https://gamerant.com/assassins-creed-mirage-basim-mental-health-sleep-paralysis/Game Rant speaks with Assassin's Creed Mirage narrative designer Sarah Beaulieu and actor Lee Majdoub about Basim's struggle with mental health.
Noble, good, struggling, hopeful, kindhearted, a "big brother," cheeky, and someone who puts others before himself are not words that would accurately describe Basim in
Assassin's Creed Valhalla, but these are just some words that
Assassin's Creed Mirage narrative director Sarah Beaulieu and actor Lee Majdoub, who voices the English version of Basim in
ACM, shared about the character this time around. As players step into the shoes of Basim in the release of
Assassin's Creed Mirage, they will quickly realize that these two versions of Basim are on opposite ends of the spectrum.
That doesn't mean, however, that
Assassin's Creed Mirage's Basim is a "good guy" and that
Assassin's Creed Valhalla's Basim is a "bad guy," but it does speak to the complexities of the character, as the former eventually grows into the latter. One of those complexities is Basim's struggle with mental health, something perhaps surprising when set against ninth-century Baghdad. Yet, the truth is while mental health is more commonly spoken about and discussed today, it's something many folks have struggled with throughout history.
"It's a game about trauma," Beaulieu said, talking about
how Basim has dealt with his Djinni for so many years. It has haunted him since his youth, plaguing every night's sleep he's had for years. While he's not necessarily openly declaring he is struggling, those closest to Basim know - and the fact that he is even willing to talk about it, despite accompanying anxieties, is a testament to how important mental health is.
However, as Beaulieu explained, it's something truly adherent to the "show, don't tell" writing rule: "Having a character saying 'I'm afraid' is not very effective, right?" In fact, Basim's struggle with the Djinni comes from a real-world experience of Beaulieu's: sleep paralysis.
The way we framed it with the narrative, in ninth-century Baghdad and his specific visions, comes from a very personal experience, which is sleep paralysis. When you have to deal with trauma, fears in general but trauma especially, how does your body react to that, and how can we show that on screen in an effective way? ... You have to show these things, and these very specific moments of encountering the Djinni, but not being able to do anything except experience the fear, not being able to move to where we want, is something that was pretty obvious to me right away.
His struggles with the Djinni aside, Basim wants a better life for himself, for those closest to him, and for
the city of Baghdad. It is this internal light that drives him, as he believes he is meant to be more than a simple street thief. This played a key role in Majdoub's performance of Basim:
I wanted to bring this lightness to him because, you know, he starts off as a street thief and his goal is to become a Hidden One. He wants a better life and a better life for his loved ones. That's his motivation; he just wants to do better and knows he's meant for more. For me, like a lot of us, I think struggling and trying to figure out who we are with our identity and our place in the world is a big thing. And Basim's story is exactly that.
However, that ambition is not without its drawbacks. Basim will constantly put others before himself, that's just who he is in
Assassin's Creed Mirage, and this comes at the expense of himself. He's trying to find his way in the world and finds himself in Hidden Ones, figuring out his own identity, yet he still feels lonely. He is ready to do whatever it takes for the Creed, but his cockiness and ambition cover an underlying fear of failure, of deep-set trauma, and a need for validation that hold him back. As he grows, he is influenced by many in the Brotherhood, including of course his mentor
Roshan last seen in Assassin's Creed Valhalla, but those influences are not always the best thing for him. There's a simple life question Basim struggles with, at least in this regard, according to Beaulieu:
"Can you even do things for others if you don't know how to care about yourself?"
The tragedy of Basim's life trajectory, as many players are no doubt aware of
his "ending" in Assassin's Creed Valhalla, comes from a good place - and whatever happens to his internal light sets an otherwise good character down a very dark road. It seems his light gets snuffed out at some point, but from this tragedy comes something very important: relatability. Basim is not a good character boldly walking around declaring his nobility, nor is the later version of Basim an evil guy for evil's sake. As Beaulieu explained, "We all have fears, and we all have trauma. We all have things to deal with, and you were talking about identity, which is huge. I really hope that players will connect with Basim in that way because that's how he was built, written, and performed."
It'll be interesting to see how Basim's tragedy, mental health, and trauma serve as a conduit for that player relatability come
Assassin's Creed Mirage's release. But it seems undeniable that Basim offers some form of commentary on mental health, come whatever may.
Assassin's Creed Mirage releases October 5 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. An iPhone 15 Pro port is slated for early 2024.
