It’s been thirteen years since Assassins Creed released many peoples favourite title in the series; Black Flag. The classic returns with a remake title Resynced. Can this new version of the game live up to the legend? Or should it walk the plank?
A Swashbuckling Adventure
I have loved the Assassin’s Creed series ever since the second game captured my imagination, but my all time favourite is Black Flag. The combination of a pirate’s story, intertwined with discovering a hidden assassins’ society is magic on screen. I fell in love with sailing the seas a long time ago. I was both excited and nervous when Ubisoft announced Black Flag Resynced. Could this remake ruin the near perfect image I once had of this game? Thankfully, absolutely not. Whilst there are some minor frustrations with changes, for the most part this is a superb remake of an already magnificent game.
What makes the story of Black Flag so memorable is the protagonist Edward Kenway and his story. Once a privateer who became a pirate, Kenway is thrust into the centuries long battle between Assassins and Templars by pure chance. To me, this is the strongest story in the series as it drip feeds lore and context of the assassins for both Edward and the player. This allows you to fully experience Edward’s journey at the same pace as he does. It’s a swashbuckling adventure which takes Kenway across the seas as he seeks to uncover the truths of the hidden mysteries. The updated graphics and cutscenes only bolster dramatic effect. This remains Ubisoft’s best narrative in the series to date.
New Content On These Shores
The story has been tweaked since the original, and for the better, in my opinion. Additional content characters such as Blackbeard are woven into the narrative more tightly than before. New missions based around characters like Lucy Baldwin and Tobias Smith add great moments to an already action packed tale. Ubisoft estimates around six hours of new content for these additional characters has been added. These new character missions serve as a perfect complementary arc to Kenway’s main tale and I loved every single second of it! The introduction of revamped mission structures work superbly as they restructure tedious tail missions that had plagued the earlier titles in the series.
Then there’s the changes with the game’s future timeline. In the original game, players would have to complete these first person segments as an Abstergo employee. I fall into the category which despised these moments. So you can imagine my joy when these moments have been removed in favour of a more subtle approach. These are in the form of glyphs and rifts which help you piece together videos from a hidden messenger in Abstergo. For me, this approach is a superb way of retelling those painfully long futuristic storyline sections.
A (Revamped) Pirates Life For Me
At its core, Black Flag Resynched is the ultimate pirate simulator. As usual, you control Kenway from a third person perspective as you sail the seas and plunder treasure. Ubisoft has made a concerted effort to retool combat and stealth, with mixed results. Combat has been changed dramatically from the original game. It’s more free flowing than before, with a new parry system, but in some ways it’s a step backwards. Combat can feel much more hack and slash and repetitive, compared to the original. Some will love it but I had a mixed experience. The removal of the hidden blade as a weapon in hand to hand combat is baffling to me. There are some positives though, with the retool quick items allowing unique and free flowing combos to occur. The modernised HUD also drastically helps items to be used more efficiently.
Stealth remains extremely smooth and tight and is the bedrock of the franchise but it has had some new tweaks. As previously mentioned, the revamped tailing and eavesdropping sections are so much smoother that it’s such a breath of fresh air. I used to dread those missions but these feel a lot more fluid and streamlined. Combat and stealth can also be tweaked with a variety of accessibility settings which drastically alter difficulties. I’ll never be against great accessibility.
Do We Have Our Heading?
Whilst combat has garnered mixed results, one thing for certain is that naval combat and exploration have never been better. Naval combat feels so complex and dynamic; it’s a real chess match each time you engage in a shootout with another ship. The dynamic weather system accentuates this feeling dramatically. The Jackdaw starts as a weak and puny ship but as you upgrade and improve, it becomes an absolute monster. New additions to the naval officers add new abilities and quests, adding even more content to a package dripping with it. Fighting the legendary ships remains the pinnacle of the combat which will test your strategic wit. Capturing forts feels even more cinematic than before with new landing sequences. A superb effort.
Exploration and traversal are also stellar in Black Flag Resynced. Underwater exploration has been improved drastically and with the new graphic power of the Anvil engine, it’s simply magical. Swimming through the gorgeous waters is breath-taking. Running, climbing and swimming are smooth and satisfying. I used to despise the moment where Ezio or Edward would jump in a different way to my input, but with Resynced everything feels so smooth and lifelike. This is Assassin’s Creed at its best.
The Beauty Of The Sea
Let’s get straight to it. Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynched is one hell of a beautiful game! Blood explodes wickedly during assassinations, whilst smoke roars from cannons after firing. Every location is dripping in colour and detail as Edward explores wreckages, cities, islands and more. This is a vibrant world that you sail around and in many ways the sea is the star. The water animations and mechanics are some of the best you’ll ever see. I could stare at the water all day long as it washes up on the beautifully rendered shore. Animations are crisp and fluid. This is the best Assassins Creed game to date. The one downside to visual presentation is some bugs and glitches that occurred during my time, but hopefully these can be swiftly ironed out.
Similarly, the audio design and soundtrack are a rip roaring ride! The swooshing and clanging of swords sounds positively delightful, whilst taking the leap of faith always brings a smile to my face. The stellar voice acting has been expanded with the new content adding new life to an already wonderful cast. The sea shanties sound as beautiful as they once did; I could listen to the crew singing all day long. Add in a beautiful action packed soundtrack that peaks at the right moments and you have the recipe for success. Bravo, Ubisoft.
Verdict
Assassins Creed Black Flag Resynched is a rare remake in today’s age. It actually feels like the developers have sunk passion and time into the project and made this a worthy addition to the franchise. Sure, there are some missteps, with bugs and glitches and the uneven combat system, but, for the most part, this is a beautiful journey. It’s a wonderful story with new characters and content, stellar naval combat and exploration and some of the best visuals this year. Black Flag Resynched is what makes this franchise so beloved. It will always be, a pirate’s life for me.
