Assassin’s Creed Mirage (iOS)

Listen to this post:

Let’s be honest, when you think of Apple products, gaming isn’t one of the words that comes to mind. I have to give them credit though as they’ve been putting in work to change that, starting with last year’s port of Resident Evil Village that looked and ran just as well as its PC and console counterparts, with the exception of a lower framerate and some graphic options.

This is thanks to Apple’s new system on a chip series starting with their M1 chip released in 2020 that allows their mobile products to have close to mid-range gaming PC power on the go. The latest title to make use of this power is Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Mirage, which looks and runs amazing given the platform it’s running on.

via YouTube

Our own Cory Galliher reviewed Mirage back when it was released on PC and consoles last year, and you can check out his review for all the plot details and his take on the game as I go into mine here. I’m in agreement with Cory’s review as you can clearly tell Ubisoft was going for the more classic AC titles vibe than the more recent, action-packed entries such as Odyssey and Valhalla.

I actually enjoyed this though as it’s fun sneaking your way around objectives and finding ways to accomplish them without being detected. But let’s get to the real point of this review, how does it run?

To say that my jaw was nearly on the floor after seeing the game is an understatement. When I first loaded it up on my new 13-inch, 6th generation iPad Air with the retooled M2 chip, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The graphics remind me of the PlayStation 4 Pro era mixed in with some gaming PC effects such as ray-tracing, bloom, and more.

Some people will gripe about it running at 30fps, but it runs consistently at that framerate and seriously feels like there’s some kind of sorcery going on as you’ll be in constant disbelief at watching a game look and run this good on a thin slab of technology without overheating (though it will tax your battery). Oh and do yourself a favor and use a wireless controller when playing as the touchscreen controls don’t cut it, though I’ll give Ubisoft props for trying and making them highly customizable.

For who wondering if it’ll run on the Apple devices you already have, this will only work on the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPad Air and the iPad Pro with a M1 chip or later. I also like how Ubisoft is letting people play the first part of the game for free and can purchase the full version for $50, but as of this writing it’s currently 50% off at $24.99.

Another sweet bonus is that cross-progression is supported, granted you sign in with your Ubisoft Connect account. This means you can easily port over your saves from your PC or console versions so you don’t have to start over from the beginning, or can compare how it looks and runs, etc.

If you enjoyed Assassin’s Creed Mirage on your PC and consoles, now you can take it on the go with your iOS mobile devices. As long as you don’t mind 30fps and have a controller and charger nearby, you’ll have just as much fun on this version, if not more so thanks to being in constant awe of having something this intensive running on your small, thin Apple device.