Ubisoft’s historical action series has investigated the Crusades, romped through renaissance Italy and trudged the blood-soaked battlefields of the American Revolution, but its latest outing is possibly the most unique yet. Instead of stalking the shadows, you’re tasked with captaining a pirate galleon on a quest which is initially driven by a desire for personal gain, but ends with world-shattering consequences. Does the Assassin’s Creed series still have enough ideas to make this journey worthwhile, or is this yearly cycle having a telling effect? We hope you’ve polished your cutlass and re-coppered your hull, because we’re about to set sail and find out.
The good
Once you get your hands on a ship, the game world opens up alluringly before you; you can sail anywhere, explore any island and generally perform all kinds of pirate-style deeds against passing ships. Transitioning between on-foot combat and ship-based battles is near-seamless, and you feel in control at all times. We witnessed massive contests between ships of war in Assassin’s Creed III, but in Black Flag they’re even more gripping.
Fans of the original Assassin’s Creed titles will be pleased to learn that although this nautical sequel brings a lot of fresh ideas to the table, much has remained the same. You can still skulk through the shadows and take down enemies one by one, proving that stealth is still a bit part of the game’s appeal. However, the more open environments allow for a greater variety of tactics; you can achieve some of the game’s objectives without harming a soul.
It’s also worth mentioning how amazing Black Flag looks, even on current-gen hardware. With the PS4 and Xbox One just around the corner, it’s amazing to think that the existing consoles are now coming to the end of their extended lifespans, yet can produce visuals as amazing as these.
When you’re creating a world as large and detailed as the one seen in Black Flag, it’s almost inevitable that some issues are going to arise. Previous Assassin’s Creed games have been subject to game-breaking bugs and this is no different; there are a few moments where the game simply falls over – usually when you’re attempting to safely anchor your ship before heading to land – a victim of its own incredible scope.
It’s also worth noting that the different styles of gameplay don’t necessary meld as well as you might expect; the bluster of the naval battles feels curiously at odds with the softly-softly approach required when performing close-quarters combat. The rooftop-running that has become the hallmark of the series since it was conceived also feels curiously out of place at times; the towns in Black Flag lack the grand scale of those seen in Assassin’s Creed 1 and 2, and therefore there’s less incentive to scale tall buildings to appreciate the view.
The bottom line
After Assassin’s Creed III, many critics fully expected the series to fall into a pattern of safe sequels which added little to the core experience, but thankfully Black Flag – despite coming just twelve months after its prequel – avoids this issue. It’s packed with new ideas and exciting locations to explore, and feels different enough from what has gone before to be labelled innovative.
From a technical perspective, it’s awe-inspiring, and once again suggests that the forthcoming upgrade to new console hardware could be slightly premature. Like the swarthy pirates it showcases, Black Flag possesses a relentless and dogged character, and will captivate you for many hours.
