Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag has always been a blind spot for me in the popular Ubisoft action-adventure series. Because it came out in late 2013 around the time I started university and the launches of GTA V and the PS4 and Xbox One, I didn’t end up playing more than a handful of hours of the Ubisoft Montreal pirate game. And even years later, I just never got around to it, especially amid long-running rumours that a remake was on the way.
All of that makes me the perfect person for Black Flag Resynced, a Ubisoft Singapore-led remake of Black Flag that was built using the latest version of the Anvil Engine that powered last year’s Assassin’s Creed Shadows. And yet, I was initially skeptical of why a relatively modern game warranted a remake. From everything I’ve played, seen and heard of the original game, it’s held up quite well, and surely any remake efforts would have been better served on an older (and more flawed work) like, say, the original Assassin’s Creed.
After playing through Resynced, though, I have a deep admiration for the litany of changes that have been made beyond mere visual updates. Taken together, they improve upon an already excellent foundation to create an (almost) definitive edition of what is understandably many people’s favourite Assassin’s Creed, and one that I’ve certainly come to love and appreciate at long last.
Bootylicious
But first and foremost, the graphical overhaul shouldn’t be discounted, as solid as it is. Besides a much higher resolution and more lifelike character models, more detailed environments (especially underwater with extra plant and wildlife), there’s a new dynamic weather system that greatly enhances atmosphere through sharper lighting and environmental effects. And it’s not just visual — there are even some new music and sea shanties.
These visual and audio improvements make protagonist Edward Kenway’s seafaring West Indies escapades feel all the more grand and exciting. That story, for the uninitiated, follows the Welshman as he seeks to create a pirate republic full of riches and freedom.
As someone who has played varying amounts of many Assassin’s Creed games over the years, I was pleasantly surprised by Edward’s arc. While many of the series’ other protagonists rather quickly embark on their hero’s journey and join the Order of Assassins, I appreciated how much time Black Flag takes to develop Edward from an initially greedy cynic into a more virtuous and noble man. Anchored by Welsh actor Matt Ryan’s remarkably charismatic performance, Edward proves to be a stellar lead character who kept me invested even when Black Flag‘s larger narrative sometimes feels lacking in momentum and purpose during its first half.
Enhancing that core story is the inclusion of new narrative scenes throughout the whole campaign. Recorded with Ryan and other actors at Ubisoft Toronto, this material makes meaningful additions to Edward’s story without messing with anything that already worked so well about it. In particular, Resynced adds additional scenes between Edward and his wife Caroline as penned by original Black Flag scribe Darby McDevitt, and they serve as an even more poignant reminder of the life he left behind in search of swashbuckling adventures.
Meanwhile, the supporting cast has also benefited from new story content, with returning characters Stede Bonnet and Blackbeard getting expanded roles. Further, the remake adds a trio of original officers for Edward’s ship, The Jackdaw: Lucy Baldwin, The Padre and Dead Man Smith.
Not only do they unlock useful abilities for your ship (I’m particularly fond of The Padre’s thunderously speedy Ram-Dash), but they also have their own compelling sidequest chains. For instance, an initially straightforward prison break to recruit Lucy soon unfolds into a personal and emotionally-charged pursuit of who had her locked up. And the larger quest chain that involves all three of them only enhances the sense of camaraderie between the entire pirate republic that Edward has built.
There are a few narrative shortcomings in Resynced, though. First, Ubisoft Singapore said it wanted to focus entirely on Edward’s story, meaning the Freedom Cry standalone expansion starring Edward’s quartermaster, the African slave-turned-pirate Adéwalé, isn’t included. Frankly, that feels like a cop-out, especially since Adéwalé is among Black Flag‘s most compelling characters and whose story has worthy parallels to Edward’s.
Worse still is the removal of the first-person modern-day sequences in which you played as a new employee at Abstergo, the contemporary iteration of the series villains, the Templars. It was a fascinating way to explore a new side of the series’ lore that even featured a fun cameo from the Montreal skyline. Resynced instead simply features the same thin narrative framework of the Animus Hub from Shadows and a quartet of brief new “what if?” missions exploring Edward and the cast under alternate storylines. That latter addition sounds far cooler than it actually is, as these sidequests throw you into generic techno-worlds as an Animus narrator recounts these scenarios, removing any potential intrigue of seeing the roads not taken.
(Mostly) greater gameplay riches
As I played Resynced, I found myself reflecting on one of the reasons I fell off the game before: the naval gameplay. At the time, I struggled with the notion of laboriously piloting a massive, slow-moving ship across almost unending bodies of water. Even Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, my favourite game in the series, sometimes put me off during the extended boat sequences.
But in 2026, my perspective has really evolved on all of this. With so many same-y and bloated open-world games over the past 13 years, Black Flag‘s core gameplay loop of venturing out on the high seas while navigating ever-changing weather conditions and listening to your crew sing oh-so catchy shanties actually feels refreshing. Moreover, I love the sense of discovery afforded by The Jackdaw, with every little inlet, waterlogged cave and sunken underwater ship carrying its own stories and loot. It helps counter the checklist-style design of many of these kinds of games, as I can simply go where the winds take me on the high seas and freely choose when to lay anchor and venture out on foot.
Ubisoft has also been quick to stress that it hasn’t turned Black Flag into an RPG like several of the more recent Assassin’s Creed games — a shrewd approach considering that genre pivot has proven somewhat controversial among the fanbase. This means that just like the original Black Flag, Resynced doesn’t have any skill trees or gear systems to maintain, with the only major form of progression still being the numerous Jackdaw upgrades. Resynced does, however, introduce minor perks to swords and trinkets that have benefits like healing outside of combat or increased damage, but they’re largely just additional — and optional — loot to provide even more kinds of rewards for exploration.
If anything, Resynced‘s most significant gameplay changes only accentuate the classic Assassin’s Creed experience all the more. For one, stealth has been expanded through the ability for Edward to freely crouch and a new visibility metre, which are balanced by smarter, more observant enemy AI and the more complex dynamic weather system from Shadows that allows effects like heavy rain and overshadowing to have a more pronounced impact on the sightlines of both you and your foes. Parkour innovations from Shadows have also been added for more flexibility in navigation, allowing Edward to perform slick and satisfying moves like side and back ejects.
Ubisoft Singapore has also graciously acknowledged how the instant fail states in Black Flag‘s many tailing missions were a major pain point, and those have now been removed entirely. Instead, these quests have been reworked to afford more dynamism, as alerting enemies will now just lead to chase or combat sequences depending on the circumstances. It helps maintain the flow of gameplay and allows you to adapt on the fly, adding to the feeling of being this crafty pirate.
With all of that said, I’m less enthused with Resynced‘s tweaks to combat. On the one hand, I appreciate that there’s now a greater emphasis on speed and fluidity in Edward’s animations and chained takedowns. The new ability to kick and trip enemies also challenges you to make better use of the environment, especially if there are walls or crates to launch enemies into for a satisfyingly quick stun.
On the other hand, the inclusion of the new Perfect Parry mechanic effectively dumbs down combat, as it allows you to insta-kill an enemy and is forgiving in its timing window. What’s more, Resynced has unfortunately removed the ability to pick up other weapons like muskets, which previously let you shake up combat in some nifty ways, to instead prioritize Edward’s dual swords. Given that stealth and exploration are better than ever in Resynced, I was hoping the same could be said for the swordplay.
The Golden Age of Piracy
By and large, Black Flag is the ideal remake. It gives a worthwhile audio-visual makeover, it expands the already excellent story of Edward and company in meaningful ways, and it even strengthens the moment-to-moment gameplay loop with tighter mechanics and improved mission design. While the lack of Freedom Cry and the modern-day segments is a bummer and the new combat is too shallow, it’s not enough to hold back Resynced‘s many other riches. Whether you’re new to Black Flag or a returning fan, Resynced is one treasure worth plundering.
Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced will launch on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC on July 9.
Image credit: Ubisoft
