Ubisoft’s remake of Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag sets sail for modern platforms this summer, the publisher confirmed Thursday during a showcase for Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced. The updated version of Black Flag is “rebuilt from the ground up,” Ubisoft says, with overhauled visuals, dynamic weather, and a combat system that’s been reworked into an action-oriented experience.
Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced will tell the same story of the pirate Edward Kenway, but it will be “elevated to a new level of realism and immersion,” said Matt Ryan, the actor who portrays Black Flag‘s protagonist. Just as he was 13 years ago in the original game, Kenway is a rebellious scoundrel trying to make a better name for himself, and is drawn into the centuries-old conflict between the Assassins and Templars along the way. Kenway takes to the high seas, and Caribbean destinations like Havana, Kingston, and Nassau, to recruit allies to his cause.
Black Flag Resynced will dramatically update the original Black Flag with high-res textures, enhanced lighting, and a new dynamic weather system that will make sailing the seas feel even more alive. Underwater exploration is “more expansive, beautiful, and perilous than ever before,” Ubisoft boasts. Kenway’s ship, the Jackdaw, has received some upgrades of its own, and is equipped with even more firepower.
Kenway can also recruit three new officers to fight and sail alongside him. These include Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced newcomers Lucy Baldwin, Tobias “Deadman” Smith, and The Padre. Each officer has their own special abilities and unique narrative questline that reveals their backstory, Ubisoft says. Developer Ubisoft Singapore teased one of those new abilities on Thursday: Deadman will give the Jackdaw an unlockable double-shot for the ship’s broadside weapons.
Even better? The Jackdaw is now a home for pets. Kenway can have a cat or monkey companion on board.
On land, the combat system has also been updated. Kenway will be able to dual-wield pistols, swords, and hidden blades, and Ubisoft is adding an updated parry system with “perfect parries.” Black Flag Resynced will also feature “smooth and improved parkour moves” for traversing environments, and Kenway can now stealth-crouch freely.
And for any veteran Black Flag players who wince at the thought of desynchronization, Ubisoft says it has revamped the game’s tailing and eavesdropping missions to be less painful.
Richard Knight, game director for Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, describes the remaster as a “faithful and enriched experience grounded in what players loved” about the original Black Flag. The remaster builds on technology and gameplay improvements from recent Assassin’s Creed games, Knight said. Even the modern-day portions of Black Flag have evolved, the game’s creators say. They’ve approached it in a way that focuses on Edward’s journey, while still connecting his memories to the Animus. The modern-day rifts in Black Flag Resynced will feature new moments that focus on Edward’s internal struggles, according to developers.
Two features that won’t carry over to Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, however, are multiplayer and the original game’s downloadable content. Resynced will be a “pure-story driven adventure [that’s] fully focused on Edward’s adventures in the Caribbean. As a result of this focus, we have elected to not have multiplayer, and not have the DLC.”
Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced will be released on July 9, for PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.
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