So it’s time again to review Asassin’s Creed IV. For those interested I already reviewed it on the PS3 here. And I was quite harsh. I’ve been eagerly waiting to get on Assassin’s Creed IV in proper on the PS4 for a long time, especially since my disappointment with the PS3 version.
And I was not disappointed. Right from the word go there are clear and significant changes between versions. The initial bar fight combat tutorial is no longer a mess of frame rate issues resulting in clumsy AI. The whole thing was wonderfully smooth and the combat flowed properly in that classic Assassin’s way.
The first time I arrived in a town on the PS3 version I remember wondering if my console would make it through the ordeal. On the PS4 I was left to enjoy and admire my surroundings all at a glorious 60 frames per second. Or somewhere close, I didn’t measure to be honest but it looks very nice indeed. Panning around new cities and towns or lush jungles is just a joy to watch.
Unfortunately even given the PS4’s undoubted good looks it’s still not enough to break the tedium of the main missions, although it does help. A vast majority of your time will be spent following someone, listening to their conversation and then promptly stabbing them with your dubiously acquired hidden blades. It would have been nice to have done something different every now and then but sadly such opportunities never occur.
But there’s a good argument that what ACIV lacks in its main story it makes up for with side missions, collectables and secrets in its vast world. For me I enjoy Assassin’s Creed for the overarching plot line and the battle between the Assassins and the Templars. But I know for most the experience comes down to what happens in the Animus rather than out of it. And in that respect the open world in ACIV is truly impressive.
And once again I took to the Jackdaw to sail the high sees and steal as much loot as possible. The ship handles in that satisfyingly heavy way very similar to AC III. The only thing that ever ruined my pirating experience on the PS3 version was, yet again, the dodgy frame rate. More often than not when I was clearing out the decks of enemy ships the pace of combat was ruined by impossible counter prompts lost somewhere in those dropped frames. On PS4 such issues are luckily a thing of the past and the combat is allowed to be its usual fluid self.
More often than not I would make it through combat without much, if any, damage as Edward spun and flamboyantly slaughtered his foes. It makes it a little easy at times but so satisfying it doesn’t matter. I criticized the PS3 version for being a definite step down from AC III but here at home on the PS4 things seem back on track. The difference between the two is amazing.
And as you would expect the free running also benefits massively from the increased performance on PS4. There’s still the occasional repeated attempt to climb a tree you can’t, and don’t want to, climb. Sometimes you will be stuck on a wall trying to hop off until eventually you take the damage hit and jump for it. But other than that exploring your world is largely painless and slick. And when you need to explore a world as big as this being able to move around efficiently is very important. I still think I found travelling on foot easier in ACIII but that could be down to the design of the map. It’s almost impossible to have a map as big and intricate as ACIV’s and never have an awkward jump or get stuck occasionally. But still if it happens at the wrong time it’s infuriating, especially if you have to repeat a checkpoint because of it.
The scale of ACIV is still impressive even after I almost achieved 100% on the PS3 version. The amount of things to do is just ridiculous and I found myself no less inclined to do them the second time around. Apart from those damn sharks. I really hate hiding from sharks in kelp. It doesn’t work and getting surprised by a giant fish or sarcastically bumping into an eel or urchin because Edward doesn’t go where you want him to isn’t fun at all. It’s a bit of shame really because the underwater section are beautiful to look at and often have hidden depths, sometime even massive caverns occupied by smugglers. But still the areas are impressive, plentiful, and all the more beautiful on the PS4.
I still found myself disappointed with the lack of Assassin’s Creed related narrative. ACIV still feels like a pirate game with the Assassin’s Creed banner flying in the background. The main memories are lack lustre and quite often boring. There are only so many times you can repeat the same objective and still be interested. Even given the PS4 version’s obvious improvements the core game still has those tedious eavesdrop objectives.
But as for the combat and free running the PS3 and PS4 versions are totally removed from each other. Clearing the deck of a ship is now a joyous cacophony of clashing swords and cannon fire. No longer was I let down by lost frames that saw my enemies flying from off screen to stab me in the back. Simply put this is how ACIV was meant to be played, and it’s plain to see. Environments are even better looking than before and I would always linger just a little during synchronizations to admire the view. I still think Black Flag belongs somewhere away from Assassin’s Creed but on PS4 ACIV is a much more satisfying experience. If you have the chance it’s definitely worth a go, even if you’ve played the PS3 version.
Reviewed on PS4.
