The official remake of Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag, officially dubbed Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, releases on July 9 and comes complete with a plethora of new content, massive improvements, and new quality of life features. Of course, eagle-eyed fans know that Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced may have been Ubisoft’s leakiest ship ever, but now fact can be divided from fiction.
For example, some rumors suggested that Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced would be an RPG, but that’s not the case. It does borrow features from modern Assassin’s Creed games, but it maintains the action-adventure approach to gameplay. Game Director Richard Knight explained that it is not an RPG, and instead, fans should expect “a faithful and rich experience, grounded in what players love” about the original. It remains to be seen if the final product matches the marketing, but for many fans, the Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced Showcase did everything it needed to do to get them on board, to get them to raise the black flag once more.
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Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced’s Brand New Content
Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced features a ton of new content, namely (and most interestingly) narrative experiences. There are new stories surrounding supporting characters like Blackbeard and Stede Bonnet, as well as three brand new officers for Captain Edward Kenway’s Jackdaw: Dead Man Smith, The Padre, and Lucy Baldwin. Each of these characters bring with them gameplay improvements (Smith lets you fire your broadside cannons twice before reloading, for example), but each also comes with their own narrative quest for recruitment.
Furthermore, there is a brand new chapter for players to enjoy, including a brand new scene between Edward Kenway and his wife, Caroline. This scene, as a further treat, was also written by the franchise’s Darby McDevitt, who was the main writer of the original game and is currently the narrative director/lead writer for Assassin’s Creed Hexe (the next mainline game).
Fans can also expect all the workings of a full remake, complete with the latest improvements to the Anvil Engine. New Dynamic weather (akin to, but distinct, from AC Shadows), improved lighting, sharper details, and improved visuals are obvious at first sight, too. Oh, and you can recruit cats and monkeys as pets aboard the Jackdaw too. Creative Director Paul Fu said that the goal of this remake’s new content was for every “new addition to deepen the world,” and it sounds like an upgraded pirate fantasy to me.
Exclusive Concept Art for AC Black Flag Resynced
Black Flag’s original creative director, also currently working on AC Hexe, praised the additional content and sometimes didn’t even realize he was playing new content because it fit the game so welll.
Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced’s Reworked Content
Parkour is More Natural Than Ever
New content is one thing, but many may be concerned by how Black Flag Resynced approaches classic content. At the very least, the messaging is on point with the various changes to Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced. Parkour is super important to the franchise, and while Black Flag Resynced brings in modern tech to ensure that movement is more natural than the original game’s clunkier and heavier feels/transitions, it maintains all of Edward Kenway’s classic animations. Oh, and every manual eject needed is there, too.
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Missions Structure Takes the Franchise’s More Open-Ended Approach
Many fans dislike the tailing missions of Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag, which is understandable given their proliferation in the earlier games. Truth be told, the original game was a little screwed over on this because AC Unity‘s Black Box Missions would come in just a year later. As fans know, this would allow fans to tackle certain objectives with more options rather than just tail or eavesdrop, and something similar is coming to Black Flag Resynced. If players fail an eavesdrop/tail scenario, then they might end up in a chase where they must assassinate the target and take the required info from a note on their body.
Resynced Combat for AC Black Flag
Touching Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced‘s combat is a risky move, but it does seem to have paid off. First and foremost, the UI for Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced has been completely reworked, and it looks a lot like Assassin’s Creed Shadows‘ UI. However, there are no RPG mechanics introduced. It’s just a more modern depiction of its gameplay. Most of the elements look very similar in operation to the original game, with the showcase highlighting how Edward Kenway can use a human shield to block a shot from a ranged enemy.
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)
Misc. Changes
- New Weapons for the Jackdaw
- An “Enriched” stealth system, like the ability to crouch whenever
- More tactical elements introduced throughout gameplay
- More Sea Shanties
Finally, Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced showed off its Collector’s Edition which includes the previously leaked statue of Edward Kenway. Further details were not made available during the showcase, but more info is likely on the way.
It’s Time to Raise the Black Flag Again
Ultimately, the remake of Assassin’s Creed Black Flag is so important that it’s necessary to reserve judgment until its physically in my hands (July 9), but dare I say, it looks like it might live up to the hype. That says a lot. As a long-time fan who owns every game, who always lists Black Flag as one of the best Assassin’s Creed settings, and who has Assassin’s Creed tattoos, I am hardly an unbiased observer. The proof will ultimately be in the pudding.
But this showcase removed any doubt that Ubisoft was not pouring plenty of care into this remake, even involving members of the community. That’s enough for hope, that’s enough for hype, and that’s enough for heroes. As Blackbeard said, “In a world without gold, we might’ve been heroes.” And maybe, just maybe, when players lace up the boots of a pirate with a hero’s heart in Edward Kenway again, they’ll recapture the magic of raising the black flag the first time.
- Released
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October 29, 2013
- ESRB
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M for Mature: Blood, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol, Violence
