More than a decade after it first set sail, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag is back in a remake, Black Flag Resynced. Developed by Ubisoft Singapore, the new version keeps the heart of the original — sailing, plundering and upgrading your ship in the 18th-century Caribbean — while updating almost everything around it.
A better-looking Caribbean
The remake runs on an updated version of Ubisoft’s Anvil engine. Lighting changes realistically with the time of day, the water system is more detailed, with waves crashing against the hull of Edward Kenway’s ship, the Jackdaw, and a new weather system brings sudden squalls that affect sailing. Characters, costumes and ships have far more detail than in the original.
The interface has been modernised along the lines of recent Assassin’s Creed games, with more customisation options.
No more loading screens
One of the most welcome changes is that moving between the open sea and towns no longer involves loading screens. You can chase a target, dock the Jackdaw and walk into a tavern in one continuous journey.
Stealth and combat
Stealth has been reworked, with a dedicated crouch button, the ability to raise or lower your hood at will and the option of blending into crowds. Parkour is smoother, with fewer hesitations when moving between ledges and ropes. Combat puts more emphasis on timing, with parry and counter-attack moves.
New story content
For returning players, there is new material:
- extra dialogue for famous pirates such as Blackbeard and Stede Bonnet;
- new officers who can join the crew during the campaign;
- new scenes written by the original game’s writer, Darby McDevitt, that develop Edward’s relationship with his wife, Caroline.
There is also a photo mode, more options for customising the Jackdaw and improved underwater exploration.
Why it still works
The core of Black Flag has aged well. Its naval combat — trimming sails, lining up broadsides and boarding enemy ships — remains one of the highlights of the series, and Edward, a pirate more interested in fortune than in the Assassins’ cause, is still one of its most likeable heroes. The remake does not reinvent the game, but makes it feel at home on modern consoles.
