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Of all Assassin’s Creed games to remake, Black Flag is definitely one of the few that raises a lot of eyebrows. Not because it doesn’t deserve it or isn’t fitting for one, but more because it’s one of the most beloved. In a franchise with many great entries, few are held in a regard similar to that of the Ezio trilogy – and for good reason.
It means there’s a lot of baggage coming with Ubisoft Singapore’s remaking of Black Flag in Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced. I’m sure many are trepidatious about additional story content, bringing three new naval officers aboard the Jackdaw, reworking the modern-day segments, and reimagining the combat flow. After spending three hours with Resynced, I got to chat to Justin Ng, lead producer on Black Flag Resynced, about honouring the legacy of Edward Kenway.
Players are quite attached to Kenway and the crew of the Jackdaw. How did the team approach crafting the new narrative elements in Resynced?
Justin Ng: “The first thing we did was to ensure everything in the original was kept in terms of narrative. The story of Stede, Adéwalé, those things are basically one-to-one with the original. We worked together working out what more we could add to wrap up some of their stories, because some of the characters died off-screen or there were more things that we wanted to say. We consulted a lot with Jean and Darby to see if our ideas fit with the original vision.
With the new naval officers, they are brand new characters. It’s a bit easier for us to work around the story. They have some parts to play in the new some of the new content, but by and large, they’re really there to add to the fantasy of being a pirate captain recruiting a bunch of officers.”
It’s been mentioned that the modern-day segments are being reworked into something called Rifts. Can you talk a bit about why you decided to rework these sections and what they look like now?
Justin Ng: “In terms of why we chose to rework it, it was born out of feedback from players on the original game. When we started the project, we went back and looked at player feedback from 13 years ago. There were a few things that people felt was not well done. The tailing missions were frustrating, the modern-day stuff pulled you away from the Caribbean.
The main reason we decided to remove the old modern-day stuff was to keep players in the Caribbean longer to create a more seamless experience. As for the Rifts, it’s more about how the brand has evolved, right? So with Shadows, the way modern-day story was going to be told was through the Rifts. There will be spots in the world where you can explore new areas.
The Rifts explore Edward Kenway’s what-if stories. So if he didn’t decide to be a pirate, if he stayed home with his wife and all, how would life have been? So it’s just a different treatment for how the brand has evolved.”
Are the Rifts optional?
Justin Ng: “Yes, they’re optional.”
An interesting point about Resynced is that there’s no skill tree. How do you dole out new gameplay unlocks or mechanics throughout the experience?
Justin Ng: “Mostly through narrative. So we shifted some of the unlocks to come earlier, like the roper dart, for example. It’s now part of a quest, and then we added a new cutscene to hand it over to you and teach you how to use it. We give you most of the action tools as early as we can, and it allows you to be creative with violence and how you want to pull combos together.”
Did you ever play with the idea of making Resynced an RPG?
Justin Ng: Actually, no. When we started this remake, we knew we wanted to be faithful. This story is about Edward Kenway – you’re playing as Edward Kenway. You don’t get a chance to say something else or do something different. We knew from the beginning of the project that it wouldn’t be an RPG, but it was quite funny to see people speculating. It’s one of the reasons we had the whole it’s not an RPG as a joke.”
Is there any element of trepidation or concern from the team about remaking what is the favourite Assassin’s Creed game of many?
Justin Ng: “When there were conversations about doing a remake, Ubisoft Singapore became a natural choice because of our affinity with water tech and naval battles. We also saw Black Flag as a transition phase between the Assassin’s Creed games, being adventures to becoming more open world. It made sense for us as a team, and with something so well-loved, it’s definitely a bit stressful. There’s a lot to be done in keeping this remake faithful but also fresh for returning players. A joke I tell the team is that I used to have black hair and now it’s 50% white because of the stress.”
Is there any inclusion of Assassin’s Creed Freedom Cry in Resynced?
Justin Ng: “We talked about this quite a bit and ultimately elected not to include any of the DLC in Resynced. We think it’s more important to focus on Edward’s story, that’s why we dropped the multiplayer as well. We really want to make sure we get Edward Kenway, the narrative, and the soul of Black Flag right.
There’s a new endgame chapter coming with Resynced. Does it fit in with the rest of the story, or does it serve as an epilogue to the existing conclusion?
Justin Ng: “The ending is pretty much the same as the original because that’s part of being faithful. The epilogue just wraps up some of the loose ends.
The article’s author was flown to Singapore by Ubisoft to attend the preview event for Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced.
