AC Mirage - Valley of Memory: Completed!
The DLC released for the second anniversary of AC Mirage revealed itself to be a profound experience. The following post will explore the phases of this new extension, how the storyline of the DLC is told to the player (spoilers ahead)...
Earlier this month, I finally managed to sit down and load the AC Mirage - Valley of Memory.
The DLC released for the second anniversary of AC Mirage revealed itself to be a profound experience. The following post will explore the phases of this new extension, how the storyline of the DLC is told to the player (spoilers ahead), and how Ubisoft has delivered one of the most beautiful send-offs I have seen on my gaming screen.
When Dervis acquires a stolen painting from a Bedouin merchant, Basim confirms the likelihood of it having been produced by his long-lost father, Is’haq. Exiled to Al-Ula by the Khalifa many years ago, Basim wonders whether his father might still be alive.
Dervis warns our protagonist that his father has most likely passed away, but understands Basim’s need to uncover the truth. As a seasoned merchant, Dervis knows the area quite well and agrees to accompany Basim on this journey...
After travelling to this remote region, Basim and Dervis settle in a nomadic camp near a luxurious oasis. After voicing his fears about finding his father’s tomb, Dervis comforts him and reminds him that he will be there, no matter the outcome of the quest.
After visiting the nearby cemetery, Basim realises his father is still alive and has been kidnapped by a group of local thugs. Investigating his father’s footsteps through the beautiful region of Al-Ula, Hegra, the Southern and Northern Wilds, the Valley of Stones, and the Old Town, Basim collects intel about the brigands, their location, and how to infiltrate their bastion with the aim to rescue his parent from certain death... Nothing out of the ordinary for an Assassin’s Creed questline, per se.
As the quest progresses, Basim explores stages of resentment for being abandoned as a young child, he questions the part he might have played in this decision, re-examines the trauma of his separation from his father, and finds a surge of loyalty towards him as he understands the peril he now faces in the claws of a brutal and sadistic tyrant. Going through this emotional journey, Basim comes to understand the depth of his love for his father, something that gradually appears stronger than any regret or resentment he carried through his formative years and to this point as an adult.
As we crawl, air-assassinate, sleep dart and hidden-blade stab our way through the final level, which is impressive in both scale and difficulty, we finally step foot in the tower where Is’haq is kept hostage, and face his captor: Nimlot. Here we meet the heir of Basim’s first assassination: the son of Al Ghul, now claiming reparation - one father for another.
As Nimlot explains his motives in a tense monologue, we revisit the assassination of Al Ghul at the hands of Basim in the first part of AC Mirage. The use of Nimlot’s unique vantage point in the scene shows a young man, now turned fatherless, fleeing the scene in anguish, only to grow into the resentful and powerful leader he is now.
This antagonist, created by the fated hand of Basim, acts as a polarised version of our beloved protagonist, showing the dark path Basim could take should his thirst for revenge overtake his moral ground (not that the trail of countless dead NPCs seems to matter much in the cosmic scale at this point). It also show the causation of this mission, and involves his accountability towards the fate of his own father.
Time and effort have finally paid off for Nimlot, and his plan can now deliver on the death of Basim’s father - at last! ...if only Basim were not so good at his job.
R1!
One keystroke later, Nimlot is dead on the floor of the tower, telling Basim to “enjoy his prize” and to “choke on it”. This intriguing choice of final words is followed by a surprising realisation: Is’haq is a very frail old man, confused and most certainly in shock after the events of his capture. As Basim stares into his eyes to comfort him as a loving son, his father simply stands up and leaves the room at once.
Now back to safety and resting around a campfire, Basim realises his father is suffering from cognitive decline - now unable to realise his son is standing next to him. Basim listens to his father’s tale and the relationship he has with his young son (Basim. himself) - a boy eager to create wooden toys and to follow in his footsteps. Love his shared in the eyes of Basim and the voice of Is'haq, but their mutual sentiments will never meet in the bitter-sweet tragedy of this moment affected by the erosion of time and the loss of sanity. As the conversation continues later into the night, Is’haq confesses that his time is coming soon, and that he would love to see the sunrise above the local monuments - especially the Tomb of Hayyan.
Basim offers to accompany his father on this final journey. On their way up the sandy trail, Is’haq shares the fragile fragments of a life soon to fade into memory, until he steps away from the path and disappears into the light of the rising sun above the desert. In this poignant farewell, Basim finally lets go of the resentment he has carried over the years, only to surrender to an unspoken love for the man he once knew as his father.
As the DLC closes on this emotional tale, it is clear this segment of Basim’s story was important for his character development as it offers him a chance to close a chapter of his past, and step into the next chapter of his adventurous life - with more love in his heart than expected.
AC Mirage: Valley of Memory feels very intimate and personal, exploring the themes of inter-generational conflict, father-and-son dynamics and expectations, the friction between resentment and unconditional love, the effect of time on memory and cognitive health, as well as the improbability of closure from past trauma - as in real life.
I left this 7 hours + experience moved and grateful for exploring this precious segement of Basim's life, reflecting on the relationship I had with my own father and the many things left unsaid between us.
Thank you to the team at Ubisoft Bordeaux (and associated branches) for sharing this unique chapter of Basim’s past, and for honouring Is’haq's character with such a moving send-off.
This last walk through the dunes hit me in ways I did not expect.
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Mentioned in this article: Assassin’s Creed Mirage, AC Mirage, Valley of Memory, AC Mirage DLC, Assassin’s Creed Mirage Valley of Memory, Valley of Memory review, AC Mirage DLC review, Basim, Basim Ibn Ishaq, Is’haq, Basim’s father, AlUla, Ubisoft Bordeaux, Assassin’s Creed story analysis, AC Mirage narrative analysis, Basim character development, father and son story, estranged father, generational trauma, forgiveness in video games, emotional storytelling in games, video game narrative design, open-world storytelling, action-adventure games, Assassin’s Creed lore, Al Ghul, Nimlot, Tomb of Hayyan, gaming article, game review, DLC ending explained, Valley of Memory ending, narrative review, video game character arc, Ubisoft games, Assassin’s Creed Mirage anniversary DLC
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