With the wind in Ubisoft’s sails, hot off the recent reveal of Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag Resynced (AC4R), it’s time to take a look to the horizon for what this title could mean for Ubisoft’s future.
The tempests have long been swirling with rumours and leaks aplenty regarding AC4R. Perhaps one of the worst-kept secrets in gaming history. Fittingly, it’s also no secret Ubisoft has been in fast decline over the years – their sullen ship has long since drifted into uncharted waters; springing leaks quicker than they can patch, taking on water faster than Tencent can bail out. All the while, Captain Yves Guillemot is at the helm, prattling on about AAAA games, oblivious to the fact the crew are abandoning ship, or being forced to walk the layoff plank.
Just like the golden age of piracy Black Flag centres around, long gone too are Ubisoft’s glory days.
Back in its heyday, it used to be a joy to fire up a game in the late 90s and 00s, and be greeted with the Ubisoft logo – those treasured memories of Rayman 2/3, Prince of Persia, Beyond Good and Evil (let’s just cancel BG&E 2 at this point to be honest), all so ingrained in our minds.
The Ubisoft logo used to carry substance; a reassurance, if you will, that reaffirmed you were in for a good time with whatever you were playing.
Nowadays, that name has long been tainted – the glimmer of gold and excitement that name once held, replaced instead with rust and distrust. There’s a reason that people refer to Ubisoft now as “Ubislop.”
And I agree.
Of all the games they’ve released in the last decade, I’m honestly struggling to think of one worth playing. Besides Immortals: Fenyx Rising. But only because Joe and my Mother-in-law rate it.
Anyway, the rambling winds have blown me off course.
I used to be a nut for Ubisoft – Rayman 3 was the first game I cried at finishing, plus I’ve been replaying Assassin’s Creed 2 on Steam recently. An experience I was absolutely enamoured with back in 2009. Very few games will ever beat the wonder and intrigue of first running around Florence, unravelling the Templar vs Assassin plot, and witnessing Ezio’s story grow as you did too.
So with Assassin’s Creed being such a huge part of my teenage gaming years, the original Black Flag sadly came at a time when the series had already started to drop off for me. I don’t think of it as favourably as I do AC2 or Brotherhood. I’ve read discussions about which game was Ubisoft’s “point of decline,” their last “good game,” before transitioning into the downfall they’ve harboured since. For me, that game was Brotherhood… By the time Revelations came out the year after, series fatigue had already set in for me, like a violent case of scurvy. For others, that game was Black Flag.
The Assassin’s Creed games then became something of a habit to play each year, rather than desire or interest – a slog devoid of the enjoyment and wonder that the series used to hold dear. They were merely a yearly Christmas present to sit beneath the tree.
I mean, look at this:
- 2007 – Assassin’s Creed
- 2009 – Assassin’s Creed 2
- 2010 – Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood
- 2011 – Assassin’s Creed: Revelations
- 2012 – Assassin’s Creed 3
- 2013 – Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag
- 2014 – Assassin’s Creed: Unity + Assassin’s Creed: Rogue
- 2015 – Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate
- 2017 – Assassin’s Creed: Origins
- 2018 – Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey
- 2020 – Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla
- 2023 – Assassin’s Creed: Mirage
- 2025 – Assassin’s Creed: Shadows
14 WHOLE AC games, in 18 years. How would that not fatigue anyone, even the most dedicated fan? That’s not to mention the spin-off games, DLC, standalone games, etc., released on various platforms, on top of that, too.
It’s hard to be a fan of a cash cow, especially one as sorely milked as AC. You might find yourself returning to the latter games, longing for them to capture the same feeling the earlier games had, but they just never live up to that memory. More often than not, they are shallow, padded blots of an experience. Laden with microtransactions. Doing nothing to rekindle any lost love between players and Ubisoft.
Though it can be said this is somewhat indicative of the industry as a whole, especially in the 2010s.
Ubisoft’s pivot to yearly releases, in the same guise as Call of Duty in that era, arguably sparked the beginning of their downfall. A shift to a focus on greed, rather than for the love of making games. Long gone were the compelling stories, and engaging gameplay from the Ubi of old. Instead, the era of half-heartedness and microtransactions had begun.
To be honest, I’d even say the pivot from Rayman to Rabids, was the beginning of their undoing to be honest, but that’s cause I’m still upset we didn’t get Rayman 4.
So why is Resync akin to a litmus test, almost, for the future of Ubisoft?
Let’s be real here, Ubisoft’s reputation is hanging by a gallows’ thread.
With their new releases garnering less than favourable receptions and reviews, and an ever increasing overreliance on their legacy titles, it feels like Ubi are treading some mighty deep water. With Tencent’s 25% investment in the company, only offering a lifering to keep them afloat for so long.
From rereleases of Far Cry 3 and the Ezio Collection, to turning DLC into standalone titles, these games all come and go, and leave little to no impact on the gaming world. Bandaid solutions to a heaving great haemorrhaging wound, if you will. To be honest too, even having replayed a bit of Far Cry 3: Classic Edition, it hasn’t aged all that well. Clunky, awful aiming, and less than perfect performance for a 14 year old game on vastly better hardware. AC2 is in the same camp too – Ezio feels heavy in his parkouring, perhaps spoiled by the more free-flowing nature of Unity’s freerun, and the Ezio Collection too just… well, it looks like something you’d find in venetian sewer to be honest. It’s ugly. A lazy port (ahem) made to break a quick buck, florien (or doubloon?) or two.
That’s not to mention the huge debacle following the release of their “AAAA” game, Skull and Bones too.
Ubisoft are rumoured to have spent an estimated 650 – 850 million dollars on the development of that game, over the span of a 10+ years. With multiple reboots and direction changes over the course of its development – what could’ve been an easy doubloon maker for them, a game centred around the most praised part of AC4; its naval combat, turned out to be a bland, uninspiring borefest. Priced at £69.99/$70 and devoid of content that, AC4 did better in every way, 11 years prior.
The only thing Skull and Bones ironically was on par with AC4 in, was its microtransactions.
So it’s safe to say, players’ trust in Ubisoft has long been eroded. Perhaps damaged far beyond repair.
Which is where we come to the OG release of AC4:
Assassin’s Creed 4 sits in a niche – a pirate game, with an Assassin’s Creed coating. You watch any video describing the game, and they will say exactly that, word for word. It’s arguably the least “Assassin’s Creed” out of the AC games, so why do so many revere this as the last “good” Assassin’s Creed game?
For many, Black Flag came along at a time when Assassin’s Creed had started to go stale. The yearly releases fueled fatigue faster than a ship at full sail, and the wind at her back; shifting the gameplay from city based exploration, to a mix of open sea, island, settlement and underwater exploration, with naval combat thrown in for good measure too. Breathing a hurricane sized breath of fresh sea air, into an otherwise stagnant franchise.
Plus, it sitting in this pirate niche alone, scratched an itch some had been crying out for, and some who had no idea that itch needed scratching, all in itself.
For me, I don’t remember Black Flag all too well to be honest. It came out at a time when I was well and truly burnt out, on Assassin’s Creed.
I’d forced myself through Assassin’s Creed 3 the year prior, and not enjoyed it – the setting, the main character, the pacing (I mean, how long was that prologue where you’re playing as Connor’s Dad/Edward’s Son, really?), though it was the first one to introduce sailing and naval combat, later expanded upon in 4, so there’s something it tried doing different at least.
So when 4 came out, I was in no rush to get it. I was more than happy to wait for Christmas, or a birthday, before getting it. And even then, it became another one I forced myself through. I remember glimpses of sailing, diving underwater exploring shipwrecks, destroying forts and tailing people… lots of tailing… and never ending dialogue… and more tailing… and then maybe you could assassinate your target after… Maybe.
But again, the on-land “Assassiny” parts of the game were never the games’ selling point. It was the 80% of the game you spend stretching your sea legs that was the main drawm and people loved it for that. In hindsight, I can’t blame it for doing something to shake things up. There’s a reason they bought the same concept back in AC: Odyssey, but with a Greek twist.
I was just too burnt out at the time to fully appreciate what Black Flag did differently. Instead focusing too much on what I disliked about it. Saying that, I did enjoy Unity controversially – the low price (seriously, they slashed it not long after launch due to the poor reception and bugs), coupled with the scale of the setting, streamlined freerunning, stealth and combat, and of course the looting and customising of outfits. (I’m a sucker for cosmetic stuff in games). Plus the 3 player coop missions. It was all round a fun package. But I soon dropped off again once the series went down the RPG route – Origins just did nothing for me, despite finishing it, the only bits I enjoyed were the sections with Amunet, and having backstory to her tomb that we explore in AC2.
Odyssey on the other hand, was the final nail. Purchased on a whim during a PS Sale, the only thing I enjoyed about it was dangling off Zeus’ balls though during one of my famed 240p streams back in the day. The rest? Slop. Never finished it
So now as those rum-soaked AC4 remake rumours, have turned into gloriously plunderous footage of AC4 Resynced, do I like what I see?
Well, aye. I have to say, I’m surprised. This game be looking good.
Honestly for me, Resynced is everything that a remake should be – taking the original experience and elevating it. A purely solo experience, rebuilt entirely from the ocean bed up in the Anvil engine, with reworked lighting and visual effects, through to entire overhauls of gameplay mechanics, weather systems and tweaks to missions, old and new. You name it, it’s probably got it.
Visually, the game just looks absolutely stunning.
The character models have had a hell of a glow up – almost identical in appearance to the OG CGI trailers I remember seeing back in the day. I mean just look at the texturing on the clothing, the ornate detailing on the flintlock pistols, the hair on Blackbeard’s, well, black beard… does it not just shiver your timbers?
The world too is gorgeous. It just looks so much more alive and lived in this time round.
The screenshots below don’t do it justice.
Just look at the attention to detail – the decay in the wooden structures, the debris-trodden ground, the depth of the terrain… the more I look, the more I get absorbed into the environs. Getting myself all wet and hard like a rigid piece of driftwood.
The settlements feel as vibrant as the visuals do too. Look at how distinct the above locations feel from the one with the wooden structures; I don’t remember having that distinction in the original. It feels like they’ve captured those vivid Caribbean locales, so much better than they did the first time round. With the environment detailing, NPC density and variety, the lighting etc., culminating in locations and atmospheres that will be a joy to, “make anchor,” and explore this time around.
Those locations will be even more of a sea-breeze to explore too, with the removal of loading screens when entering cities, and the complete reworking of Stealth, Parkour and Combat! YAR!
Stealth seems to be similar to how it was in Unity – having a button to enter into a Stealth mode instead of just walking slowly, and hiding behind a chimney pot. Leaning much more into the “Assassin” side of things, than the original did. As such, environments are slightly reworked to reflect this too. Featuring more places for cover, and giving the player greater variety in their approach to missions.
Parkour is so much more fluid here too. Ubi Singapore have refined the system to give Edward much more reactive movements, from smoother wall ascents, to side-jumps and back ejects, all of which would give Mario 64 a run for its money – traversing locales seems so much more seamless, with tighter control over a much more richer mechanic here. Something the older games lack if you go back and replay them.
Combat too looks great. It’s probably better I quote the reveal event here regarding combat – “the combat system has been entirely reworked into an action oriented experience… with faster, more fluid attacks. Land a perfect parry to open your target for an instant kill, then follow with up to 4 chained takedowns.” Not much to elaborate on here, it does what it says on the tin. But it looks great.
Naval Combat too have been fleshed out and revamped for the 18th (?) Century.
The Jackdaw now has upgrades with more firepower, differing weapons and canon types, plus 3 new NPCs you can recruit to further the cause – each complete with new missions, and bring unique tweaks to naval related gameplay.
Not to mention there’s new narrative missions with West Country favourite, Blackbeard, and newly added scenes with Edward’s wife, and fellow Bristolian, Caroline, too. “OH ARR.”
Talking of missions, tailing missions finally no longer fail upon detection. Instead switching to combat, with the rest of the mission taking an alternative course to its conclusion. This is amazing. Easily one of the worst parts of the original, were all the tailing missions, and having to redo them if you were detected. So this and the newly added character missions, are more than welcome additions fans are no doubt thrilled with.
Plus, the dulcet Welsh tones of Matt Ryan return too, reprising his role as the voice actor of Edward Kenway; lending his insatiable charm once again to the swash-buckling rogue. Watching the reveal event, you can see how much he holds this character close to his heart. With his infectious enthusiasm, complete with new voice lines and fully motion captured cutscenes too for new content, rounding off the package.
Oh and, more SEA SHANTIES TOO. Need I say more?
How about a pet cat for your ship? Or monkey? You’ve got it.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Ubisoft game without there being another Collector’s Edition of the game. Available for us lowly landlubbers, at the bounty of £179.99/$199.99.
The contents of which are pictured below:
Honestly can’t tell if you get a physical or digital copy of the game with that though. It wouldn’t be the first time a special or collector’s edition of a game ships with a steelbook case, and no disc… God of War: Ragnarok cough cough…
As for the Standard Version for us sea leg-less heathens, the price of £49.99/$59.99. Now, I don’t think that’s too bad to be honest. There wasn’t anything to stop them doing a Nintendo and charging 70+. If this was a remaster, or port, similar to the Ezio Collection, then it’d be a different story. But 50 I’m fine with.
It’s releasing on Ubisoft+ too for the record, but in all honestly, does anyone even use that service? Sounds like a brand of toilet paper.
It’s worth noting too that the multiplayer, first introduced in Brotherhood, and featured in the original Black Flag, won’t be returning for Resynced.
Now some may view that as a disappointment, and I have to say, I get it. I loved the multiplayer in Brotherhood – I mean, the concept is great. Just imagine stalking your target, in an iconic AC location, filled with variations of you and other players’ characters, while also being hunted by another player.
You had abilities of your choosing to to help take out your target, or hinder your hunter. It was the coolest thing, not without its bugs, of course. But it was cool. Especially ACB’s Plague Doctor.
Personally, it did lose its charm for me in Revelations, 3 and 4, but it had a dedicated group of fans that don’t have anything similar these days. Unless they go back to the original Black Flag, but who knows how long it’ll be until those servers are scuttled. Or mod ACB. But I’m gutted for them, and for my nostalgia, it’s not coming back.
It’s unclear too how microtransactions will be handled in Resynced. Unless I missed it, I don’t think they covered it in the reveal event? The original Black Flag was first to introduce “Helix Credits” and Resource packs, a now series staple. Ideally, they’ll be gone, but like a turgid limpet on a ship’s hull, there’s no getting rid of them no matter how hard you try.
DLC content released for the original also remains uncertain – this game and leaks go hand in hand so of course there’s been supposed leaks of the world map, featuring DLC locations. Having these be a part of the main game would be great, but we’ve had no confirmation on this. The fact that the Adéwalé DLC was already re-released as a standalone game too, makes this more uncertain.
Personally, I’m not too arrrghsed.
Ubisoft have always had mediocre to poor DLC as it is; in replaying AC2, it unfortunately has its DLC sequences bundled in on PC, and they are just woefully bad. Placed annoyingly right at the end of the game before Ezio takes off to the Vatican to confront Rodrigo Borgio, completely killing the pace of the game. They are just dreadful slogs to get through and proof that, DLC isn’t always good or beneficial to a game.
But apart from those minor tidbits, I’m on board.
Or at least, I was…
Just like the weeks leading up to the official reveal, each day seems to bring more tidbits from the leaky ship HMS Ubisoft, that leave a decidedly salty stain on the hype surrounding this title.
It since transpires that for console players, an internet connection is required to install the game. Effectively adding pseudo-DRM to physical versions of the game. Due to the sheer size of the game not fitting on one disc, and instead of splitting the game between 2 disks, Ubi have opted to go down the mandatory download route. Essentially copying Nintendo and their “game key cards” – blank carts devoid of game data, that act as a key for downloading the game, but in this case, a “game key disc.”
The Steam version also features Denuvo DRM, and after the debacle with Sony and their DRM policies recently, these internet requirements do nothing to tide over well with the audience. I get it if the game is too big for one Blu-Ray disc on console, but is it really that hard to not just split it across two discs? Manufacturing costs can’t be that too much of a problem surely?
In a recent Q&A too on Reddit, it’s come to surface that hidden blade and unarmed combat has been removed from the game. Limiting players to cutlass, pistol and other tool based combat. At first this didn’t seem like too much of an issue for me, but having replayed AC2 and Brotherhood whilst writing this, I realised my preferred methods of combat across both alternated between Hidden Blade and Knife fights.
Granted combat has of course been reworked in Resynced, so might be entirely more satisfying this time round, but swordplay was really quite boring to me in the past. Except perhaps in Unity. I just love the feeling of countering at the last second too much, and then chaining those Hidden Blade finishers together against a swarm of guards. It’s badass, and I can’t envision how limiting the range of playstyles in combat, will help the new system feeling as satisfying. The rope dart could have potential for some Arkham Knight style takedowns, but I honestly don’t remember using it that much in OG Black Flag.
While on the subject (16), the visual effect for parrying in combat too is way too bright. Imagine playing Dark Souls and being flashbanged every time an enemy made a parryable attack. That needs toning down completely, preferably to the point it won’t give someone a “DESYCHRONISATION IMMINENT” seizure.
So, after all that, will I buy Resync on launch?
No.
With Ubisoft, it’s one stroke forward, two strokes back. For every good they seem to do, they offset that with some kind of anti-consumer practice. Like the DRM and internet installation requirement on consoles, and god knows what microtransactions they’ll dream up.
But outside of those issues, and considering what the game does as a “remake,” I’m cautiously optimistic.
To be fair, I’m pleasantly surprised with what’s on offer – it’s what a remake should do for a game; by taking the original, honouring it and elevating the experience.
But again, my expectations are limited.
Let’s be real, it’s not the first time we’ve had to temper them with Ubisoft. Let’s recall the original Watch Dogs reveal, and how different was it at launch. Or dare I mention how Unity was on launch?
If Black Flag Resync releases in a similar way; full of bugs, poorly optimised with performance all over the galley, then all faith in Ubisoft will be lost.
And that’s what makes this such a sink or swim moment with Ubisoft.
That gallows thread is ready to snap – for so long, players have been spurned by Ubisoft; with subpar releases, ridden with microtransactions, from a company laden in complacency.
But, as ready as that thread is to snap, the hangman’s trapdoor could just as easily be raised to catch any fall… The ship is sinking, but the lifeboats are on standby. All they need is to send that SOS. And Resynced is that SOS – a call to players disenfranchised from Ubisoft, to put aside their scepticism for a moment, and restore a little trust. Return the golden age of not just piracy, but the last time Assassin’s Creed had a sibilance of gold to its name.
It all comes down to how this game is on launch. The groundwork is already there, surely there’s no way you can go wrong – you’re just copying someone else’s homework and making it look nicer right? It seems like an infallible concept. Windrose and Sea of Thieves are great examples that the demand for this style of game is alive and well. And Resynced is looking to be a step in the right direction. But you never know… And that’s the sad thing; all this canon and buckshot hyping up Resynced, but we can’t help but temper our hidden blades and take it with a pinch of sea salt. (Thanks Joe, stole that from your AC4 leak article)
Generally, the reaction to the reveal was incredibly positive too. But a lot of us are in a similar boat, the HMS “It looks good, sounds good, but we’ve been hurt before” kind of boat. We’re interested, but happy to wait in port, and see what the tide brings in.
But again, the DRM and internet requirements for physical versions of the game, sour the taste immensely. Like an over-limed shot of rum.
Only time will tell… if the DRM checks fail, or the game is a broken mess on launch, then no one will be surprised. The Ubislop moniker will remain, and they can take the backlash. It wouldn’t be the first time. But if they somehow drop the PC DRM after people’s negative reactions, sort the combat critic and the game is flawless on launch; exceeding the original and people are content, then great! Happy sailors all round. Perhaps hope and intrigue in the two other remakes, reportedly in the works (AC1 and 2, but I’m thinking an FF7 style “Ezio Collection Parts 1-3” is more likely) will grow, and a notion of confidence restored in Ubisoft.
They might even make Rayman 4 then too, who knows.
If not, then requiescat in pace Ubisoft. AC Resync? More like Resink.
May the Tencent of Understanding guide you.
