Review of Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced: A Return to Full Sails
Paraphrasing the works of George R.R. Martin, within the video game industry, there are many rulers or potential rulers who could contend for a throne or a precious crown. Fortunately, however, within the gaming market, there is not just one throne and there is not just one crown.
Several titles and sagas occupy prominent positions, and when a new chapter of these sagas is released, the eyes of the world and users focus on it, trying to understand if it can be worthy of the crown and the throne that its predecessors have conquered.
The Assassin's Creed saga is surely a king (or queen) of the entire sector, and this new remake chapter, Black Flag Resynced, represents what many users have been waiting for: a return to its own identity without losing sight of the evolution that the medium has undergone.
Remake or Remaster? | Review of Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced
Before proceeding with our review and analysis of Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, we believe it is necessary to make a small but necessary clarification. Often, in recent years, the nomenclature of some titles has not always respected the etymology and meaning of the words attributed to them.
The confusion surrounding the concepts of remake and remaster has increased also due to certain decisions and stances taken by industry professionals - for example, the case of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, which is decidedly more of a remake than a remaster. In the case of this remake of chapter 4 of the Assassin's Creed saga, we are dealing with a true remake, as, in addition to presenting the work with a new graphical and visual style, Ubisoft has made significant changes to the gameplay and overall structure of the game.
A Pirate Tale | Review of Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced
Black Flag is the fourth chapter (not in release order but by numbering) of the Assassin's Creed saga and presents a very original pirate-themed story. Since its launch in the now distant 2013, the game captured the attention of users and fans for its setting and the innovations introduced within the title that strayed greatly from its predecessors.
From a narrative point of view, the story revolves around the figure of the pirate Edward James Kenway, who, due to a series of events, comes into contact with the Assassin Brotherhood, who are in turn engaged in the historic dispute against the Templars. Since this title makes storytelling one of its neuralgic points, we won’t spoil any plot details.
We limit ourselves to emphasizing that the management of the narrative occurs with brilliant dialogues and very evocative cut-scenes that manage to provide excellent characterization of the characters, especially the protagonist. What makes some dialogue sequences less convincing are the facial animations which, due to some technical issues with the game's engine, do not hold up in comparison with those of other titles or even with the quality of the narrative context itself.
The (Not So) Classic Naval Battles | Review of Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced
Naval battles, at least once in our lives, we have all played: during the dead hours between classes in school, those that without two slips would have lasted for centuries, or during family gatherings with our cousins and relatives.
In short, the concept of naval battles is dear to everyone, just as it is dear to Ubisoft, which introduced this possibility in Black Flag in 2013. This mechanic was welcomed with enthusiasm and curiosity but at the same time, its distinguishing flaws were highlighted.
During the realization of this Remake chapter, the work done on the naval battles has attempted to make them less cumbersome at times. We feel we can promote the work done on this specific gameplay dynamic, although they still do not appear to be completely "arcade" and "playful" in their structure.
Sometimes, you find yourself unintentionally dealing with multiple ships at once, even though your goal was to sink just one, which makes the sea combat excessively long and at times frustrating (especially when the ships involuntarily involved are definitely more powerful than our dear Jackdaw).
Shall We Go Stealth? | Review of Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced
As in all titles of the Assassin's Creed saga, this Black Flag Resynced also presents two souls in its action phases: on one hand, the classic stealth system, characterized by gadgets, hiding spots in tall grass, and kills with the hidden blade, and on the other hand, a melee combat system with dual swords and pistols. The stealth phases, needless to say, are the beating heart of the gameplay, benefiting from animations and a variety of approaches that make them enjoyable and fun. Unfortunately, the enemies' artificial intelligence is far too lacking.
Regarding close combat, Ubisoft has done an excellent job trying to make it more fluid and harmonious, succeeding greatly thanks to new animations, a renewed parry system, and abilities that, in turn, also guarantee good variety and a broader decision-making component for the player.
Taking a step back and returning to the concept of stealth, the latter goes hand in hand with the parkour component which, in addition to being a mechanic that helps in exploring the individual cities and islands scattered across the map, becomes essential for movements leading to silent executions or attacks. The management of parkour is also well crafted, not overly complex but at the same time fast and functional, though it sometimes causes some indecision and inaccuracy in Edward.
Some of Edward's parkour abilities, however, seem poorly contextualized: our character will perform actions and acrobatics straight from an Assassin (most notably the leap of faith) even before coming into contact with the members of the Brotherhood.
How Did Ubisoft's Anvil Engine Perform? | Review of Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced
In this section of our review of Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, we will discuss the technical aspects of the work. We say this right away, we are probably not facing a visual masterpiece, but at the same time, we do not feel in any way to dismiss, from a technical standpoint, the work done by Ubisoft's Anvil Engine which, yes, shows its age, but in this latest version, especially in the more confined environments, it manages to provide excellent results.
Starting from the character models, which are well-made for the main characters but less so for the enemies; passing by the water management, inviting (especially considering the recent summer heat) with excellent light effects, and finally the overall impact of the natural areas and the vegetation mixed with the towns.
Also noteworthy is the sound design, with particular praise for the Italian voice acting and performances like that of Francesco Pannofino as Blackbeard.
Let's Sum It Up
We have reached the final notes of our review of Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced. With this remake, Ubisoft, in our opinion, has hit the mark. Reviving a title much loved by the community, it gives those who haven’t played it a chance to experience it for the first time, and for those who loved it in 2013, a chance to dive back into those waters. This game confirms an identity that works, that of the entire saga, albeit with some elements that manage to refresh some traits.
Not everything shines in this treasure chest which is Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced: the facial animations do not fully convince, naval battles occasionally risk being tedious for those who do not particularly enjoy them, and the movement and parkour system presents a bit too much indecision and imprecision. All in all, however, we are facing an excellent product, decidedly more than sufficient, and we feel confident recommending it for purchase.
PROS
- The return of a flagship title of the saga
- Pirate Edward James Kenway is one of the most charismatic protagonists of the series
- Very enjoyable combat system in both stealth and melee phases
- Naval battles less cumbersome than the original
- The Anvil Engine, though with some effort, works very well
CONS
- Some of Edward’s skills are poorly contextualized
- Unconvincing facial animations
- Parkour can be imprecise at times
Final Score: 8