Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag is hands down one of the most beloved games in the whole series. So, a remake should be an easy win. Is Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced worth buying? The short answer is yes for most people, but hear me out.
There are some things to think about first. Just because you like it, doesn’t mean you’re going to buy it and be satisfied with it, of course. You have to ask yourself: What’s the price? Are there any missing features and whatnot?
What You’ll Read Here
What Makes Resynced Worth a Look
For the record, AC Black Flag Resynced is no simple remaster with just sharper textures. It’s a full remake built from the ground up on Ubisoft’s latest in-house Anvil engine. That shows up right away how the game looks. The colors and lighting are a step-up.
When I entered Havana for the first time, it felt like a real jump up from the original, if I’m being honest. Character animation’s got a big upgrade, too. In the original game, Edward’s movements were borrowed from another Assassin’s Creed hero, which really didn’t give him his own personality. In the remake, however, Edward has a whole new set of animations built just for him, and that makes it look like he now has his own personality.
Combat isn’t just a coat of paint, either. They did rework it. The core counter-kill system from the original is still there, but it now has more depth.
You can no longer chain-kill some enemies. New finishers and combos give fights a flashier, more satisfying feel. I have to say this is the best combat the series has had in years. It takes a little getting used to, but once it clicks, it’s genuinely fun.
You can never overlook the role of performance when it comes to PC gaming especially. Fortunately, the Black Flag remake has done the job right here as well. On PC, you can get 90 FPS on High settings with DLSS set to Quality and around 50 FPS at 4K on High settings with DLSS turned off, which is staggering, to say the least. PC gamers know.
The game runs steady during big naval battles, which matters more than hitting a high number in a quiet cutscene.
On console, it holds up well on both PS5 and PS5 Pro. Xbox Series S handles it fine, too. The install size is modest at around 60 gigabytes. It’s pretty small compared to a lot of modern triple-A games, a lot of which require 90 GB+.
Naval combat, one of the most loved parts of the original, was left mostly untouched, and for good reason, though. The classic “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” It still feels great to grind through ship upgrades and sail into a fight. Sea shanties are back, too, and there are more of them now, with an option to pick which song your crew sings as you sail.
Where It Falls Short
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Not everything about the remake is the best. The biggest complaint here is the price and the microtransactions. Looks like Ubisoft is at it again. Cosmetic outfits and time-saving items are sold for real money on top of a full retail price, which is unbelievable.
I want the 2000s back. To be fair, these extras don’t appear to block story progress, but the fact that it’s there, it’s not cool. For example, after paying $59.99 for the remake of a game that came out 13 years ago, you pay $4.99 more to buy a Resource Pack DLC that gives you more resources. Let that sink in.
Weapon variety took a step back, too. In the original game, players could pick up enemy weapons like muskets and axes. You could even use the hidden blade in combat. In Resynced, combat focus is almost entirely on swords. There’s only limited fist fighting in certain moments. If you’re going to call it a faithful remake, cutting this kind of variety certainly doesn’t help.
The modern-day storyline, the part where you stepped out of Edward’s memories and into the present day, has been removed completely. Some of y’all might have never cared about that, but I feel like cutting it changes the identity of the game.
Bugs are present, but they’re not much of a big deal. There have been occasional camera issues during hidden blade stealth kills and there were NPCs getting stuck in the environment, but nothing too crazy. It’s just worth keeping in mind.
Should You Spend $60 on AC Black Flag Resynced?
If you’ve never played the original Black Flag back in the day, this is a strong yes. It’s widely considered one of the best pirate games ever made and the remake keeps almost everything that made it special. You can now get better visuals and quality-of-life improvements like easier tailing missions, all without needing to know anything about the older Assassin’s Creed games.
If you’ve already played and loved the original, the answer is still mostly yes, especially if it’s been a while since you last played it. But you have to pay the full price. So I’d recommend waiting for a good deal and maybe work on your backlog a little.
All in all, the story is unchanged and much of what’s new is smaller side content rather than some reinvention. It’s a great game to revisit, but it may not feel like a must-play if you already know every corner of the map.
A Must-Play Remake or a ‘Wait for a Sale’?
Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced takes one of the best games in its series and makes it look and feel better in ALMOST every way that matters. The microtransactions and the full price are fair points of frustration. But as a game, it delivers. If you like Assassin’s Creed, especially this one, and if you don’t mind paying the full price of $59.99, this is worth your time.
Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced
