Assassin’s Creed 4 fails at being disappointing
I was going to start this out with some sort of pirate lingo, but that just seemed stupid when I read it back afterward. Pirates, as it turns out, make for a fairly compelling story about people wanting freedom in that very Assassin way while remaining largely unsympathetic. Let’s face it, they’re not exactly nice people. With Ubisoft putting out a new Assassin’s Creed game every year at this point, I’m not at all ashamed to say that I was shocked by just how much I found myself running back to my Xbox at every opportunity to spend more time with this title. Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag delivers exactly the kind of distilled action / adventure experience that I want while providing me a huge open world to play around in.
A more digestible experience than AC3
As much as I enjoyed playing as Desmond Miles and the various ancestors that he dove into over the last few years, I’m not ultimately going to miss him or his baggage. The story, while ultimately about the current power struggle between Templars and Assassins, is one that is experienced largely through the long dead avatar that happens to have some knowledge of the MacGuffin of the week. And since we’re dealing with highly questionable science to begin with, I can appreciate that we’re delving into familiar territory while embracing a new external protagonist who remains completely unnamed throughout the game. These games have always been about the historical figure being portrayed and I’m fine with the level of focus given to that this time around.
The thing that really drove me forward with such vigor this time around was the brilliant way that areas were packaged into dozens of bite-sized experience nuggets. Assassin’s Creed 3 was overwhelming with the massive amount of crap they crammed into every single map. When you arrived in an area in AC3, it was nearly impossible to stumble 5 feet without running into another chest, almanac page, Assassin mission, contract, race, etc. With AC4 we get this same volume of tokens to chase for achievements, but it’s broken out into islands that have a few chests or whatnot at a time. It seems more manageable and less WTF.
Vastly superior fast travel system
Thank fuck I did not have to spend my time navigating those wholly awful tunnel mazes for a half hour just to save myself running for five minutes like I did in AC3. The fast travel system in AC3 was an unmitigated disaster and I wish I could douse it in kerosene and watch it burn. Assassin’s Creed 4 throws the whole thing out the window and turns it into a much more simplified system that actually lets you get places quickly. Travel points are discovered organically throughout your travels and don’t make you jump through hoops that impede your ability to have fun.
Naval combat greatly improved
Honestly, the naval combat in Assassin’s Creed 4 is so much better than it was in its predecessor that much of the time I don’t even bother with the fast travel to get between places I already visited. After experiencing the naval elements of AC3, I cringed when I heard that AC4 was going to rely heavily on being at sea. No, I mean it; I actually had a visceral physical reaction to the news. I’m relieved to say that everything from ship control, to combat mechanics, to ocean effects has improved significantly. I actually found myself taking the helm and looking for a prize even when I could simply fast travel to my next story destination.
Excellent external support of game
I love having a game experience spill out of the game and into external programs. While I was a little sad to see that there was no support of Black Flag on the Xbox One SmartGlass app, Ubisoft does offer a specific app for the game. From it you can manage your fleet, keep track of your treasure maps, and more. Being able to access my fleet while I was commuting made those bus rides a whole lot more enjoyable.
On top of the app, there’s the AC Initiates site. Just in case you want to pile more challenges on yourself, there’s a mission option that is updated by the Xbox at regular intervals. Completing missions earns you xp for your profile and can also get you some in game items as well. The site is also a wealth of lore about the alternate history universe of Assassin’s Creed. Definitely worth checking out if you can handle an extra level of challenge.
I was absolutely surprised by how involved I got with Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag. I can’t say for certain, but I believe the main story took me a good 40 hours to complete. However, over the course of nearly three weeks, I couldn’t help clearing out the items of most islands I came across because it seemed like a small and easy thing to do. I’m sure not everyone is going to be as crazy as I was and play with treasure maps constantly up on a smart phone while having an open laptop on the AC Initiates site the whole time they’re playing. Hint: it’s a fun way to play. I can’t believe that I’m fine with Ubisoft putting out an AC game every year, but I’m looking forward to the further adventures of our renegade Abstergo Entertainment employee. Take my money and keep pumping your pseudo-science bullshit premises into my console because I can’t stop being entertained by them.
