Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced Review | Does It Replace the Original?
A veteran's take after replaying the original: sharper combat and clever new systems, undercut by a story that loses Edward Kenway's edge.
REVIEWS
MattGhostie
7/23/20267 min read
Going back to play the original Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag before diving into this remake, I wanted to ensure I understood what Ubisoft had changed and what they'd kept intact. I played through all the story missions and optional content, giving myself a complete picture of what the developers were working with. One of the franchise's strongest sellers at 11 million copies, Black Flag remains a landmark entry, and approaching this remake with that knowledge felt essential. This review is built on direct comparison rather than vague nostalgia, and I wanted you all to know that going in.
Combat: Power Fantasy Done Right
The first thing worth discussing is combat, since Ubisoft really leaned into this during the marketing push. And I’m pleased to report I really did enjoy what they've built here. The system takes what made the original's combat work so well and refines it: it's simple, it gives you a tangible power fantasy, and when you're playing well, you feel capable and dangerous. The addition of actual combat abilities alongside chain kills and counter parry kills is genuinely smart design. I'd love to see this evolve further across the franchise. Imagine abilities tied directly to a character's core moveset, the way Assassin's Creed 3 could have let Connor use a rope dart or a shove as part of his combat toolkit, expanding the system in ways that feel organic rather than bolted on. This would allow us to feel more attached to specific characters and their capabilities rather than just watch it play out in animations and cutscenes.
One area that could use work though is the animation fluidity. The combat feels fantastic to play, but sometimes the transitions between animations look clunky. Early Assassin’s Creed handled animation flow beautifully, and if this combat system is going to be the foundation for future Assassin's Creed games, that's something worth refining. Adding more ability variety and enemy types that actively counter your action spam would also push the system forward meaningfully. Overall, combat feels like a fantastic framework, leaving me hoping Ubisoft builds on this and doesn’t simply relegate the system to this particular remake.
Parkour: Smooth But Simplified
Parkour is a hot topic among Assassin's Creed fans, and this remake handles it in a way that's both impressive and disappointing depending on your perspective. The original Black Flag had nearly the best parkour system in the franchise from a fluidity standpoint, though the Assassin's Creed 1 and Ezio trilogy took the prize for pure cleanness. Those games had a grounded realism to them where you could actually picture someone executing these moves. Climbing took time, jumps were measured, and routes required planning if you wanted speed. I vividly remember getting obsessed with parkour for like a year or two because of those games and their portrayal of competent movement.
This remake ditches that in favour of speed. Click the left stick while holding X and Edward takes over, moving incredibly fast and scaling obstacles with ease. By tying sprinting to the left stick and parkour to button presses, the remake loses some of the control that made the originals feel so smooth. Edward is inordinately nimble, jumping far and climbing effortlessly, which makes parkour routes feel almost inconsequential. The game essentially turns into a brain-off journey from point A to point B as quickly as possible.
That said, it works for what the remake is trying to do. The animations are cleaner than the RPG-era games, and there's a good sense of fluidity when you're moving through the world. Most players will love the speed and accessibility. I personally would have preferred a grounded system closer to the Ezio era, but I recognise this is a minority opinion and that the Unity-style system this resembles has broad appeal. Overall I wouldn’t call it bad by any means but once again I think future refinements are needed to give players more control and reduce erroneous jumps and movements caused by a simplified system.
Systemic Improvements: The Small Changes That Matter
Beyond the headline features, Ubisoft made several systemic changes that serve to elevate the experience. Ship combat is vastly improved, which shocked me given how strong the original already was. The visual effects, audio design, feedback, and new abilities like alternate fire and special crew mate abilities make naval combat feel more dynamic and rewarding. I spent countless hours ship fighting, and the quality of work here deserves praise. Not gonna lie, I spent like 10 hours straight just ship fighting and plundering. It is that much fun.
Various other improvements work really well too. Different ship types now access different mission types with different resource benefits within Kenway’s fleet. Fort takedowns require you to wear down enemy forces rather than just targeting commanders. Charms that Edward can hang from his costume provide passive bonuses like increased chain kills or better animal skinning rates. Being able to swim underwater opens up new areas, underwater chests, and alternative approaches to encounters. These changes add up to make the remake feel distinct from the original, not just a visual update. They justify the remake's existence in ways that go beyond graphics alone. Although this isn’t a project on the scale of say Resident Evil 2 Remake, I still think Ubisoft Singapore did a really good job making this feel distinct from the original while still retaining a lot of its magic.
The Story and Tone: A Significant Misstep
This is where the remake falters significantly, and it's really disappointing. The original Black Flag was incredibly well written. It was the first Assassin's Creed game where you didn't play as an Assassin for much of the experience, yet the Assassin versus Templar conflict remained woven throughout. The characters were fantastically written, the dialogue was smart and snappy, and it felt genuine.
The remake uses many of the original voice lines, which sound great, but they don't align with the current animation technology. It looks better than Assassin's Creed Shadows or even earlier entries, but it's still noticeably off. This becomes especially obvious with the new scenes and voice lines Ubisoft added, particularly in Great Inagua where Edward's hideout is located. The new quests have Edward acting completely out of character. He's kinder, nicer, brighter and more cheerful in tone, lit in ways that make him feel almost buoyant. This isn't purely a writing issue either. The lighting, facial animations, and overall storytelling direction all contribute to a character who no longer feels like Edward Kenway.
It's unclear what happened in Ubisoft's writing department, and I don't mean to disparage the writers themselves. But the disconnect between the original's tone and these new additions is stark. For a game where the story was once the core pillar, especially in an era before heavy sci-fi and RPG elements dominated the franchise, missing the mark this badly is painful. Had they nailed this, I could confidently call this the definitive version: updated gameplay, improved combat, magnificent ship battles, and visual splendor. Instead, the narrative inconsistency undermines the entire experience.
The Modern Day: Absence Rather Than Evolution
The original Black Flag's modern day segment wasn't particularly well received coming off the heels of Desmond’s story so it’s unsurprising it has been largely removed and changed in the remake. However, its absence is felt, replaced by animus rifts and what-if scenarios. Exploring a version of Blackbeard who took a pardon and became governor of Nassau has narrative merit, but the execution falls flat. Without insight into where the franchise is heading with ego and the dark animus, these scenarios feel hollow. Most players didn't care for modern day back in 2013, and frankly, I don't think Ubisoft is interested in returning to it. That's unfortunate, but it's understandable. If you were hoping to see improvements to the modern day story line here, sadly it does not seem like we will be seeing that for a long time, maybe ever.
Final Verdict: Solid Gameplay Undermined by Narrative Missteps
Black Flag Resynced delivers a strong gameplay experience. The combat updates are excellent, ship combat is phenomenal, and the systemic changes are thoughtful and engaging. If you want to feel the rush of sailing the high seas, plundering ships, and living the pirate fantasy, you'll absolutely get that here.
However, the story and tone missteps are significant enough that this doesn't fully replace the original. The narrative inconsistency, the new scenes that feel tonally off, and the overall failure to capture Edward Kenway's bravado and character make this feel like a parallel experience rather than a definitive upgrade. Had the writing department landed the ship on these new elements, this would be the version everyone should play. As it stands, I'd recommend this game, especially for old school fans wanting that high seas rush again. But I'd also suggest keeping the original around, because this remake doesn't fully capture what made the story and life of Captain Edward James Kenway so compelling in the first place.
