Drunk on rum and joy: Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced review

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is a remake of Ubisoft’s much-loved pirate adventure, which takes players back to the Caribbean in the age of piracy. Edward Kenway fights, schemes and carves a path through a world of smugglers, Assassins and treacherous alliances. Built from the ground up using the latest Anvil engine, the game reimagines the original’s storyline, adding new missions, new characters and improved gameplay, making the journey even better than before. The ggeditorial team couldn’t pass up the chance to see how this legendary pirate tale looks and feels in its revamped form. So we set sail once more to discover what new secrets the Black Flag conceals beneath the waves.

4 reasons to buy Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced

• You’ve been missing the older games in the series
• You fancy plundering ships, but don’t want to end up in prison
• The gameplay has been greatly improved, so there are hardly any annoying elements left
• There aren’t exactly many good pirate games out there

2 reasons to give Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced a miss

• You’re witnessing the ‘remake haters’
• Seasickness makes it impossible to steer the ship

Quick links:

• Story: aged rum tastes better
• Gameplay: now it’s a real blast to play
• What a magical Caribbean
• What makes Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced memorable
• Five things you need to know about Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced

Story: aged rum tastes better

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced takes players back to one of the series’ most beloved stories. We play as the pirate Edward Kenway, who finds himself caught between his personal ambitions, the Brotherhood’s code and the brutal politics of the Caribbean. At its heart, the story still revolves around Edward: a charismatic but self-centred buccaneer whose thirst for wealth gradually comes into conflict with the grand power struggles shaping the ‘Golden Age of Piracy’. At the same time, the remake delves even deeper into the stories of the characters who accompany us throughout the game. 

Blackbeard remains the heart of the story, but in Resynced his role is expanded thanks to new missions and a more fully-fledged storyline, which deepens his place in Edward’s journey. New storylines have also been added for Stede Bonnet, and new crew members are introduced – such as Lucy Baldwin, The Padre and Dead Man Smith — each of whom crosses paths with Edward through their own quests and personal motivations. This helps transform the crew of the ‘Jackdaw’ into a collective where greater attention is paid to the characters, making the Caribbean feel less like a backdrop for pirate adventures and more like a living world of alliances, betrayals and dreams of freedom.

The emotional power of this story lies in the way it balances Edward’s loyalty to his comrades with the inevitable collapse of the pirate ideal he strives for. The new storylines in the ‘What If’ series also offer a fresh perspective on certain characters through alternative scenarios, without altering the main historical narrative. 

As for what has been removed from the original version, you can now forget about the modern-day missions with Abstergo, which were nothing but a nuisance. At the same time, the Freedom Cry DLC has been cut from the remake.

Taken together, these changes make Resynced a more in-depth exploration of Edward Kenway’s character, expanding the dramatic context surrounding him whilst remaining true to the original story of gold, loyalty and the price of fighting for freedom on the high seas.

Gameplay: it’s a blast to play now

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced retains the essence of the original, but the gameplay has been modernised in every detail, making Edward Kenway’s Caribbean adventures smoother and more dynamic. The main gameplay loop is still built around alternating between missions to eliminate targets on land, sailing on the open sea and exploring islands, but the remake introduces a more open-ended approach to stealth, combat and mission design, giving players greater freedom in choosing their strategy for each task.

The combat system has been overhauled with an emphasis on parrying and a stronger sense of rhythm and dynamism. So swinging your blade is a real pleasure. As for stealth, thanks to the addition of the ability to crouch manually and a more varied mission structure, stealth no longer feels as unwelcoming as it did in the original game. And the stalking and eavesdropping segments now give you the chance to rectify the situation, rather than leading to instant failure, which reduces frustration and makes the gameplay experience more accessible.

The naval sections in Resynced have also been revamped. Steering a ship is now much more enjoyable. I must admit, in the original, the sea sections were rather frustrating, but Ubisoft has revamped everything, and hunting down enemy ships or attacking forts is now a real pleasure. The Caribbean itself also benefits from the expanded exploration options: there are more islands, more extensive underwater areas and a more cohesive world, making the adventure feel more seamless.

The only thing I’d criticise is the parkour. In places, it’s so clunky that you find yourself wondering, ‘Did nobody actually test this?’ Fortunately, this doesn’t plague your entire playthrough, but some changes clearly need to be implemented in future games.

Ultimately, the appeal of Black Flag Resynced lies in the fact that the game retains the adventurous spirit of the original, whilst smoothing out many of its rough edges. It’s the same thrilling adventure, only now with more scope for exploration, more combat options and a more refined pace that better captures Edward Kenway’s character.

How enchanting the Caribbean is

There are no issues with optimisation. Everything runs flawlessly on the PlayStation 5 Pro. Throughout my entire playthrough, I didn’t notice a single critical bug or crash, so my experience was as smooth as could be.

That’s exactly why they made this remake

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is stunningly beautiful. The original pirate adventure has been enhanced with such a level of detail that this version of the Caribbean looks like the most vivid in the industry. Sunlight reflects off the sea’s surface as if it were real life, with glints shimmering on wet wood and rolling waves, whilst the refined character models give Edward, his crew and the inhabitants of Havana, Kingston and Nassau a far more expressive, cinematic look.

The remake is particularly impressive for the way it transforms familiar locations without losing their distinctive character. Densely built-up streets, lush islands and churning waters are brought to life by modern lighting, ray tracing and refined textures, whilst the increased draw distance and more detailed environmental elements create a sense of space and realism in the world. This is precisely the kind of visual upgrade that doesn’t merely improve upon the original, but transforms it into a truly breathtaking spectacle for the current generation.

And it all sounds just right

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced sounds just as sumptuous as it looks. The soundtrack blends adventurous melodies with fresh material, lending the Caribbean Sea that same pirate charm. The sea shanties remain the undisputed highlight of the game: they’re full of character as your crew sings on deck, whilst cannon fire, the creaking of wood, the sound of the surf and distant thunder make you feel as though you’re actually on that ship yourself.

In bustling harbours, the multi-layered clamour of the crowd echoes; the jungle is filled with birdsong, the rustling of insects and the whisper of the wind in the treetops; whilst our ship groans and rumbles, as it battles the open sea. The music swells and subsides at just the right moment, emphasising Edward’s bravado, the danger of the storm, or the melancholy lurking behind the adventures.

What makes Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced memorable

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is memorable for taking a much-loved classic and transforming it into something that both honours the original and feels entirely relevant to a new generation. Stunning 4K graphics give the Caribbean a new sense of scale and beauty, whilst a host of gameplay improvements make Edward Kenway’s adventures smoother, sharper and more thrilling than ever. The additional content gives the remake even more reasons to explore the world, whilst retaining the spirit that made Black Flag a legend. So Resynced is the best way to immerse yourself in one of the most iconic pirate stories in the world of video games.

Five things you need to know about Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced

• The game has been completely rebuilt from scratch, not just updated
• New story content has been added, including additional quests and expanded character storylines
• The old Abstergo sections set in the present day have been removed, as has the Freedom Cry DLC 
• The stealth system is now more flexible, allowing players greater freedom
• It is now the most visually stunning pirate game in existence 

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