One of the first games I got for my shiny, new, Xbox One back in 2013 was Assassin’s Creed Black Flag. I remember being blown away by this tropical paradise I was launched into in the game’s opening minutes as Pirate Edward Kenway. I’ve already been a huge fan of Assassin’s Creed but Black Flag solidified my interest. What was seemingly a huge shift in direction from 1-2 and taking some parts from 3 and building up, 4 became the instant pick of “Best” in the series.

2026. I load up Resynced for the first time. I am immediately blown away by this tropical paradise I was launched into. That feeling is back. And it never went away through my playthrough. Even though the game largely remains the same, it felt new due to the new coat of paint Ubisoft lovingly poured on to this.

While I am sure there are people out there who are upset that nothing exactly new was added to the game, I am also sure people will be very pleased with the overall experience.

The newer Assassin’s Creed games have definitely divided fans. Every time a new one releases, the same questions seem to pop up. Is the world too big? Is it leaning too heavily into RPG mechanics? Is there simply too much to do?

Personally, I’ve enjoyed the recent entries. I just had to remind myself that I didn’t need to complete absolutely everything before moving on.

Black Flag, though, takes us back to a simpler time. It’s still an open world but it is not overwhelming. You don’t have to grind enemy groups for upgrades. You don’t have to shuffle through a skill tree and stress over if you picked the right perks or not. Just occasionally skin an iguana for an extra holster and you are good. You can absolutely spend 100+ hours in this world doing every single possible thing, but the game never forces you to feel like you have to. The 30-35 hour main campaign is action packed and emotional enough that you’ll want to see it to the finish.

I never felt rushed and even though I started collecting all the treasures and secrets in certain areas, it happened to be as I passed by their location rather than feeling like I needed to add more things to my codex. It was a huge breath of fresh air as a lot of open world games can give you that burnout early.

A (not so) Tall Tale

Black Flag Resynced will not take you long to complete. As previously mentioned, around 30ish hours are needed to see it through. You will experience a wildly emotional and exciting campaign through the eyes of Edward.

Edward doesn’t begin his adventure chasing glory. He simply wants a better life. One where he isn’t wondering where his next decent meal is coming from. Watching that dream slowly transform into the legend of one of the Caribbean’s most infamous pirates remains one of Assassin’s Creed’s strongest character arcs.

My Special Eyes

Resynced, like the original, is a joy to look at. I spent many a time in photo mode just observing my surroundings and appreciating the visual awesomeness that was all around me. Even while playing in Fidelity mode on a base Playstation 5 (Pro for me, when?) it never felt sluggish or blurry and still gave me a smooth experience.

I’ve been to these locations before. But now they’re more realistic than ever. Better lighting, richer foliage, improved water, and enhanced particle effects all combine to make the Caribbean feel more alive than ever. The atmosphere is here. Walking around the cities felt like you were in an actual live world. I was Edward in these situations. Twisting and turning my camera to catch every detail. Ubisoft did a fantastic job here.

Even when I thought I had gotten used to the visuals, something would stop me in my tracks to make me appreciate it even more.

All these new shinies carry on through the entire game and fantastic campaign as well.

All That Glitters Is Not Gold

Assassin’s Creed will always (at least in my experience) have some frustrating things happen. This remake is no different. Edward will still occasionally decide that the wall you wanted to climb is actually lava before leaping in the completely wrong direction. Trying to climb up what looks to be a climbable surface only to see Edward jump and slide on it like the smoothest surface to ever exist will also happen. While these do not really retract from the gameplay itself, they do add the “Ugh” to my daily vocabulary while playing.

Ubi also took any of the modern day scenes out of the game. While they have been replaced by a different feature, I can see this as a negative to some who really enjoyed these pieces in the past. If I am being honest, I didn’t really think of them much during my time sailing around like a lunatic. It wasn’t until I reviewed the features that I went “Oh, yeah!” This may not be the same for everyone but I feel the game holds up and flows even better without it.

What Is A Pirate’s Favorite Letter?

Sailing the Jackdaw got a whole lot better. I recently played through Skull and Bones and I could not help but get the itch to play again just by sailing in Black Flag Resynced. Controls feel tighter. Battles feel WAY more intense due to the new ways the ship moves and launches attacks.

Sea shanties are still there and as lively as ever. Coming up to dock while your crew sings is still a great feeling and really brings in more of the immersion.

You can still set out to destroy other ships and rescue other crew members to beef up the Jackdaw. It won’t take you too much time to get used to and once you do, you’ll be a true pirate in no time.

Sailing from island to island to find sunken treasure or exotic animals to hunt can be fun if not eventually pretty repetitive. You’ll experience that in most open world games with side activities. There were times when I said “I don’t need to do that” for the sake of the story and other times when I absolutely just wanted to relax while exploring the diving mechanics.

Is It Sea Worthy?

For newcomers, this is one of the best entry points into Assassin’s Creed. For returning fans, it’s an opportunity to revisit one of the greatest pirate adventures ever made with visuals that finally match the memories many of us already had.

Whether you’re stepping aboard the Jackdaw for the first time or setting sail once again, Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is an easy recommendation. I give this remake a 9/10.