It’s no secret that Black Flag is the crown jewel of the Assassin’s Creed series. Nailing a historical period as exotic and chaotic as the Golden Age of Piracy, one that (surprisingly) we rarely get to explore in gaming, was a stroke of genius by Ubisoft.
A remake had the daunting task of improving on a project many fans hold dear, but it also allowed newcomers to experience what made it so great in the first place. Well, as a rare breed of casual AC fan who hasn’t touched the original, I’m happy to report that Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is a fantastic open-world game that serves as a testament to the fact that going bigger is not always better. Perfect story pacing, unforgettable characters, a wide variety of locations to keep things fresh without overwhelming you with unnecessary fluff, and gorgeous visuals put it up there as one of the most visually striking games this side of Red Dead Redemption 2.
Nostalgia can be a double-edged sword, leading to unfair criticism or undeserved praise depending on which side of the spectrum you land on. My view of the game won’t be tainted by cherished memories of playing the original Black Flag well over a decade ago, so if you’re in the same boat as I was and are looking for a fresh perspective, then you’ve come to the right place.
To sum up the story real quick with no spoilers: Black Flag really is the perfect entry point into the series if you don’t really care for the overarching Assassins vs. Templars story. You play as Edward Kenway, an incredibly engaging British privateer-turned-pirate who wants to find his place in the world and, more importantly, secure his wife’s future by accruing some coin by any means necessary. His carefree search leads him to become entangled in the Assassin-Templar war, prompting him to question his morality and set aside his superficial quest for wealth.
It’s such a generic outline for a story if you read it in a vacuum: a lonesome, nonchalant hero finds himself stuck in a larger-than-life conflict he originally had no intention of taking part in, developing his moral compass and sense of self-worth in the process. Yet it works thanks to Kenway’s nature, his personal reasons to try to overcome the odds, and the cast of iconic characters who are along for the ride, each with unique backstories, secrets from their past, and goals of their own that may not always align with Kenway’s.
If you’re a diehard fan of the IP’s original idea of merging a modern-day narrative with historical figures and time periods, I can see why you might not like the treatment Black Flag Resynced gives to the plot overall. Black Flag is already a massive departure, but the remake takes it a step further by eliminating all present-day cutscenes and instead introducing the Rifts: a compilation of ‘What If?’ sequences that play out key story beats with different outcomes. It’s not a 1:1 replacement, but it’s there if you want to experience a semblance of how the narrative used to be in older AC titles.
Gameplay is where Black Flag Resynced shines. The trifecta of the game works seamlessly to add just enough variety to each encounter, whether that’s free-roaming the different locales you’ll get to visit, sailing the high seas, or doing story missions: stealth, melee combat, and naval battles are all stellar. You’ll get more enjoyment out of some of these depending on what you appreciate doing the most, but level design is almost tailored to every playstyle, aided by one major quality-of-life change that bumps Resynced all the way to the top of AC games I’ve played: auto-fail states for stealth sections are gone. If you get caught during a sequence clearly designed around lurking in tall grass or surprising your enemies from above, you can simply fight your way out.
Black Flag doesn’t feature the most complex combat system in the world, but it is nonetheless serviceable. You've got your standard light and heavy attacks with your swords, with access to a variety of moves that will let you stun your foes faster. There are parries that are extremely satisfying to execute; these will let you immediately take down an enemy with flashy executions. Beyond that, Kenway has a few aces up his sleeve, including a leg sweep which can be followed up by a takedown, pushing enemies into walls to quickly deplete their stun meter with a powerful kick, and using his pistols or rope dart to Scorpion-pull enemies for a quick assassination. There is some light progression, with you able to upgrade inventory slots to carry more bullets or health pouches, find or purchase better weapons that come with unique perks (my favorite thus far being AC Shadows’ Naoe’s swords that let you chain up to four takedowns in a row), and the like. Black Flag's skill trees and more RPG-like systems make for a simple yet effective combat system that integrates well with the stealth mechanics you’ve come to know and love, even if it’s a tad shallow.
It really put into perspective why I didn’t like AC Shadows as much. It felt like it removed player agency too much: if you were playing as Naoe, stealth was almost enforced, as she had an incredibly tough time dealing with hordes of enemies in direct battle; meanwhile, Yasuke had just mind-numbing combat sections that weren’t enjoyable at all. In Resynced, coming up with a perfect path to sneakily clear a zone is just as fun as going guns-blazing into an encounter.
Parkour’s flow also feels well thought out, with verticality in mind at all times. Major landmarks like Havana feel like a playground you can enjoy at your leisure without having a clear goal beyond immersing yourself in the meticulously crafted cities Ubisoft recreated for this remake. There were some hiccups here and there, but nothing that made me hate movement in this game, and it’s certainly a step up from recent entries where parkour was barely even present.
All of that pales in comparison to the real star of the show: naval combat and exploration. It is as good and exciting as fans had told me it was for years. I didn’t want to believe the hype, but Ubisoft really nailed it. Visuals aside, which I’ll talk about briefly in a second, the feeling of freedom you get is unparalleled. With almost a complete disregard for the classic Ubisoft formula of filling your minimap with a cluster of icons that give you choice paralysis, turning off the HUD, getting serenaded by your crewmates, and just heading out into the unknown is almost therapeutic.
Letting the world of a game dictate what you want to do is something not many open worlds manage to nail, and Black Flag does it beautifully. Brigs on the horizon, you can engage in combat and ransack for resources; an undiscovered island filled with secrets, chests, and animals to hunt; or a storm brewing as you see two other massive ships engage in combat piques your interest, and it’s time to have a go. Things get pretty hectic. Whether you’re a maniac who wants to ram your boat straight into a Man-O-War or give chase to pepper it with mortar and cannon fire, encounters are always dynamic, requiring you to stay active at all times, either to reposition yourself for a better shot at your enemies or to withstand their assaults.
Succeeding will lead you, most of the time, to board enemy ships, which can net you more resources, the ability to add that ship to your fleet once you reach a certain point in the story, or go for an immediate repair job in case you're hungry for more plunder.
Harder ships will require you to upgrade the Jackdaw, Kenway’s trusty brig. Most of this can be done at any major location with a Harbor Master, but Great Inagua will be your major hub of operations, a settlement that will grow alongside Edward and that you’ll come to love seeing built from the ground up while reaping nice rewards along the way. It is your little piece of an oasis amid myriad uncertainties, and it truly feels like going back home every time you set foot on it.
Speaking of locations, there is no shortage of iconic places to visit from the Golden Age of Piracy. From Havana’s sprawling settlement to Nassau’s more gritty atmosphere, small fishermen’s villages, or islands still untainted by human interference. You’ll even get to fully immerse yourself in Mayan culture, a personal highlight for me.
The game is tantalizingly gorgeous, so much so that I often didn’t mind booting it up in Quality mode, sacrificing my FPS for that extra bit of sharpness. Draw distances will trigger your sense of discovery; the lush greenery and the crystal-clear seawater look drop-dead stunning in motion. Even walking around in towns on a base PS5 made my jaw drop. Ubisoft poured its heart out and was no doubt helped by the fact that, by modern standards, Black Flag’s open world isn’t the biggest, but it certainly remains one of the best I’ve played. I have no doubt that people much more talented than I am will make far better use of the game’s photo mode than I could ever dream of.
Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is an absolute must-play. It’s a remake that may not take a lot of risks, but when you have such a legendary foundation to work with, the new quality-of-life upgrades make this an easy Game of the Year contender. I wish the combat were a bit more fleshed out and that side activities like Assassin’s Contracts weren't so bare-bones (they're barely worth mentioning), but overall, Resynced is a treasure well worth hunting down.
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