Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced Review – The Best of Both Worlds

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag felt like a game that came out of nowhere back in 2013. Following the controversial Assassin’s Creed III, which started pivoting away from the modern-day storyline, fans were pleasantly surprised by this prequel story. 

But most importantly, they received one of the best pirate games of all time within the Assassin’s Creed series. 13 years after the original launch, we have Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, a game that attempts to modernize the Black Flag formula without losing what made it popular in the first place. 

With the development led by Ubisoft Singapore and 14 ancillary studios providing support, it’s certainly an ambitious remake. And with Assassin’s Creed Shadows launching its final update, tying the story into this new release, there’s both excitement and worry in the air. 

Was the original Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag really that good, or are we looking back at it with rose-tinted glasses? How does it compare to modern AC games, and how does it handle its modern-day storyline? And does it justify existing in the first place when fans are eagerly anticipating what the future of the series will look like with Assassin’s Creed Hexe?

TL;DR

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is a faithful remake of the original classic that expands the universe’s lore and ties the story closer to the rest of the series. However, it’s not a complete package, with Freedom Cry and multiplayer modes being absent. Despite that, it’s a phenomenal pirate life simulator you can get lost in for hundreds of hours.

Story – Rags to Riches

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced follows the story of Edward Kenway, an 18th-century pirate and ancestor of Connor Kenway, and then later Ezio Auditore and Desmond Miles. 

We join Edward’s story at the very start of his journey toward becoming an Assassin, as he comes across a dying man who asks him for one last favor before passing. Go to Havana and deliver a mysterious package, which can change the tide of war between Assassins and Templars. 

Fans who played the original Black Flag will notice familiar beats being remixed and expanded from the start. However, the developers were careful in making sure the original direction and storytelling remain intact: this is still the same Black Flag you knew and loved in 2013. 

Reintroducing the Animus Hub

The original Black Flag featured a radically different take on the modern-day storyline. Following the events of Assassin’s Creed III, Black Flag introduced a first-person mode where you spent time between memory sequences hacking into Abstergo terminals for extra lore. While it was rich in information, it was somewhat disappointing after the events of the third game. 

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced follows in Shadows’ footsteps with Animus Ego, taking place in the far future and feeding you lore through optional content. You’ll explore the Caribbean and discover hidden data caches that unlock new messages, videos, and lore outside the main game, in the Animus Hub. 

Fans of the modern-day sequences will find this approach disappointing, but it’s better than nothing. It’s equally sad knowing that the original Black Flag had some truly profound bits of lore scattered throughout the Abstergo building, such as the one we’ve included below:

“…when you tell my story years from now…please tell them the one about how I lost my way, and then found it again, just in time to save the world. And just…end it there. That will keep everyone smiling.” – Desmond Miles, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced expands on the main game’s story with new missions, characters, and an epilogue. These are brand-new pieces of content that neatly tie into the main narrative and the expanded Assassin’s Creed universe now that 13 years have passed since Black Flag came out. They’re so well integrated that you’ll often find yourself doubting whether they were actually already present in the original game, which is the biggest positive a remake can get. 

However, there is a notable absence of content here. Freedom Cry, Black Flag’s DLC following Adéwalé’s story, is missing entirely. The same can be said for Black Flag’s multiplayer modes, which have not been included. Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is a single-player experience and is focused entirely on the main content of the original Black Flag.

Gameplay – The Best Pirating Game Got Even Better

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is an open-world game set in the 18th-century Caribbean. Gameplay can roughly be split into two parts – on foot and in the sea. When controlling Edward, you’ll explore different islands, cities, jungles, and forts, including Havana, Tortuga, and Nassau. Each location has been faithfully recreated based on historical documents, and you’ll be immersed in exploration from the first minute. 

Since Edward is a pirate first and foremost, his skillset is more unique compared to characters you might have played in other games. He uses guns, ropes, and dual swords to fight his enemies. He’s less elegant than typical Assassins, but this makes him charming and unpredictable, which is why he became a fan-favorite over the years.

Exploring the Caribbean Without Loading Screens

On the sea, the Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced gameplay shifts toward your ship, the Jackdaw. It’s your home away from home, and you’ll spend a lot of time upgrading and taking care of it. The Jackdaw’s crew can also be customized and expanded with new officers, different clothing, and even a ship pet. 

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced makes controlling the Jackdaw much smoother than the original, and you’ll easily maneuver the ship around the Caribbean with no loading screens. These will only appear during fast travel, but otherwise, you’ll experience smooth single-zone exploration if you stick to traditional travel.

With the Jackdaw, you can also capture other ships to add to your fleet, which you can then send on missions to gather supplies and rare resources around the globe. It’s a neat little minigame that makes the world feel a lot bigger than it is within the confines of the game’s map.

A More Traditional Assassin’s Creed Experience

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced doesn’t feature any form of experience system found in recent open-world RPG entries. This means you can comfortably tackle any content you like, in any order, and you’ll have equal chances of succeeding based on your skills and ship upgrades. 

This is a far cry from recent games and a much-needed change of pace, with many fans being disappointed in how heavily the RPG trilogy relied on XP and skill points. Similarly, Memory Corridors return, with notable assassinations triggering dialogue with your target. While not as flashy or dramatic as those found in Assassin’s Creed Origins or older entries, they’re still a step in the right direction. 

The Assassin/Templar conflict is also much more prevalent in Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, which is yet another point of criticism recent games have received. Overall, this game is designed in a way that the RPG trilogy should have been handled. 

Visuals – The Anvil Engine Shines Once Again

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced uses the Ubisoft Anvil engine, used in both Assassin’s Creed Shadows and Skull and Bones. We tested the game on Xbox Series X, where it features three visual modes: Performance (60FPS), Fidelity (30FPS), and Balanced (40FPS), all running at upscaled 2160p. All modes run at a stable frame rate with no drops. 

While we did experience a few hard crashes that resulted in console restarts, we’d also like to point out that we tested the game in its pre-release form. Even so, Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is a visually striking experience that recreates the 18th-century pirate life in excruciating detail. Every location feels distinct but still feels like part of the same world, with small fishing villages, plantations, and harbors scattered around the Caribbean. 

Major locations like Havana feel genuinely alive with merchants, sailors, and the English and Spanish navies all following daily routines. Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is an immersive open-world experience, and you’d be hard-pressed to find anything remotely atmospheric with the same historical context.

Sound – Waves, Cannons, and Sea Shanties

The audio design of Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is of equally high standard, recreating both environmental sounds and spoken dialogue of the 18th century. Assassin’s Creed games have always excelled at making you feel like you’re a part of their world, and this one is no exception. 

You can stand in the middle of a town, close your eyes, and just focus on all the little details implemented into the environment, from the sounds of animals to foot traffic and weather effects. It really is a living world made even more believable with English and Spanish voice acting (with various accents added on top). 

Likewise, sea shanties are back and have been expanded with new songs. Fans of Black Flag will be happy to hear their favorites and brand-new songs as they sail the high seas. In terms of the game’s soundtrack, it’s been preserved and carefully expanded with new content by Woodkid to ensure it still feels like the Black Flag fans know and love.

Conclusion – Should You Play Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced?

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is a great game, whether you already played the original or are about to play the remake for the first time. In many ways, it’s what the series should have become many years ago. 

It doesn’t have the XP and skill systems of the RPG trilogy and offers a more organic and atmospheric experience as a result. While the lack of Freedom Cry and multiplayer is a disappointment, there’s plenty of content here regardless. 

Whether you’re a fan of the series or not, there’s no doubt that this is one of the best pirate games on the market. And with the Animus Hub being an optional aspect of the experience, you can simply focus on sailing and pirating without worrying about the modern-day storyline. 

The question remains about what the future holds for the series. With Assassin’s Creed Hexe in development, we’d also love to see a faithful remake of Assassin’s Creed II or the original in the same vein as Black Flag. Only time will tell, but the series fans will be there just as they always have since 2007.

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced launches July 9th on the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC storefronts. 

Big thanks to Ubisoft for sponsoring our review!