Unity felt like a true Assassins Creed - Mirage feels off

Been getting back into AC titles lately and here are my thoughts.

For context, I played AC2 through ACBback when they were releasing and absolutely loved them. Ezio, Renaissance Italy, the whole vibe. What made those games special for me wasn’t just the story or the mechanics, it was the feeling that the city existed independently of you. You were an outsider operating within it, working from the shadows while life carried on around you. The crowds weren’t there for you, they were just there, and that made blending into them feel earned.

Recently went through Unity for the first time and was honestly surprised by how much it nailed that same feeling. The stealth is great, the parkour was both fluid and aesthetically pleasing (bonus points for me), but more than anything that dark, brooding Paris hits the same note as Renaissance Italy did. Tall dense buildings, historic landmarks, seamless house interiors (!!!), a city that feels indifferent to you. You genuinely feel like you’re working for the brotherhood, not just playing a power fantasy.

Then I played Mirage. And I really wanted to enjoy it after hearing good reviews.

The NPCs feel like they’re hardwired to notice you. Every rooftop you’re on, every alley you slip through, someone’s clocking you. The buildings are low and flat which kills the parkour flow but also destroys that sense of elevation and separation from the crowd. Instead of feeling like a ghost moving above the city, you’re just among people, constantly. The desert setting doesn’t help either. Open and exposed, working in the light. It strips away everything that made the assassin fantasy feel cool for me. And the graphics somehow don’t help either, there’s something about the art style and lighting that just looks flat compared to the character of the older titles.

Unity felt like AC. Mirage feels like a different franchise with stealth gameplay, closer to something like Ghost of Tsushima than classic AC. Even the HUD and the general animus aesthetic that gave the old games their identity feels watered down.

Story wise both are pretty forgettable honestly, but I still like Unity’s implementation of Assassins vs Templars more.

Anyone else feel this way or am I just romanticising the older games?​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​