Aaron Reviews Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced | PC
What's up, gamers?
Aaron Shack here with some thoughts on the new Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced.
Shout out to Ubisoft for providing me with a code to cover this game on the channel.Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced is a modern remake with new content built on the latest Ubisoft Anvil engine which was used on Assassin's Creed Shadows. Resynced is led by Ubisoft Singapore with core team members that have experience going back to Assassin's Creed Brotherhood in 2009.
We're going to touch on several things in this review, including whether this game enhances the original, parkour, combat, naval combat, as well as the graphics, engine, lighting, and photo mode.We’ll also touch briefly on some of the PC settings and accessibility options, but I hope to later put out a helpful tip video with a deeper look at those.
Ubisoft's latest Anvil Engine comes with Micropoly & Raytracing. This game is basically a complete asset remake with fun additions such as: Dynamic Objects & Destructibles, Overhauled Combat/Naval Combat, as well as Seamless exploration from the depths of the Ocean, to sailing the seas, to docking and roaming Cities, all with no load times.The game maintains the Original content & includes New Content, like new cutscenes and additions to Main story and side quests. Modern Day gameplay that was outside of the Animus has been changed to Rifts. Rifts are optional, unique quests stored deep within the Animus that provide some narrative context and what-if scenarios for Edward. Rifts are resynced takes on modern-day narrative stories offering a distinct gameplay experience.New Chapter to Black Flag’s Story
A new chapter, A World Without Gold, is added to Black Flag and includes eight new endgame missions that expand the story.
New side quests and extended endings for iconic characters. All of these enhancements to the game add around 6 hours of gameplay. Exploring is enhanced. You can dive practically anywhere. There may even be new secrets awaiting underwater. There are also brand new islands in the Caribbean to explore.Now, the changes to hunting are a bit more interactive. You have to fight to get your resources from hunting certain animals. Some people see this as a downside to the previous quick time event structure in the original. But I think it makes hunting a bit more exhilarating and rewarding.You can pet dogs and cats which is a plus for all the animal lovers like me. AND, there's now an option for a ship pet which could either be a cat or monkey by your side as you steer your vessel on the high seas.Chasing sea shanties music to add to your crew's repertoire in the game is much easier. There seems to be added grace time in the chase which helps ease unnecessary frustration.New hideout content allows you to uncover new quests and secrets in Great Inagua. Minigames and other activities rebuilt in Anvil engine have fun new voice lines. Ambient voice lines add extra world building flavor and side content and add to the lore of the story.
Combat
When it comes to combat, Edward Kenway has a lot of tools on his belt as well as unique parries and takedowns. Perfect parries will lead to iconic fatal chain takedowns which my swords early on in the game would allow me to chain together two takedowns after getting a perfect parry. Unarmed combat is only available in specific situations (like in story missions or bar fights) rather than at any time like in the original game and hidden blade is often used as a finisher when breaking an enemies’ guard or in stealth assassinations.
You can hold the attack button for heavy strikes with a wide hitbox that serves as the perfect combo ender for the Rapier, Cutlass, and Pistol Sword.
You also have the ability to kick foes into walls and sweep kick foes to the ground for quick and easy takedowns. These are abilities you can use in the bottom right corner of the screen.
There's a new enemy type called the demolitionist which has a blunderbuss and grenade, an elite archetype of enemy.
There's now a dedicated crouch button that will reduce the visibility of the player and there is a visibility meter which is influenced by daytime, night time, and weather, rain will provide you with more cover.You can take your hood on and off at any time. I've yet to see if it causes any disruption with progression in the story but at the time it seems to not affect anything. As most of you know, you were only able to take off the hood in safe or unrestricted areas. Lots of people really wanted more freedom with the hood. And it seems like we have it here. You can also equip swords with special perks and up to two trinkets that buff your gameplay.
You have tool options like the sleep and berserk darts, coins, and whistles.
Tossing coins and breaking objects now attract guards' attention and the physics has improved greatly.
The rope dart is now unlockable in sequence 3 as opposed to sequence 11.
It can be used in combat or in stealth circumstances to pull an enemy toward you and oftentimes execute them with the hidden blade, or you can start unleashing slashes of your dual swords.
Parkour
As far as parkour goes Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced has revolutionized parkour by bringing in advances as well as going back to the basics. You have a manual jump which was added for better parkour flow and can be turned on in the settings menu. There are now quicker interrupts which allow each parkour move to have easier adjustments and smoother transitions to flow with your missions as needed. Side and back ejects have been reinstated as well. Also, the back eject also provides some height gain which gives you another possible advantage.
Zip lines have been added also to provide a quick traversal option across environments.
Naval Combat and The JackdawThe Jackdaw will be outfitted with new secondary firing modes as well as officer abilities and updated weapons.
The broadside cannons will have heavy shots as well as heated shots as a secondary fire. You'll have mortars with a secondary fire of “Deadman's Cohort.” You'll have chain shots that fire from the bow of the ship, which will have a secondary firing function of double shot. The back of the ship (or the stern as it is called) will allow you to drop fire barrels with a secondary fire option of shrapnel barrels.
The swivel guns have been updated to the Assassin's Creed Rogue style manual aim. And they also allow you to quickly target weak spots on an enemy ship after you've pummeled it with your broadside cannons. Three new naval officers have been added, consisting of a Weaponmaster, shipwright, and Master at arms. You’ll complete questlines for each naval officer and add them to your crew for special benefits. Such as:
Padre’s quest will allow you to unlock the ram. And, Lucy's quest will allow you to unlock a perfect brace which will save you some damage to your ship if you brace in time.
The weather effects in the game are crazy. Waterspouts, torrential rain, rogue waves, and uneasy waters to navigate your ship through or even in towns. The storms and waves actually leave lasting water details as the sun comes out and the weather changes which is a nice lifelike detail in the visual art.
Is there value for new and returning players?
Aside from the appeal of the new content and additions, I think there is. The graphics and lighting are amazing. You definitely don't have to have played the original to enjoy this new game to the fullest. And experienced players will get to enjoy the immersion, new Rifts, new cutscenes, enhanced exploration opportunities, and the chance to return to the beloved world of Assassin's Creed.
I’ve been a lifelong fan of Assassin’s Creed. From the action-packed combat to the traversal parkour, to the historical playground of characters and events that we get to roam within Assassin's Creed stories. This is the perfect blend of pirate adventure simulation meshed with the world of Assassin's Creed that I enjoy already. I highly recommend Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced whether you are new to the series or played Black Flag back in 2014.PC specs
When toggling with graphics settings in the game, you'll be faced with many options to tailor the fidelity of numerous settings. There are different grades of options for each setting ranging from ultra low to ultra high in some cases. The image on the right side allows you to see a clear example of each change to the settings so you can make an informed decision on what you want the game to look like. As you change the settings, there's an additional helper that displays the estimated VRAM use with the setting you change so you know how the settings affect your GPU usage.Console specsIf you're playing on console, you have plenty of options to explore in terms of visual fidelity and performance. First off you should know there are 2 modes of Ray Tracing used in this game.Standard Ray Tracing is used to compute global illumination for diffuse lighting throughout the game world. Extended Ray Tracing uses Full Support of Ray Tracing to compute global illumination for diffuse lighting and reflective sources throughout the game world.Several modes such as a performance mode that will net you 60 FPS and standard Ray tracing. A Fidelity mode which will give you 30 FPS and extended Ray tracing usage. As well as a balanced mode which will Target about 40 FPS and allow you extended Ray tracing usage. Depending on your hardware, the resolution will be different with PS5, PS5 Pro, and Xbox Series X all targeting 2160p upscaled. The PS5 Pro features extended Ray tracing in all modes.
The Xbox Series S is the only platform that is limited to only one mode which is Fidelity at 1620p, upscaled 30 FPS, and standard Ray tracing usage.Accessibility Options are robust with controller button mapping, option to skip quick time events, aim assist, as well as various colorblindness, subtitles, and audio options.In gameplay settings, there is a difficulty tuning option which allows you to select different modes of difficulty for combat, stealth, naval combat, and activities.I plan to make a video covering Accessibility but you can also check this link in the description below for more information from Ubisoft.
https://news.ubisoft.com/en-us/article/759plQmVmAvQySTmxx0r09/assassins-creed-black-flag-resynced-accessibility-spotlight
The Narrative.
Relive the story of Edward Kenway as you adopt the identity of a master assassin, in search of Fortune, Glory, and a mythical location called The Observatory. Set during the Golden age of piracy from 1715 to 1722, in the backdrop of the beautiful Caribbean.Pave your way to greatness at the dawn of the 18th century during the Golden Age of Piracy. Sail and plunder the seas as Edward Kenway, rebellious pirate captain, ally and friend to legends such as Blackbeard, Anne Bonny, and Calico Jack. As you follow Edward in his pursuit of glory and gold, you’ll be drawn into an ancient war separating Assassins and Templars, with the fate of everything the pirates have built hanging in the balance.
Available on Playstation®5 & Xbox series X|S, Ubisoft+, as well as Windows PC on Ubisoft Store, Steam and the Epic Games Store Available worldwide on July 9, 2026
