Now into its sixth main entry on an annual release cycle, the Assassin’s Creed series is becoming tiresome. Fans return each year to don the infamous assassin hood and stab countless Templar enemies. After last year’s “Assassin’s Creed III” received a lukewarm reception, there was only one thing that could save the franchise: pirates.
Despite being the sixth main release, this year’s AC game goes by the title “Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag.”The numbering choice in this title is due to the inclusion of a new star, Captain Edward Kenway. Kenway is a down- on-his-luck Englishman who dreams of sailing the West Indies as a privateer in order to make some money for his wife back home. Through a series of fairly convoluted events, Kenway quickly finds himself impersonating an assassin and a captain of his own ship. This fast-paced introduction actually serves the game quite well. It is a refreshing change of pace from AC III’s long slog to becoming an assassin. The mission-to-mission storyline of the AC games has always taken somewhat of a backseat to the actual gameplay and this iteration is not much different in that respect. A major saving grace is the game’s cast of supporting pirate characters. Edward “Blackbeard” Thatch is a particular highlight of the storyline, using both intimidation and comic relief to spice up Kenway’s narrative. As always, there is a modern- day storyline that presents the ability to relive the past. But thankfully, it is comprised of much shorter segments that are not nearly as dramatic or complex as past games. Interestingly enough, it is actually a sort of meta-storyline that strongly hints at the future of the franchise itself.
AC IV might just be the most eclectic game in the series yet. There are numerous, finely tuned mechanics that work to create some of the best pacing a game could have. Every feature that Black Flag includes is presented to you in full, with nothing to hold you back from exploring every nook and cranny the game has to offer. Whether you want to set sail on the expansive Caribbean, run around the numerous sprawling cities, or hunt wildlife to upgrade Kenway’s abilities, the game lets you do so at your leisure.
The most engaging points of the game draw on as many mechanics as possible, brilliantly mixing up the pace of the action. Perhaps the most well designed mission is one in which Kenway starts out tailing a ship through a bayou, abandons his ship to stalk a rowboat on foot, climbs through dilapidated huts, takes out hostile crocodiles, and ends up chasing down his target to assassinate him. This mission uses practically every feature the game has to offer, gradually taking up the pace from stalking to action-packed chasing.
Even outside of these scripted missions, the wide variety of activities in the open world does an excellent job at keeping the game from becoming repetitive. After sailing and fighting in ship battles for a time, I always looked forward to the next on-foot segment. What really holds the experience together is the streamlining of the small mechanics, which make this series so addicting to play. With every entry in the AC series, I have always enjoyed the collectible hunting above all else. It is a blast using the excellent free-running mechanics to track down all of the treasures hidden across the game’s map. AC IV embraces that idea full on.
By simply holding a trigger, a side bar pulls up on the screen presenting all of the collectibles, treasures and viewpoints that have or have not been found on the current island. This tiny addition greatly streamlines what I find to be the best part of the series.
Black Flag is a surprisingly refreshing take on a series that many believed to be stagnating after the third entry. From the pacing, all the way down to the smallest of menu features, AC IV proves that Ubisoft is a company that learns from past successes and mistakes in order to improve the franchise each year.
