Assassin's Creed 4 Black Flag: Game Review

One of the greatest gaming adventures of the moment returns with another exciting title. Perhaps the most successful franchise of recent times is set in a world full of pirates, naval battles and, of course, lots of murder. Learn more about Assassin's Creed 4 Black Flag.

The title is available for the Xbox One and PS4 consoles, and is also compatible with previous-generation consoles: Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii U, as well as running on PC. Put on your pirate costume and let's explore this new world.

History

The game takes us back to the year 1775, when piracy was booming. In this scenario, Edward Kenway ventures into ships and navigation. With the end of the war between the kingdoms of the region, our protagonist finds himself forced to go to the countryside. However, unhappy with his current life, Edward returns to adventure and ends up accepting to work for pirates on a small vessel.

On one of the voyages, the vessel that Kenway works on is hit by a storm, which opens the door for an enemy attack. The invasion is led by an assassin, and Edward's entire crew is killed, leaving only the protagonist who, with his skills, defeats the invader, steals his clothes and assumes his identity.

Kewway sets off for Havana to rescue a treasure promised to the killer. Upon arriving at his destination, the hero finds himself faced with something much bigger than he could have imagined. A mission that plunges him headfirst into a life of crime.

The settings chosen for this trip are Caribbean beaches and 18th century Havana. This gave Ubisoft the opportunity to go crazy with the graphics, always using lots of light and shadow, and the particle effects stand out. It's impossible to play the game without stopping to appreciate the views recreated by the developers.

One of the challenges for games that use the water element a lot is developing an effect in which the synergy between depth, light and mechanics works all the time. However, as expected from Ubisoft, they do this masterfully. It is essential for the visual comfort of the game, after all, the chosen theme was naval, that is, the entire environment needed to be portrayed perfectly. Some aspects still fall a little behind, such as skin texture and equipment, but nothing that hinders the player's experience.

Gameplay

The gameplay remains similar to its predecessors, with few changes compared to the third game in the franchise. In very well thought out and elaborate tutorials, the basic commands are presented, it is possible to notice the concern for newcomers to Assassin's Creed, but also the care for the game's older fans.

Unfortunately, the negative aspect of the gameplay is something that is common in the franchise. Players have already become accustomed to facing problems such as: climbing the wrong wall, getting stuck or taking a long time to get down, and constantly jumping to different places than the player's command. Even though they are small errors, in moments of great action they end up hindering the game experience a little.

But the gameplay isn't all about mistakes. The combats are still mind-blowing. Entering a fight changes the controls so that the player can have a complete experience. With a simple key combination, it's possible to use items from the scene to attack, perform beautiful combos, and even use an enemy as a shield to protect yourself from shots.

Soundtrack

Something that was always striking in the adventures of the assassins was the soundtrack present in their games, the franchise was brightened by the voice of Madeline Bell, who was responsible for the theme song of all its predecessors, however in Assassin's Creed 4 Black Flag it has been replaced. The soundtrack is still very well crafted, but the most attentive fans will miss the old theme.

Something that has become increasingly common in games is dubbing in Portuguese, as well as text. Unfortunately, the synchronization between the game and dubbing did not happen, which often causes great discomfort, and many players would prefer to hear the voices in original English and follow along in Portuguese with subtitles.

Another flaw in the audio is the lack of effects in the Cutscenes, for example: when the protagonist enters a bar, there is no noise of voices, the wooden floors do not creak, the bottles breaking do not make a sound.

Fun

For those who are used to tutorials that never end, you will be surprised by the proposal of Assassin's Creed 4 Black Flag, in the first 10 minutes you are transported to the middle of a naval battle, when the protagonist has his ship wrecked, he swims to the beach to find the person responsible, on dry land he begins a hunt worthy of an assassin, the target's items helped him get to Havana, in short, a very exciting start.

A really cool feature is the opportunity to modify your ship, install weapons and defenses according to your progress. In this game, you can also perform actions at sea, such as attacking ships and searching for treasure, all at any time during the game, making the game more dynamic.

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For those most attached to the game's story, the sad news is the end of Desmond Miles' participation, his last appearance was actually in Assassin's Creed III, the entire plot in relation to Abstergo was changed, now you are the new employee of Abstergo Entertainment.

One thing that could be negative about this change was the first-person camera. We believe they wanted to give a more personal experience in the historical context of the game, so you become one of Edward Kenway's descendants. For those who are more attached, this new feature will be a bit strange.

Conclusion

For those willing to venture into a world of treasure hunting, piracy and naval battles at a murderous pace, Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag will not disappoint, despite the market becoming saturated with the franchise. However, the historical campaigns, impeccable graphics and excellent gameplay still provide good fun.

Unfortunately, the multiplayer mode doesn't work due to server failures at Ubisoft, and the game's sound effects leave a lot to be desired. Still, it's worth taking on the role of this pirate assassin for a while.