid the restricted areas when freeroaming, but in this one stealth is organically part of navigating the world.

13 mins in and this is already the best review i've seen of the game. From one og AC fan to another, good job man. I'm glad ac is at least taking steps in the right direction. I'm hoping this is a start to the next era of ac. I'll probably be buying Mirage. Thanks for the video.

Unfortunately, i'm one of those people that finds Mirage just isn't good enough. I'm faaar too tired to be pulled back in only to be burnt alive again either by the series, Ubisoft, and/or the RPG-fanbase, so much so that the *only* way to win me over is to be selfish about it and say "it must check-listed every single thing i wanted in a package". Otherwise, i'm happy i've moved on. HOWEVER, i sincerely hope lots of people buy it in my place so it sold really well. Because from how the devs speak of it, it's beginning more and more to sound like this is the only time they'll get to do classic AC ever again. Which from the way the series are looking by the upcoming projects, looks like it is.

While I respect Reviewers like skill up, if people want a true review they need to watch Leo and the review by MasterAssassin. Skill up in my opinion missed the mark in that review and it disappoints me that most will watch it.

Coming back to the franchise after many many years and this game seems like a breath of fresh air! Great video, its made me look forward to buying this game and as always, your content is simply something else!

Thanks for the vid Leo, you're the best in this biz. The marksmen remind me of drone jammers in Ghost Recon Wildlands. Early bases are easy pickings for your drone, but later on you start having to first locate and take out the jammers in order to get your eyes in the sky.

Thank you for this video, I really like the points you covered and you were really reasonable, you adressed the bad points that could be improved and covered greatly all this game has to offer. I played the early assasin's creed and really liked them (especially the 2). I took a big pause and later in life wanted to feel that experience again with today's quality of games, so I decided to buy Origins. And I was totally dissapointed to what it had become, it almost wasn't assasin's creed anymore. I didn't even complete the game because of how boring it was, I didn't sign up for that. Now that I played this game I can really feel more of a more classic assasin's creed than the 3 previous ones who, let's be frank, are just rpg games with the AC etiquette. I like the direction they're taking, hopefully the next ones will take the same direction.

This series is everything to me, i’m crying typing this just because with clarity i finally appreciate every entry individually without my perspective being made bitter by depression. It feels so so good to just be happy with the way things are!

Great review, pretty much exactly what I wanted to hear with the expectations I had of the game. Basim in Valhalla is genuinely my favorite Assassin in the franchise, so I'm hoping I can connect to this younger version as well. I THINK I will, since some of my favorite Basim lines in Valhalla were dialogue from the Cent arc when he talked about his youth and how much he sought out knowledge and wisdom. Also really glad to see that despite the simplicity of the parkour, it's more possible to have fun with it in Baghdad. The game just being designed around the fantasy of being an Assassin is just such a refreshing thing after so long.

This is a wonderful review. What you've achieved as a commentator and as a professional is really remarkable. Bravo!

4:52 wait is that a mini side eject?!!

I wish the hidden blade kill animations were a bit quicker, it looks like it takes sometimes up to 4- 5 seconds for the animation to end so you can start moving again... from how Basim sneaks up on the enemy, goes for the stab and then holds a standing pose for a while before he crouches down again and lets you control him.

This is how everyone should make their reviews. Such a fine work, thanks a lot man. Almost 99% of reviews out there are made from emotion and that is not reliable.

All i have to say….SUBSCRIBED. Thank you for truly giving this game a chance, trying things, changing you point of view. That’s what reviewing really is, I’m so hype to play

Leo, please share your tips with us. I love your vids. You sharing how to properly play is what got me to love these games. I cannot move like you show in the video. :)

Really well-thought review! I really like the fact that we can customize the controller layout to better match the older games now. As you pointed out, having sprint as hold, and on RT, really does improve the experience quite a lot.

So for those confused as to how the parkour works, AC used an animation canceling system up until AC Rogue, although it was quite stripped down in AC3, AC4, and AC Rogue compared to AC1-AC Revelations. The animation canceling system allows you to cancel an action mid-animation with another input during its active frames (such as when you're at the peak when running up a flat wall). It's why you can do things like manual side jumps easily in AC1-AC Revelations. For AC Unity and beyond, the parkour system functions on an animation priority system. The key to knowing how parkour works in AC Mirage is knowing the priority system of the animation for parkours. Consistently pulling off side-ejects in Mirage means knowing what allows side ejects in the first and place and setting yourself in the correct position on the fly to allow it to happen. And yes, it is as limiting as it sounds. You're essentially at the mercy of the animation priority system, but knowing what the priority system entails can get you quite far in Mirage. AC Unity's system had a problem of trying to do WAY too many things at once, and would have benefitted from being mixed together with the old system's animation cancels. One of the biggest problems with Unity's system was also that there were SO MANY animations that the animation priority system often confuses itself on what you want to do. How the parkour system worked in AC1-ACR is actually almost like how a fighting game combo works. Certain actions allow you to cancel into different inputs, and the animation it cancels into will depend on your input and the result. For example, in Street Fighter, Ryu will always be able to cancel the animation of his heavy punch attack into a Hadouken fireball attack during its active frames as it hits an opponent. The same principles apply in older ACs, where if Ezio does a run up the wall, he will always be able to cancel the animation of his wall run into a side or back jump during its active frames. Additionally, if Ryu gets interrupted while doing his Hadouken fireball, his attack animation will cancel into an animation of him getting hurt. If not, then he will enter his recovery frames (the transition back to his idle stance). The same applies in older AC games, where if you do a back jump to empty air, the jump animation will continue and you will land to the ground (this is the recovery frames). But if you do a back jump and there's a ledge behind you, the jump animation will be canceled into the animation for grabbing ledges (the recovery frame is canceled altogether). In short, it's a very responsive and CONSISTENT system, even if it doesn't look natural all the time. It is intuitive to control though. AC Unity until up to AC Mirage largely ditches that in favor of an animation priority system that prioritizes smoothness and spectacle, which is closer to games like Uncharted. Unlike Uncharted however, AC is an open world game, not a linear platformer/action game where most of the player's interactions with the game world can be tailored and anticipated by the devs. As a result, the system can become overburdened and confuses itself on what it has to prioritize based on your inputs and positioning, which is why it feels like you're fighting the game half of the time in AC Unity.

Thanks for recommending binding right trigger to sprint. I simply swapped tool selection with sprint and the game feels so much better. I also really recommend people turning off the compass and use Enkidu for navigating. The only real down side is you can’t see the wanted posters but I actually like it because you basically have to find them yourself using eagle vision while trying not to draw guards attention.

Awesome in-depth video!!

Great review Leo! Thanks

Thank you Leo. I’ve been waiting for this review :)

Your video made me buy the game. Thanks!

Yes! The review I was looking for! 10 mins in and I already liked the video :)

Thank you so much for this dude, I'm so happy that you got a lot of enjoyment out of it. I'm glad this game turned out well, just put it to Dl, can't wait to dive in!😅

Fantastic review! love the breakdown with game mechanics.

Everything I'm seeing here is making me so happy. I'm looking forward to playing this game tonight!

Such a great review. You talked about everything i wanted to know more about, and now I'm actually excited to play this game! I hope the team actually sees this so they see that we appreciate what they've done right and realize what needs more improvement. Overall, I'm actually genuinely happy with what we got, it's not perfect (and it was never gonna be), but the devs made so many of the right choices and i can really appreciate that. I hope ubisoft gives ubi bordeaux more recourses for their next game, because they really did a good job with this. Also, looking forward to that sweet mirage stream!

Adore this game. Changing the controls helps tremendously

Best review I've seen of the game, focusing on all that matters in great detail.

Ohh a perfect lunch video, can’t wait to check it out

Man I recently found your channel and I love it! I just started the second episode of your ac2 live stream on the free weekend and I gotta say I would appreciate a play through or let’s play of these games from you for sure

my collectors edition just came in the mail today and after i got to Alamut i immediately got so happy simply from seeing so many brother and sister hidden ones/assassins, this is the first time since ac 1 where ive felt like the brotherhood is alive and even that little part of the game made me finally really feel like an assassin in a way no game has made me feel in a long time. As always great video Leo, ive been watching this in the background while i played and now im gonna go watch your twitch vod of u playing it to hear ur perspective on things some more lol. looking forward to those tool mod build videos!

Great vid I Really like how in depth this video is .

Absolute amazing review. Great job as always, Leo! You are a master of your craft.