AC4 Review
I know what you're thinking. "Hey, it's the idiot fanboy who gave Assassin's Creed 3 a 9.5 out of 10! I'm gonna skip his review." And, having spent more time in Assassin's Creed 3 since my review, I'm right there with you. The sheer amount of grinding for achievements in that game, which required me replaying a lot of missions, quickly turned the good will of my first impressions into a cynical analysis that only comes about after you've actually written the review and everyone can laugh at you. Not that anyone did, but they could've theoretically. So long story short, Assassin's Creed 3 is not quite as good as I first thought (understatement), I'll rewrite the review some other time (blatant lies), crucify me later (or now), blah blah blah (blah). Meanwhile, Ubisoft continues its "let's out-Call of Duty Call of Duty" by churning out another AC game, only this time with emphasis placed on a side feature from the previous game; naval combat. Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag features Assassins and Templars battling it out on the high seas of the Caribbean, searching for fame and fortune. Is AC4 the flagship to make up for the blunders of AC3, or does it sink under the weight of expectations? Prepare yourself, for naval puns abound in these waters!
Assassin's Creed 4 takes place months after the ending of Assassin's Creed 3, which concluded the Desmond storyline. Well, sort of. Abstergo, having obtained DNA samples from Desmond, use their entertainment division Abstergo Industries (the in-universe creators of AC3: Liberation and the AC multiplayer component of previous games) as a front to locate more artifacts to gather. The player character, a no-name, no-face non-entity researcher freshly recruited to the company, is tasked with gathering information on Edward Kenway, grandfather of Conner Kenway from AC3, a notorious pirate and supposed assassin. In the early 1700s, Edward has sailed from Britain to the Caribbean in search of the funds needed to support his wife, but his glory seeking and greed quickly lead to conflict with the Templars as they search for the Observatory, a device that can locate any person on earth with a drop of their blood. Edward, hoping to sell information on the Observatory to gain infinite wealth, hijacks his own ship, which he promptly names the Jackdaw, and sails for Nassau, the pirate haven. As the story progresses, Edward's conflict with the Templars leads him to meet various pirates and pirate hunters from the era, as well as come head to head with the Templar's true adversaries; the Assassins.
Black Flag is very much the story of a pirate becoming an assassin, rather than that of an assassin pirate. Edward, though we are told loves his wife very much, is so absorbed with glory and treasure that it is hard to like him as a character at first. Even when nearly killing potential allies, he only resorts to helping them when they offer to pay him. Edward has little character development until near the end of the game, which makes perfect use of his lack of it up to that point and gut punches him for full effect. Both in-game and plot wise this saves him, and makes the ending all the more memorable. The plot, meanwhile, starts out and ends quickly but piddles around in the middle, content with letting Edward and his pirate buddies go a-pirating about before reality decides to wake them up. Characters such as James Kidd, Stede Bonnet, and Blackbeard receive ample screen time and growth over the course of the story, which is excellent compared to the multitude of historical characters given absolutely no growth or screentime in AC3. Other characters alternate between friend or foe which, given the nature of pirates, makes the chronic backstabbing disorder actually make sense. The villain this time around is more of a group of villains rather than a single person. While not giving us the presence of a Cesare Borgia or a Haytham Kenway, the villains fill their niches well enough, with a special mention going to the Sage, the only man capable of unlocking the Observatory. More of an anti-hero than anything, this character helps make up for the lack of certain characters in the back half of the game. On the other hand, the present day story is abysmal. The researcher you play as is a hollow, non-existent shell used to give the player first-person eyes in the world. Save for a few cameos by old friends, the characters are bland or downright insane (or worse, French Canadians). The only sort of gameplay worth mentioning is a few hacking games, which are bland and unimaginative compared to the first-person puzzle platforming of Revelations, which I still hold in high regard as an original way of keeping the modern bits interesting. Also, the Abstergo Industries as Ubisoft link is blatantly obvious, with the company in-game bragging about how successful their franchise is, how great it is to make at least one of them per year, and all the potential historical settings they can use. Ubisoft is doing an obvious victory lap-esque brag (these are the nicest terms I could phrase this, and I'm not even one to curse), which is utterly obnoxious and unnecessary. Perhaps this just rubbed me the wrong way, but considering how the rest of the modern setting worked out I doubt it.
Exploration plays a key role in AC4. Good thing the Caribbean is beautiful.
Black Flag can easily be categorized into two parts: the pirate component and the assassin component. Pirating, the first part, is one of the single most enjoyable things in gaming in recent memory. What makes this even more astounding is how this part of the game completely counteracts its opposite in AC3. AC3 lacked any sort of motivation to explore or collect save for 100% completionists; AC4 not only makes exploring the Caribbean and its islands worthwhile, but fun as well. Diving sections are interesting changes of pace, as are searching for buried treasure and fighting drunkards in pirate shantytowns. Even hunting and crafting, once a chore, is now enjoyable and practical; crafting is done via the pause menu, and all crafting options are either upgrades to Edward's gear or ammunition for specific weapons. Hunting on land is quick and the skinning process can be sped up (no more repetitively watching Edward skin a deer!), while hunting whales and sharks at sea is an interesting and occasionally challenging mini-game. Naval combat controls in AC4 are crisp and exact, despite the multitude of guns available to Edward (mortar, swivel, broadside, etc.), and sailing around fighting and taking prizes is a truly unique experience in video gaming. Naval combat isn't smooth sailing either, unlike most AC combats; Edward's ship cannot handle man o'wars head on late into the game, and ships such as frigates are trouble until the Jackdaw is upgraded. Upgrading the Jackdaw requires coin and goods such as wood, both obtained from prizes which also carry trade goods that make a solid profit. Early ships such as schooners only carry small cargo, while larger, more heavily armed ships serve as tempting but dangerous prizes. Locations on the map are revealed as naval forts are defeated, first by sea and then by land assault. Naval contracts continue the fun on the ocean, while legendary ships provide the ultimate challenge to aspiring captains.
The assassin component is rather lackluster compared to the new pirate and naval elements. Edward's controls are somewhat inaccurate, and I found myself climbing up ledges I did not want to climb in the exact opposite direction I wanted to go more often than a veteran of the series should. While naval missions are fun despite some repetition, the land missions suffer from a lack of variety besides "kill" and "stealthily follow." AC4 does place more emphasis on stealth, something that has been pushed to the side ever since Assassin's Creed 2 brought us Ezio the one man army. This is perhaps because combat has become tougher due to two changes; harder hitting enemies and less health. Yep, that's Ubisoft's solution to combat being too easy; watching a guy with an axe cave your face in if you are a touch too slow to counter. Edward's arsenal is not as varied as Ezio's or Conner's, but each weapon serves a purpose. Melee weapons have been limited to a pair of cutlasses, hidden blades, and Edward's fists, while ranged weapons include up to four pistols, the rope dart making a return from AC3 two or three sequences from the end of the game, the occasional single throwing knife (no joke, I have yet to figure out A) where I keep picking these up, B) why I only get one at a time, and C) why there is literally no explanation as to why its there), and a blowgun courtesy of AC3: Liberation. The latter comes with two types of darts; the sleep dart, allowing for more stealthy measures, and the berserk dart (AKA the auto-win dart) which turns enemies into rampaging berserkers bent on killing their former friends.
Still, not everything on the land side is treading water from previous entries. The three main cities are well-diversified: Havana is the well-established Spanish city, Kingston is the newly-built British port, and Nassau is the mismanaged pirate haven that certainly looks the part. Larger locations such as the Mayan city of Tulum and the African island of Principe provide medium sized stopping points, while visits to the Carolinas are cool one-offs. Synchronization points serve both to reveal the map and to provide quick-point access. In general the game is generous is providing quick travel options, saving time when you don't feel like sailing all the way around Cuba. Edward can collect shanties for his crew to sing while sailing around and provide historical flavor. The shanties are moving collectables that make good use of the concept as opposed to the Animus fragments which are there only to torment completionists. The graphics, even on the now previous-gen consoles like the Xbox 360 (which this reviewer used), are gorgeous to look at. Maybe scenic beaches and colorful jungles are just prettier than the spam trees and generic colonial housing of AC3? Nah...
The multiplayer experience is more of the same.
The multiplayer experience is another matter. Since Brotherhood brought us the chaotic fun of assassinating other players, no real evolution has occurred saved the introduction of the co-op Wolfpack mode in AC3, which was a fantastic addition. AC4 goes back to the "add little" routine, sometimes going as far as to take away. The control issues from the campaign carry over to multiplayer, leading players to kill civilians more often than they should. Game types such as Infection and Alliance have been removed in favor of player-made variations on the remaining game types. With only free for all and two teams of four as the base settings, however, this does little save give the game a rotating playlist every so often. Small changes to Wolfpack mode, such as short rounds of infection and chest defense, provide variety and improve the experience, but the challenge is gone. Failing to finish a game is reserved for only the worst of players, and one player going for sneaky kills is more than enough to carry absent-minded blitzers eager to get themselves stunned for that single, 100 point kill. No, there is no bitterness in my voice, why do you ask? Players can still customize their characters and equipment as they level up and earn points, but Ubisoft has gone full throttle with microtransactions this time around, offering everything in a second currency for those with less patience. For superficial gear this is perfectly fine, but allowing players early access to higher in-game equipment is more annoying than anything. AC4's multiplayer is simply more of the same, which is good if you enjoy the basic gametypes but provides little in terms of variety. Perhaps over time more game modes will be added; it certainly occurred in previous games.
I'll include here a few finishing notes based off my own personal experience. The game requires a Ubisoft Passport in order to access the full game, primarily the Kenway's Fleet feature. As of right now the pass is available free for anyone to download, rather than just as a new copy addition. Kenway's Fleet acts much like sending out your assassin's on missions did in previous installments, albeit with ships captured by the pirate assassin. It's a good way to make money, but it is merely a side feature. The database is officially whack in this game, with dates and locations for events and the lives of historical characters being completely screwed up. Does this have any affect on the game? Absolutely not, but it just bugs me. Also, the subtitles capitalize every noun, which is either a historical accuracy, in which case its a nice touch of detail, or lazy editing, in which case I'm mad as they are really annoying to read. And for the love of all South Carolinians, the portrayal of Stede Bonnet is a disgrace, at least in terms of historical accuracy. But this is historical fiction, so...yeah, I'm just being silly at this point.
As a pirate simulator, Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag is an energetic game that defines historical fiction, just as the first Assassin's Creed did with the Crusades back when the First Civilization side of the story was less apparent. As an Assassin's Creed game, however, AC4 stumbles with less than amazing controls, generic missions, and a plot that does little to advance the overall story, both in the past and in the present. Black Flag is very much Edward Kenway's story, and his life is that of a pirate, not an assassin. From this view, AC4 is a great game that rivals the better installments of the franchise when it does it's best to be different, rather than when it follows in their footsteps. And the pirating escapades are more than enough to outweigh the lesser parts...most of the time. Black Flag is definitely the best overall game in the franchise since Brotherhood, which many consider to be the pinnacle of Assassin's Creed gaming. Now if they would just quit releasing these games once a year that'd be great.
- CJ
Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag Concept Pirates, Assassins, and Templars on the high seas. Graphics On the Xbox 360 the graphics look great, though there is an occasional issue with shadows. The current gen Xbox One and PS4 as well as the PC will of course improve the game in this category. Sound Brian Tyler, known for his movie soundtracks, takes over for Jesper Kyd, with no decrease in musical quality. Shanties and bar songs provide excellent ambiance. The voice acting is good, but nothing revolutionary. Playability Naval controls: work much better than expected, even on a controller. Land controls: a significant downgrade from previous installments to the franchise. Entertainment The story may be up and down, but the game is addicting, whether it be via exploration or engaging in massive naval battles. Multiplayer Despite improvements to Wolfpack mode, the multiplayer is more of the same. For a better experience, try any of the three previous versions. Replay Medium-High Overall Score 9.00