Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag Resynced is officially set to launch on 9 July. When it arrives, players can expect a complete visual overhaul of the original Black Flag adventure, complete with new quests and cutscenes, collectibles, new fleet officers, and more.
Here’s everything we know about the upcoming game, as part of a major Ubisoft preview.
Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag Resynced preview – quick links
Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag Resynced is a complete overhaul of Black Flag
As shared, Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag Resynced is a ground-up remake of Black Flag with a refreshed style sensibility and improved graphics.
Those who played the original game will remember a beige sheen to most locations, as was common in games of the 2010s. Resynced has much richer colours, reducing egregious beige and too-bright vivids for a more realistic hue. Greens are bright but natural, oceans are aqua-blue and gorgeous under new lighting.
Underwater locations also look wonderfully fresh and crisp, with greater clarity to scenes, and more defined blue colours.
This really is a good-looking game, with notable enhancements from its 2013 counterpart. You see the changes distinctly in each visited location, and in each character model.
Edward Kenway’s model has been significant upgraded, and now looks a lot more like his voice and motion capture actor, Matt Ryan. His hair is the biggest point of difference, transforming from a straw-like texture to being more free-flowing and natural.
Character models for Blackbeard, Anne Bonny, and other anti-heroes have also been redone, for an overall more realistic, better-looking game that will look right at home on modern consoles. While the original Black Flag already looked good, particularly for its era, Resynced boasts a smoothness and richness that its predecessor lacked due to technical limitations.
Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag Resynced will introduce new content
One of the most notable changes revealed by Ubisoft is that Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag Resynced will actually include entirely new content. Some of this was detailed in the recent media preview, although it seems players will need to discover some of it for themselves.
First up, you can now discover a new cat or monkey companion which will accompany you on the good ship Jackdaw. While seemingly inconsequential, they’re a nice touch.
What will have more impact on gameplay is the arrival of three new officers who can lead your fleet of ships: Lucy Baldwin, The Padre, and Deadman Smith. Each officer has their own unique narrative quest to play through, revealing more about their backstories and their individual abilities. When you place these officers in charge, you can unlock new skills like double barrel shots, and more.
In addition to these officer quests, it does appear there will be further narrative cutscenes and new quests in Resynced. One new slice of content revealed by the Ubisoft team was a new scene between Edward Kenway and his partner, Caroline.
The intention here is seemingly to expand and enhance the story, adding in new touches for returning players.
Combat and some quests have also been overhauled
Another major change, and the one fans will likely appreciate most, is that combat has been overhauled for this game. Developers aimed to make gameplay more responsive overall, with smoother and sharper movement in combat allowing for a more intuitive system.
In Resynced, you’ll be able to smoothly mix gunplay, swordplay, and the Hidden Blade in fluid motion. You’ll also be able to pull off parries to down enemies quickly.
These changes to movement are also reflected in the game’s parkour system, which should flow much better than previously, allowing you to fly through locations at speed.
Another tweak, in service of making the experience more seamless, is that eavesdropping missions have been changed, and you will no longer be de-synced and forced to start over if you make mistakes. In service of making the game more dynamic, you will now need to adapt if you mess up these missions – the game will not stop and restart.
Overall impressions
While there has been much debate around Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag Resynced since it was revealed, with discourse questioning whether the revamp was necessary, given the quality of the original game, the media preview was fairly convincing.
I have very positive memories of the original Black Flag. I won a copy in an EB Games competition in 2013, and it was the first game in the Assassin’s Creed franchise that I played and fell in love with. Its focus on freedom and adventure was awe-inspiring at the time. Its soundtrack was moreish and ear-wormy. Its characters were loveable and ultra-cool.
Resynced looks to bring all that back, with the added benefit of sleek modern graphics, smoother gameplay, and a new sense of dazzle. The changes are notable. It absolutely looks like a better, more realistic game. It’s also really nice to see Edward Kenway in upgraded form.
There’s still room to be cynical, in that Black Flag had its moment in the sun, and still fairly holds up as a good-looking, solid adventure. Ubisoft has also confirmed this game will remain available, and will not be ‘replaced’ by Resynced.
But for those looking to replay the game, who are perhaps spoiled by the detail and beauty of modern games, this remake looks worthy so far. I’m certainly keen to see more, particularly on its new content and quests, in the months ahead.
