Taking the helm again after 13 years was a pleasure from start to finish. Arguably the greatest pirate game ever made, and possibly even the best Assassin’s Creed game, Black Flag remains fantastic after all this time. Ubisoft’s remake now gives a new generation the chance to experience the joy of becoming Edward Kenway, terrorising the Caribbean and leaving a trail of shattered ships, ruined forts and understandably annoyed merchants behind him.

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Note: I’m splitting this review up. The first chunk discusses the game, while the second focuses more on the remake aspects. Feel free to skip down to the remake section if that’s what you’re interested in. Or keep reading for the full review.

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As a remake, however, Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is a more complicated beast. It improves plenty, removes several things I wish it had kept and occasionally adds ideas that feel strangely at odds with the game around them. The result is a strong remake of an excellent game, but not necessarily the definitive replacement for the original.

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In many ways, Resynced’s finest moments are also its most telling. They come while watching the sun sink beneath the horizon as the Jackdaw cuts across the ocean and the crew belts out another sea shanty. They come while battling a man-of-war as a storm tears across the Caribbean, lightning cracks overhead and waterspouts carve their way through the waves.

Those were the best moments in Black Flag 13 years ago, and they remain the best moments now. The core game—the hull holding everything together—has endured remarkably well. It may be a little rotten around the edges and weakened in a few places, but it remains seaworthy, still capable of carrying an entire adventure across the Caribbean.

It is also telling that most of those highlights have very little to do with actually being an Assassin. Black Flag was always a pirate game first and an Assassin’s Creed game second. Edward gradually grows towards the Brotherhood and its ideals, but he remains a pirate at heart. He spends much of the story wearing stolen Assassin robes, involving himself in a war he barely understands and repeatedly asking how much money can be made from all this philosophical bollocks.

The game is at its best when I’m far out at sea rather than worrying about what the Templars are plotting. It is about raiding merchant vessels, bombarding fortresses, trading broadsides with man-of-wars, hunting sharks, diving into shipwrecks in search of treasure and generally being a bloody menace to anyone foolish enough to sail within cannon range.

It’s not piracy. It’s just redistribution of wealth.

The naval combat remains the undisputed highlight. The Jackdaw feels weighty without becoming cumbersome, building enough momentum that turning the ship requires genuine consideration rather than merely pointing the analogue stick in a new direction. Every fight is an exercise in positioning: lining up broadsides, using chain shot to cripple sails, dropping fire barrels behind the ship, launching mortars at distant targets and attempting to swing the Jackdaw around before the enemy can return the favour.

Going toe-to-toe with a man-of-war still feels magnificent. You circle one another looking for an opening, unleash a broadside into an exposed flank and then desperately steer away as several tonnes of deeply irritated warship attempt to introduce your hull to the bottom of the ocean. The weather adds another layer of chaos, with giant waves obscuring targets and waterspouts forcing sudden changes of direction while cannon fire tears through the storm. It’s epic in all the right ways, especially when you somehow manage to survive against multiple ships in a pitched battle.

Boarding remains a suitably violent reward for winning a naval battle. Edward swings onto the enemy deck, shoots somebody in the face and begins cutting through the surviving crew while his own men pour onto the ship behind him. It is messy, quick and consistently satisfying. Hippity hoppity, I’m stealing your property. With that said, if you want to upgrade the Jackdaw to maximum strength, the amount of boarding you’re going to do becomes boring instead.

At one point, I literally crashed into an English convoy because I was too busy texting. There’s a lesson to be learned in there somewhere, but I was too busy pillaging the English convoy to learn it.

Captured ships can once again be added to Kenway’s Fleet, which is now properly integrated into the game instead of carrying the original’s connected-service baggage. Sending vessels on expeditions provides a steady supply of money and gives captured ships a purpose beyond repairing the Jackdaw. I also still enjoy developing Edward’s private hideout manor, gradually transforming it from an overgrown ruin into a thriving little pirate community funded entirely by ethical commerce and the aggressive redistribution of other people’s cargo.

It took Ubisoft years to properly capitalise on the naval combat it created for Black Flag. When it finally tried, it gave us the frankly inferior Skull and Bones. Meanwhile, the original formula was sitting here all along, waiting for someone to polish the cannons and push it back into the water. God, I missed it. It’s a pirate’s life me, me hearties.

The land-based systems remain enjoyable, but they cannot match the brilliance of the naval side. Combat has been rebuilt around a more deliberate mixture of parrying, dodging and breaking an opponent’s defence. Edward can kick enemies into scenery, sweep their legs, pull them towards him with the rope dart and quickly fire his pistols during a fight. Quick-firing is an especially welcome addition because it makes the pistols and rope dart feel like part of Edward’s fighting style rather than a separate tool that must be politely selected while several guards wait their turn to stab him.

There is a satisfying rhythm to dismantling a group of enemies, particularly once Edward’s full collection of tools becomes available. Break one guard’s defence, shoot another, parry an incoming attack and drive a hidden blade into somebody before they can recover. It looks violent, especially thanks to a few new finishing moves.

Unfortunately, it is also very easy. Edward has numerous ways to bypass defences, healing is rarely a concern and enemies tend to advertise their attacks with enough warning to submit the relevant paperwork. The biggest flaw is that a perfect parry lets you perform an instant takedown and then chain that to another foe, up to a max of four depending on the swords you have equipped. Even with the difficulty ramped up, the parry window is massive, so the most effetive tactic is to wander in to a fight, wait for the first bloke to swing and then go on a rampage the likes of which would make Wolverine question his career.

Stealth fares much the same. Few things are more satisfying than slipping through an enemy camp, dragging guards into bushes and murdering an entire workforce without anybody realising it is probably time to sound an alarm. Resynced adds a dedicated crouch button alongside greater emphasis on light, shadow and noise, theoretically allowing Edward to use darkness and ordinary pieces of scenery rather than relying entirely on the traditional Assassin’s Creed fields of conveniently waist-high grass.

These additions create a little more naunce. I occasionally waited for night before approaching a heavily guarded location, and crouching behind crates or low walls allowed for routes that would previously have left Edward standing in full view. However, the game rarely gives me a compelling reason to use those options. Guards remain forgiving, tall grass is everywhere and rooftops continue to provide obvious paths around most restricted areas. Edward can generally walk up behind somebody without crouching and stab them before they notice the pirate breathing directly onto their neck.

The stealth is therefore more flexible without becoming meaningfully deeper. It is still good at making me feel like a terrifying unseen predator. A more demanding difficulty option could have made the new lighting and noise systems matter, forcing me to wait for darkness rather than treating nighttime as an aesthetic preference. As it stands, stealth remains passably good: basic, familiar and consistently entertaining when everything comes together. But in the end, it’s just the usual Assassin’s Creed sneaking.

Then there is parkour, the system with which Assassin’s Creed has maintained a loving and frequently abusive relationship since 2007. At its best, Edward flows across rooftops, ship rigging and jungle ruins with effortless style. A sequence of jumps, swings and vaults can look fantastic, particularly when movement chains together without interruption.

At its worst, Edward appears to interpret my controls through a drunk translator. Thematically on point, I give you, but still annoying.

I looked like a pretty cool pirate-Assassin right up until Kenway decided that what I actually wanted him to do was leap into the void and land in the middle of a group of soldiers like an overly eager Uber Eats driver. The fact that this has been happening in every fucking Assassin’s Creed game since the franchise began only adds to my annoyance.

Chases expose the problem most clearly. A target continues running while Edward turns in a circle, refuses an obvious diagonal jump or waits awkwardly for the correct animation to engage.

These moments reveal the age beneath the visual overhaul. Ubisoft has rebuilt Resynced using its latest Anvil technology, complete with ray-traced lighting, dynamic weather and more detailed environments, but much of the design still belongs to 2013. Missions sometimes feel rigid, traversal can be stiff and the constant cycle of chests, viewpoints and collectibles is unmistakably from an earlier Ubisoft era. Wait, no. Let me go fire up some modern Ubisoft games…..okay, I take it back. Ubisoft still does this, although they have toned down the viewpoints.

Yet the game has aged far better than many of its contemporaries, largely because its strongest ideas remain so unusual. There still aren’t many lavish open-world games capable of delivering this specific pirate fantasy, and even fewer with characters strong enough to carry the adventure once Edward steps ashore.

Kenway remains a fantastic protagonist: selfish, charismatic, funny and frequently a complete bastard. He insists he is chasing wealth so he can return home and build a “decent life”, but every new prize becomes an excuse to delay that return. He has fallen in love with piracy’s freedom, violence and camaraderie.

Edward does not begin as a devoted member of the Brotherhood. He steals the robes, impersonates an Assassin for personal gain and inserts himself into a conflict he barely understands. The ideals come later, after his selfishness has cost him almost everything. Even then, he never loses the pirate beneath the hood.

The supporting cast is equally strong. Edward Thatch is a menacing, surly and theatrical Blackbeard, carefully constructing a demonic reputation because terrified sailors are less troublesome than brave ones. The performance is partly an act, but it gradually appears to consume the man beneath it. I only wish the game gave us more time with him.

Stede Bonnet remains a wonderful comic counterpoint: a polite, enthusiastic merchant attempting to become a feared pirate despite being spectacularly unsuited to the job. James Kidd, meanwhile, spends much of the game hiding perhaps the most obvious pair of secrets in videogame history. Hehe.

Together, these characters reinforce one of Black Flag’s most interesting themes. Thatch becomes Blackbeard. Kidd adopts another identity. Stede abandons respectable society for the romantic image of piracy. Edward steals an Assassin’s appearance before gradually growing into some of the principles behind it. Nearly everyone is pretending to be something else, and most are pretending to be something they aren’t.

That story remains one of the strongest in the series. The conspiracy is often less compelling than the people caught within it, but Edward’s personal journey gives the adventure genuine emotional weight. Black Flag is ultimately a tragedy about a man who keeps telling himself the next prize will be enough, only to discover how much he has lost while reaching for it.

In short, if you’ve never played the game before, Black Flag Resynced is going to show you that Assassin’s Creed used to be something in this industry.

A great game, but is it a great remake?

Taken purely as a game released today, Black Flag Resynced remains a superb pirate adventure with a memorable story and naval combat that few games have equalled. But that is only half the question.

The visual overhaul is impressive. The Caribbean is packed with lush greenery, brilliant blue water and dramatic weather. Sunlight reflects across the waves, storms darken the horizon and major settlements feel far richer than their original counterparts. Ubisoft’s latest version of Anvil produces some beautiful scenery, particularly while sailing.

Character animation is less consistent. Faces can appear stiff, lip-syncing is occasionally unconvincing and some performances feel trapped between the original direction and the newer models attempting to reproduce it. But in fairness, the franchise has been lacking food facial animation for a long time.

The remake largely recreates the central story shot for shot, preserving the original dialogue, framing and camera direction. It’s nice that they didn’t go with the endless shot-reverse-shot conversations found in some of the RPG-era Assassin’s Creed games. However, it also feels like a missed opportunity to some new flair. The faithfulness protects what worked, but it prevents much of the central story from developing an identity of its own. I feel like they could have done some really cool stuff with the camera and how scenes play out using all the newer Anvil tech.

The smaller improvements are easier to celebrate. Major cities can now be entered without loading screens, allowing me to sail into port, leave the Jackdaw and walk into town. Edward can freely raise or lower his hood, skip between day and night and dive beneath the surface in ordinary parts of the ocean. None of these additions transforms the game, but together they make the Caribbean feel more cohesive and less restricted.

The rope dart is also unlocked far earlier, giving the player most of the campaign to enjoy one of the game’s most entertaining tools. It is smoothly incorporated into combat and can pull enemies towards Edward before a follow-up attack, or be used to string up enemies from tree branches. Mechanically, this is an excellent decision. Narratively, the weapon appears with remarkably little ceremony compared with the original’s late-game introduction. Edward apparently found it between scenes and decided not to mention it. Dude, you can’t just go all Scorpion on us and not explain it.

The three new officers provide permanent bonuses and expanded abilities for the Jackdaw, although they never fundamentally change how naval combat flows. New ammunition and secondary weapon options provide more ways to blow shit up. This is exactly the right approach: the naval systems have been expanded, but not reinvented for the sake of putting something new on the box. I approve.

Other changes are less successful. The new equipment system introduces additional swords, pistols and accessories with different perks or statistical trade-offs. It provides a pleasant trickle of rewards, particularly for anyone whose brain releases a small amount of dopamine whenever a loot icon appears. Unfortunately, the equipment is rarely interesting enough to support much experimentation. I generally found a weapon with an obviously useful benefit, equipped it and stopped thinking about the system until another slightly better option appeared.

For some reason, the minimap has been taken away and replaced with a compass. Bloody pirates. They’ll steal anything. An optional toggle would have been good.

More disappointing is the removal thehidden-blade as a fighting style, and the ability to pick up dropped enemy weapons and use them. These mechanics were not essential, but their removal reduces variety and strips away some of the original’s chaotic personality. I loved snatching up a rifle and using it against my foes. In fact, I’d even argue that was a core part of my Edward Kenway’s fighting style.

This is the central trade-off running through Resynced. The remake is more accessible and convenient, but sometimes less expressive. It gives Edward smoother access to useful tools while removing ways of experimenting with them. It modernises traversal while losing a few bespoke animations. It expands stealth while leaving the game too forgiving for those systems to matter. It rebuilds combat to be more deliberate, only to make breaking an enemy’s defence so reliable that fights remain easy.

The additional story content is similarly uneven. Some of it fills genuine gaps. Naval contracts now have Milo van der Graaf tying them together with a small recurring storyline, giving what were previously disconnected jobs a little more personality. Stede Bonnet receives a proper epilogue rather than quietly disappearing from the adventure. There is even an alternative route for acquiring the diving bell through more traditionally piratical methods instead of merely purchasing it from a menu.

These are excellent additions because they understand the existing game. They add context where context was missing and expand characters without interrupting the larger story. Stealing a diving bell feels more appropriate for Edward than responsibly purchasing one from an authorised nautical supplier. I’m Edward Kenway, for Christ’s sake – stealing stuff is what I do.

The expanded Caroline scenes also fare reasonably well. They give Edward’s wife greater presence and make it clearer that she never needed him to become wealthy; she simply wanted him to stay. That said, there was value in the original’s more distant portrayal of Caroline as an idealised memory rather than a fully developed character, but the new material does not damage that idea. It simply makes Edward look like even more of a selfish arsehole, which is not exactly a revelation.

Most of the content struggles to match the writing quality of the original game. The new officer quest chains have some good moments, but they give Edward generic dialogue that lacks his usual sharpness. Animus Rifts are more visually inventive, throwing Edward into chaotic digital environments where ships sail through the sky, but their writing is painfully direct. The first Rift turns Edward’s pursuit of wealth into a literal chest that must be carried through the level while EGO explains what the chest represents.

The original story trusted Edward’s actions to reveal how wealth had eclipsed his love for Caroline. The Rift hands me a metaphorical chest, points at it and repeatedly shouts, “THIS IS THE THEME.” It understands the character arc perfectly well; it simply does not trust the audience to understand it.

Ah, yeah, the modern-day stuff. The mandatory Abstergo office chapters are gone, but the meta-narrative has been restructured into optional “what if?” sequences delivered through the wider Animus Hub. I prefer this arrangement overall. The old modern-day sections didn’t so much slow the past as run the entire adventure aground on a sandbank. I’m doing pirate stuff; I don’t want to walk around a bloody office. I’m glad they’ve been thrown overboard. The new stuff is optional, therefore I ignored it.

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Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced succeeds because the game beneath the remake remains brilliant. Edward Kenway is still a magnificent lead, the supporting cast remains one of the best in the series and the Caribbean provides a pirate fantasy that few developers have even attempted to match. Most importantly, the Jackdaw remains an absolute joy to command.

The remake makes that adventure prettier, smoother and more convenient. Seamless exploration, expanded side stories and earlier access to enjoyable tools are all meaningful improvements. However, removed combat options, missing navigational features, inconsistent new writing and unnecessary commercial scaffolding prevent it from becoming an unquestionable upgrade.

For newcomers, this is probably the easiest version to recommend. It looks modern, runs smoothly and preserves the qualities that made Black Flag special. Returning players face a more difficult decision because the original still offers mechanics, details and narrative elements that Resynced has chosen to discard.

Ultimately, Resynced does not replace Black Flag so much as offer another way to sail the same magnificent waters. Some of the timber is newer, the fittings are shinier and a few useful tools have mysteriously vanished from the deck, but the ship beneath them remains one of the finest ever built.