It’s been around a month since we found out that the Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag remake was official, marking the first time that Ubisoft would be wholly reimagining one of its games for a new generation. Given that it was released over a decade ago, there’s a throughline for what the pirate game could look like powered by today’s technology, but I’m not convinced it was the franchise entry that deserved this level of treatment.
Assassin’s Creed Black Flag has aged like wine
Even though Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag was released all the way back in 2013, it still looks up to scratch with what many of today’s open-world releases offer, and it plays like one, too. Sailing around the Caribbean, visiting Havana, Kingston, and Nassau still impresses, particularly when the sunlight strikes the sea just right.
Then we get on to the combat system found in Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, which is (arguably) where the franchise peaked. Gone were the instant-win kill chains from Brotherhood and Revelations, as the more brutal (and thoughtful) melee action of Assassin’s Creed III. Edward is just as capable as his grandson in a brawl, sure, but this time the tomahawks were traded out for dual-wielding cutlasses and Flintlock pistols for good measure.
It plays of its time, but Black Flag‘s combat flow remains far superior to the messy, tonally inconsistent core gameplay loop that haunted the Assassin’s Creed franchise for over a decade. It begs the question: what exactly will it be replaced with? If not as-is, then could we see the sponginess of Syndicate, the sloppy RPG mechanics of Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla, or the whiplash of Shadows be implemented?
Of all the money that e’er I had
Then we need to face the facts here. It’s modern Ubisoft, the same development house that gave us Skull and Bones just two years ago. Our first “AAAA” game, which went on to sink like a stone, itself cashing in on the beloved Black Flag‘s reputation. It had the blueprints for success and still failed, and we’re entrusting the same teams to put respect on what many consider to be the last truly must-play game in the franchise?
Giving the title its full official name, Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag Resynced, implies it’s far more than a remaster, as we saw with The Ezio Collection and Assassin’s Creed III: Remastered. In other words, it’s unlikely to be just a fresh lick of paint, owing to a bump up in resolution and an unlocked framerate for PC and modern consoles. This has me concerned.
On the one hand, we could (largely) get an inconsequential and unnecessary remake, similar to The Last of Us Part 1 or Until Dawn. Technically better than their source games, fine, but with no real reason to exist beyond giving consumers another reason to empty their wallets.
On the other hand, the Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag remake could include decisions that run afoul of the source material. You only need to look as far as XIII (2020), Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition, or Secret of Mana (2018) to know how bad things can get in the name of “modernization”.
Other Assassin’s Creed games needed remaking first
When I think back on the Assassin’s Creed saga as a whole, and which of those games deserve a reimagining, Black Flag is near the bottom of the list. The original 2007 game of its namesake springs to mind first; for as iconic as Altaïr Ibn-LaʼAhad was as a protagonist, and for as beautiful a setting as The Holy Land during The Third Crusade, there’s no getting around just how bad it is to revisit now.
The first Assassin’s Creed is boring, clunky, and repetitive, despite its innovative parkour system and Hitman-style assassination missions. You end up repeating the same handful of missions in a loop: eavesdrop for information, beat someone up, get permission from your handler, and then go after the target. It’s mind-numbing after the first few goes, and it lacks enough depth to keep you engaged.
You know which game had depth and intrigue to spare? Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. There was never a dull moment in the game, with multiple cities to explore, and the entire Golden Age of Piracy to live through as a backdrop to the series’ strongest narrative since Ezio’s trilogy. As someone who has played (and finished) every game in the franchise, I am cautious; perhaps, once revealed, I’ll be wrong about this, but I am not holding my breath. I’ve been burned too many times before.
FAQs
Yes, Ubisoft has confirmed that Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag Resynced is official. However, it is yet to be fully revealed.
Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag is widely considered to be among the best games in the storied, long-running franchise for its exploration, deep game world, and captivating characters.
According to How Long to Beat, it takes around 25 hours to finish the main story of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. However, a completionist run can take upwards of 60 hours.
