This is a spoiler free review.
Through the thick fog of cannon fire, the roar of the ocean amidst a tumultuous thunderstorm, and the chorus of intoxicated singing sailors comes the long awaited remake of one of Assassin’s Creed’s most beloved titles: Black Flag – Resynced. Stepping back into the boots of one of Assassin’s Creed’s fan favourite protagonists, Captain Edward Kenway, has been nothing less than a delight. Black Flag wasted no time in 2013 in handing players their own ship, the Jackdaw, and releasing us to terrorise and plunder the high seas; so of course Resynced does this too, but shinier.
I won’t be discussing any narrative elements in this review, as no doubt most readers will be familiar with the plot in its entirety already, suffice to say the story you remember as being great retains its greatness. Black Flag’s memorable cast of characters are just as entertaining to interact with in every encounter, with Charles Vane and the infamous Blackbeard being clear standouts alongside our leading man.
Care has been afforded to the updated graphics, as the game looks exactly as I recall through my nostalgic rose tinted glasses. Of course, the actual improvement here stands head and shoulders over the original in quality, but I like that it stuck strongly to the aesthetic we all remember from 2013. The game’s first town, Havana, gorgeously baked in the West Indies sun looks immaculate at all hours of the day. While the towns in Black Flag Resynced are just as compact as they used to be, so much extra love has gone into the detailing of them, making them feel more lived in, immersive and inviting to explore.
The combat is as fun as before, but definitely still displays some of its rougher edges from 2013. Going from playing Assassin’s Creed Shadows directly into Black Flag Resynced may not be a fair shift as the combat styles are so different in both games, but Edward’s cutlass light and heavy attacks both being mapped to R1 meant sword fights quickly feel quite uniform. Captain Kenway’s finishing moves remain as brutal as they always were, reinforced by his tendency to bring several guns to a sword fight. This allowed me to turn the tide against any mob of guards easily by merely backing up a few steps and letting the pistols do the talking.
Other combat options such as a hook shot for dragging enemies over to you and interrupting their attacks, as well as direct and sweeping kicks are available for adding variety to any skirmish. Unfortunately I found these had a tendency to merely prolong combat, opening Edward up to damage I couldn’t anticipate, so outside of my first hour of gameplay I didn’t find it worthwhile using them.
Naval combat is really where the most high octane action in Black Flag Resynced resides, and it should come as no surprise that taking on enemy fleets and forts aboard the Jackdaw provides a constant thrill. Switching on the fly between various cannon attacks, mortar shells, swivel guns and explosive barrels means Resynced truly offers the best ship combat the franchise has ever seen.
Resynced has made some key changes from how the original game functioned, which will no doubt please fans diving back in with the remake. The instant fail tailing missions have been stripped back to allow the game to adapt if Edward is spotted, which I cannot understate how much I appreciate. While sometimes this may lead to combat where fleeing swiftly becomes the only sensible option, I was delighted with the decision to provide me the opportunity to fight my way out of my mistakes, instead of setting me back several laborious minutes arbitrarily.
With the gift of time and hindsight, the team at Ubisoft have added an entire ocean of additional details I’ve had a joy discovering. Basic actions like an enemy losing their hat or helmet when their guard is broken, allowing players a visual aid instead of staring fixedly at the stat bars above enemies, is such a neat idea that feeds the immersion. My favourite new detail is being able to put Edward’s hood up and lower it again with just a touch of the D-pad, so I no longer have to faff around in a menu and can respond to the environment proactively, which is such a simple and highly intuitive design decision.
While Resynced is not attempting to be a warts and all remake, I have to confess my disappointment with the traversal jank still very much being a thorn in my side during most sessions. Edward will refuse to step over some surfaces thicker than an inch despite them visibly being accessible, and some clearly climbable ledges bamboozle the seasoned pirate to the point he must begrudgingly walk around.
During what should have been a thrilling escape sequence, on more than one occasion, Captain Kenway refused to acknowledge the carefully angled ascendable tree which would enable him to scramble across treetop branches out of reach from swinging swords. One such instance manifested in him bouncing off several walls before establishing which nondescript segment he was happy to vault over to escape pursuers. Hopefully issues such as these will be addressed in an early patch.
I was also regularly vexed with descending high ledges or leaping from synchronisation viewpoints, as unless you angle your analogue stick just so Edward is content to hurl himself into oblivion and die on impact. Recent Assassin’s Creed games have successfully deduced that when I’m performing a leap of faith I want to not die as a result of the fall, a quality of life improvement Resynced seems to have missed.
Too often I found the enemy AI to be bafflingly stupid; more than once a guard would wander off forgetting that mere seconds prior Edward had stabbed a fellow guard in the throat well within their line of sight. I’m not prepared to give the game as much credit as to believe they were faking blindness in an attempt at self-preservation.
Despite these nitpicks, and be assured they are mere nitpicks, Black Flag Resynced is without a doubt one of the most immersive, addictive and satisfying game worlds I’ve explored in recent memory, assisted by its excellent story. 2013’s Black Flag was the first Assassin’s Creed game I ever finished, and while I only played it once due to the interminable forced stealth missions; Resynced has allowed me to replay this classic gem with the few negative sections stripped out. This new Black Flag has been polished to a fine sheen that provides a world capable of surprising and delighting in equal measure during every hour of gameplay.
The Golden Age of Piracy and, arguably, the Golden Age of Gaming, are shining at their brightest here. An absolute must play for both current and lapsed fans of the franchise, as well as one of the best entry points to Assassin’s Creed anyone could ask for. I score Black Flag Resynced
9 / 10
Game code provided by publisher.
Written, edited and images captured by Alexx.
Reviewed on PlayStation 5 Pro.
