Assassin's Creed Mirage's Saudi-Backed Valley of Memory Expansion Looks a Generous Free Side-Quest — Though Not One Many Fans Would Have Asked For

Ask a instrumentality if they privation to spot much of Assassin's Creed Mirage leader Basim, and you'll apt get a resounding yes successful response. One of the astir intriguing characters successful the franchise's caller history, Basim already ranks among the fewer of its hooded heroes to look successful aggregate games — successful 2020's Valhalla arsenic a cardinal figure, and past successful 2023's Mirage which featured a younger mentation of the quality arsenic its star.

The destiny of Basim post-Valhalla remains a signficant hanging crippled thread, portion fans person besides yearned to spot much of the quality betwixt the events of the 2 games (such arsenic his gathering with Valhalla quality Sigurd successful Constantinople, centuries earlier Ezio visited the city). But Ubisoft seems uninterested successful entertaining either script portion cooking up caller Basim content, alternatively moving connected a caller communicative section without immoderate other lore for the Hidden Ones, and thing that mightiness interaction the series' modern day.

Five years connected from his archetypal introduction, Basim's communicative volition proceed successful Valley of Memory, a side-story acceptable wrong the events of Mirage itself. Launching for escaped connected November 18, the enlargement volition spot Basim sojourn AlUla, present a UNESCO World Heritage tract successful modern time Saudi Arabia.

Why an excursion to what is present Saudi Arabia? And wherefore for free? It's hard to ideate immoderate Assassin's Creed instrumentality speechmaking this not drafting their ain conclusions, pursuing aggregate reports which person discussed the expansion's backing by Saudia Arabia's arguable Public Investment Fund, which has invested successful a increasing array of video crippled companies, and past week formed portion of the $55 cardinal woody that volition spot EA spell private.

Publicly, Ubisoft has shied distant from discussing the expansion's funding, though antecedently told IGN that it had retained implicit originative power implicit Valley of Memory's content. Internally, however, Ubisoft has reportedly responded to concerns from developers by drafting a favoritism betwixt Saudia Arabia's ruler Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the PIF itself, whose seat is besides Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

To perceive Ubisoft archer it, AlUla was simply a determination Mirage's squad wanted to explore. "AlUla has ever impressed america and was considered for the main crippled alternatively of Baghdad," shaper Vincent Maulandi-Rabbione said during a caller presumption to press, attended by IGN. "We had entree to experts, resources, archeologists, portion maintaining a implicit originative state connected however we would make the content."

Certainly, AlUla seems to acceptable visually with the Assassin's Creed series' consciousness of exploration and parkour. The tract features thousands of years worthy of past for players to larn about, and geographically it's lone arsenic distant from Baghdad arsenic Mirage's existing sequences acceptable wrong the Assassin fortress of Alamut. But portion the conception of AlUla whitethorn person existed connected a whiteboard wrong Bordeaux during Mirage's archetypal improvement years ago, creation manager Florian Salomez told IGN that nary existent enactment connected the portion began until Valley of Memory's improvement began past year.

Discussing the content's main concept, Salomez said the expansion's communicative added "a caller portion to Basim's coming of property story, and wherefore helium chooses the way that yet specify him." (Oddly, it volition besides beryllium Bordeaux's 2nd Assassin's Creed add-on astir a protagonist searching for a long-lost genitor successful arsenic galore months, pursuing its enactment starring Assassin's Creed Shadows enlargement Claws of Awaji.)

"Before his last ngo successful Baghdad, and earlier the bid of events that pb to the extremity of the game, Basim hears astir his long-lost begetter Is'haq," originative manager Olivier Leonardi said. "[He] is mentioned successful the crippled galore times, and he's adjacent mentioned successful Valhalla. We cognize helium abandoned Basim arsenic a kid aged 7. Now, Basim hears Is'haq whitethorn inactive beryllium live successful the wondrous vale of AlUla. It's truthful important to him, that helium goes connected this agelong travel to get answers."

Valley of Shadow sounds subtantial, which makes its summation for escaped each the much surprising. Ubisoft estimates it contains astir six hours of caller gameplay dispersed crossed a caller in-game portion with 5 districts. Familiar Mirage ngo types are back, alongside caller missions wherever you pursuit down stolen goods and summation opportunities to larn astir AlUla itself.

Alongside each of that, the Valley of Memory update volition adhd respective improvements to the main Mirage experience, not slightest an impressive-looking situation mode that lets you replay missions from some the caller enlargement and the main Mirage run with further objectives, which feels a batch similar the franchise's classical 'Full Sychronization' rewards. There's a reward way to unlock further in-game items by investigating your prowess here, and you'll beryllium aided by further game-wide instrumentality upgrades that allow, for example, fume bombs to present dissolve bodies, oregon stroke darts to pierce armor.

As a escaped acquisition to fans, Valley of Memory feels generous — adjacent if its mounting and prime of storyline are not thing fans asked for.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social