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Of all the Assassin’s Creed games for Ubisoft to remake, it may seem strange to start with Black Flag on the surface. When you look a little deeper, though, it makes perfect sense. It has almost no narrative prerequisites, as it stands on its own just fine; it’s one of the highest-rated games in the series, and many fans of the franchise consider it the best entry. This also means that a lot is riding on a full remaking of Black Flag, but Ubisoft Singapore has managed to pull it off here with Resynced.
For those who’ve yet to experience Assassin’s Creed IV, you’ll be glad to hear that Black Flag’s pirating adventure remains largely untouched here in Resynced. Set during the Golden Age of Piracy, Black Flag follows Edward Kenway – a Welsh privateer looking to build up wealth in the New World before returning home to his wife. After a naval battle goes awry for Edward and his crew, he finds himself confronted by a rogue Assassin by the name of Duncan Walpole, whom he manages to dispatch. Allured by the opportunity for profit, Kenway takes Walpole’s place at a Templar meeting in Havana, but he ends up getting far more than he bargained for.
While the core Assassins versus Templars plot plays out in the background for most of Black Flag’s runtime, it dovetails nicely with its core themes of freedom and the ideals shared by those entrenched in the world of piracy. Kenway was and continues to be one of the best protagonists in this franchise. Effortlessly brought to life by Matt Ryan, Kenway is an endearing and headstrong man searching for a better life. While he’s always looking out for his friends and crew, the ever-present allure of unfathomable riches draws him deeper into a life of danger and debauchery. It’s enthralling to watch Edward grasp at straws to justify his actions as the world of piracy collapses around him, inviting forced introspection and self-improvement.
As is typical for Assassin’s Creed, Black Flag folds in household pirate names like Blackbeard and Benjamin Hornigold, with fresh interpretations of these storied legends that seamlessly fit within this world. Much like Edward, the supporting cast will have you hanging on every word, partly due to fantastic performances across the board, but mostly because the writing was and continues to be fantastic. What’s more is that all the new lines of dialogue are written to fit right in with the rest of the script, to the point where it was difficult for me to distinguish what’s new and what’s returning.
What definitely is new, though, is a group of new naval officers to recruit to the Jackdaw’s crew. While the quests surrounding these characters are generally worthwhile, I was bummed to see that they’re not at all integrated into the main story. Another change I’m not so crazy about is the removal of the modern-day Abstergo stuff, with Animus Rifts from Shadows taking its place. While I’m sure many won’t lament its absence, I always enjoyed the way it breaks up the pacing of Edward’s journey, and the Rift content feels uninspired by comparison.
All that said, none of this derails or undermines Black Flag’s identity. The heart of that experience is still here in Resynced, and it’ll whisk you away before you even know it. One other small addition I also appreciate is an epilogue of sorts that seeks to tie up some loose ends left by the base game. It’s a nice way to wrap things up and put a little bow on the adventure without trampling Black Flag’s legacy.
Ubisoft Singapore has been a bit more heavy-handed when it comes to changes on the gameplay side of things, though, with varying degrees of success. I noted in my preview of Resynced that combat felt like something of a step back thanks to uneven pacing and general jank. I do feel it’s somewhat better here in the full release, but these things still reared their heads – especially in the late game.
Much of it is due to the camera. Where the original Black Flag has that almost isometric view of the battlefield so you’re aware of incoming attacks at all times, Resynced adopts a more intimate third-person perspective not dissimilar from the RPG entries. It feels like Black Flag Resynced wants you to play patiently, wait for openings, and exploit enemy weaknesses. When it all works, I see the vision – it feels great and looks just as good in motion, capturing the effortless lethality of older Assassin’s Creed’s that felt like a dance of blades as opposed to the more rugged hacking and slashing of the modern games.
When it doesn’t work, though, it’s frustrating. You get hit by off-screen enemies with no indicator that you’re being targeted, hit-stun is non-existent against adversaries that are in the middle of attack animations, and opting to play defensively for perfect parries often leads to excessive periods of waiting. It’s a shame, because I understand what the team was going for, but the fantasy is undermined frequently enough that it generally feels inconsistent. It isn’t outright bad, but it is a downgrade from the original in its current state. It’s also a bummer that the hidden blades and temporary weapons aren’t usable in combat, which means there isn’t much in the way of melee variety.
Stealth, on the other hand, is much improved. Aside from utterly incompetent enemy AI, the addition of a dedicated crouch button alongside an earlier introduction of the Rope Dart makes stealth a much more viable and enjoyable option. It’s generally more robust overall, and makes Black Flag’s tailing missions much more palatable, even though a vast majority of them no longer result in an automatic fail after detection.
Parkour is also on the janky side, but not nearly as much as combat. There’s a level of flexibility and freedom of expression in how you control Kenway as you run across rooftops and clamber up ship sails. It’s fast and liberating if you put the time into learning it, which makes it feel more intentional and considered when compared to recent entries. I enjoyed it quite a bit once I got to grips with it, parkouring up and down the Caribbean, stringing side ejects, back ejects, and slides as I explored major cities and islands.
Speaking of which, exploration is still one of the best parts of Black Flag. Very little is changed here in Resynced, providing you countless cities and islands to treat as your own little assassin playgrounds. The world is big enough that it feels as if there’s so much to see and do, but not so big that you get completely overwhelmed by options. It’s refreshing to play an Assassin’s Creed of this scale again, with a 10-15 hour main story and an open world densely packed with things to do.
The main way in which you’ll explore the West Indies is aboard the Jackdaw. I won’t sugarcoat anything here by saying that if you didn’t like the naval stuff in the original Black Flag, Resynced won’t be for you. If you do like it, though, Ubisoft Singapore’s bread and butter has never felt better. The Jackdaw has a weight and heft behind it, brought to life by new sound design as wood creaks and waves crash. Your journeys are scored by new and returning sea shanties, and impressive weather effects shake up traversal in a meaningful way.
Naval combat is similarly masterful, further bolstered by new weapons and abilities brought by the aforementioned naval officers. These aren’t small passive abilities; they actively change the way you engage in sea skirmishes. From a perfect guard that mitigates damage, to a more powerful ram that needs to be recharged by damaging enemy ships, there’s more agency and decision-making in the moment-to-moment altercations that happen at sea.
All of this exploration contributes to your progression, which feels meaningful thanks to it being tied directly to gear and Jackdaw upgrades. There’s no levelling up, no skill points, no tree to max out and plan, just raw improvement through stronger weapons with unique perks and crafting new gear to increase ammo capacities. It’s simple, yet effective, and it can’t be overstated how nice it is to not be bogged down in meaningless stat boosts and arbitrary gear systems.
Resynced’s undisputed biggest improvements are its technical ones. This game feels like it takes advantage of current-gen hardware in a way that very few do, combining the artistic intent and direction of the original with modern hardware and technology that brings the West Indies to life in a way that has to be seen to be believed. It’s boisterously colourful, insanely detailed, all while maintaining the charm and authenticity of the original.
This is primarily owed to Resynced’s implementation of ray-tracing, which beautifully lights cities regardless of the time of day. Puddles seamlessly reflect their surrounding environment, shadows evolve as the sun rises and sets, and sunlight pierces through the surface of water when diving in a way that serves to highlight the natural beauty of the setting. It’s hard not to feel like this is exactly what Black Flag would’ve looked like in 2013 had today’s technology been accessible then.
There’s also a swathe of ways for you to take in the visual delights of Black Flag Resynced. The standard performance and fidelity modes are here – both of them functional with solid performance, but the balanced mode was where I landed for my playthrough. 40 frames per second combined with heightened visual fidelity – particularly on the ray-tracing front – makes it a no-brainer option, especially on a base PS5.
As a huge Black Flag fan, I was somewhat apprehensive about current-day Ubisoft remaking this gem. I’m so glad to have been proven wrong; Black Flag Resynced is a complete labour of love, capturing the magic of the original and then some in effortless fashion. None of its faults undermine the charm of the original, and I’d wager that if this is your first foray into Edward Kenway’s adventure, you won’t even notice many of them to begin with. This is a confident remaking of an already fantastic game, and I wholeheartedly endorse a quick vacation to the West Indies.