Club Benefits
I love Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag and consider it a series highlight. However, I wasn’t exactly thrilled when Ubisoft announced a remake of this modern-day classic, given the slew of remakes we’ve seen this generation. Now, after having played nearly three hours of it at an event, I’m pleased to say that Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is now one of my most anticipated games of 2026.
Resync is a complete overhaul of the original game, now running on the same Anvil Engine as Assassin’s Creed: Shadows. Every asset has received a visual overhaul for modern gaming platforms, and it even adds new physics to make the world feel more immersive. Naturally, combat and traversal have also been updated to feel smoother. Beyond updating what existed, the game also features hours of new content.
The best thing I can say about Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is that it looks and plays the way I remember, meaning that it captures the spirit of the original but is a wholly modern experience. It’s a game that reminds me why I fell in love with this franchise in the first place.
A new adventure
The demo begins on a dark and stormy night on the deck of a pirate ship, where protagonist Edward Kenway is fending off attackers who’ve boarded the vessel. This gives you a taste of the enhancements, like the realistic rain physics, detailed lighting, and smooth combat mechanics. It’s a brief opening that’s as impactful here as it was in the original game.
After being cast overboard, Edward swims to a nearby beach. He doesn’t have time to get his bearings, as a hooded man from the enemy ship soon attacks him. After a cinematic battle, Edward emerges victorious. Taking the man’s strange clothing and weapons, he decides to go to Nassau, as his enemy had a note discussing some sort of payment. What Edward doesn’t know is that he killed a member of the Assassin Order and that he will soon undertake a grand adventure.
The next section is where the game truly flexes its graphical muscles. The deep blue of the Caribbean Sea and the dense island fauna draw you into the scene. The way shadows cast by swaying trees fall and move across the sand and rocks is also impressive. Words can’t do justice to just how fantastic this game looks.
Edward spots a docked ship that can take him to his destination, but numerous British soldiers are patrolling the beach. This is where you can test the game’s stealth mechanics, which involve slowly skulking around and dragging foes into thick bushes to take them out silently. One major change from the original is that you can now crouch-walk, which makes stealth gameplay feel more realistic.
Civilized lands
After making a new ally and arriving at Nassau, Edward has to sneak into a British fort to find the loot he had learned about. Towns and forts are just as immaculately rendered as natural settings, with the colorful brick buildings and bustling streets. Even when wading through thick crowds of townsfolk, merchants, beggars, and thieves, the game maintains excellent performance, without slowdown or stuttering.
Traversal is a blast thanks to the smooth and precise parkour mechanics. I remember the original game feeling clunky when I tried to transition from running to jumping, but here, everything flows seamlessly from one action to the next. This is especially true thanks to all the ziplines that have been added to cities and villages.
I tried to remain as stealthy as possible, but I eventually had to face off against enemies. I was told that all moves unlock early in the game and that there are no skill trees or RPG mechanics, such as leveling up. Because of that, you have to rely on your skills to survive, which is the way I prefer it.
Enemies adapt to your attacks, so you’ll need to switch things up to keep them on their toes. Foes have a defense meter, but you can instantly deplete it with a perfectly timed parry or gunshot. Landing a parry and following up with a killing strike never gets old.
Taking to the high seas
After that section, I was allowed to explore the Caribbean openly. Resynced has the same locations as before, but each now contains new items and even missions. There are also several new islands and locations. The open sea, with its rolling waters and distant islands gleaming in the bright sun, looks phenomenal.
Here is where I got to check out the updated naval battles. As before, your goal is to line up your ship’s broadside with the enemy’s so you can deal massive damage with cannon strikes. New mechanics include a secondary fire mode for every naval weapon, such as double shot for Chain Shots. One of my favorite updates is the ability to manually aim Swivel Guns at weak points.
As before, you can board enemy ships to take their crew and treasures. These battles can get pretty intense, as it’s your entire crew versus theirs. Trying to fend off foes with your cutlass is hard enough, but toss in snipers perched on the mast, and you’ll need to remain constantly on the move. Killing enough foes depletes their crew’s morale, and when it’s low enough, you win.
I also engaged in a battle against an enemy fort, using all the new tools at my disposal. The main difference here is that you’re fighting a stationary object, though forts can cause greater damage since they can bombard you with near-constant cannon fire. Once you destroy their defenses, you storm the fort and take out its defenders until they surrender. It’s hard to decide whether I like taking over forts or ships more, as both are a lot of fun.
On a related note, I completed a new mission that involved swimming to an enemy ship to rescue a woman named Lucy and recruit her into my band of pirates. After destroying the ship in a pitched naval battle, we returned to Edward’s Hideout, where I learned more about Lucy and explored the updated locale. I stuck to the main quest here, but was told the Hideout has a bunch of new missions and activities.
Diving deep
After speaking with Edward Teach, also known as the infamous Blackbeard the Pirate, I got to try out the updated underwater mechanics. Like before, you use a diving bell connected to your ship to sink into the ocean. The bell is not only useful for that task, but also a place where you can replenish your oxygen or swim to safety if there’s a hungry shark on your tail.
I didn’t spend too long underwater, but I definitely found swimming and diving more fluid (no pun intended) than before. And this might just be me, but it also seemed that Edward had greater lung capacity than in the original, which allowed me to explore more without fear of suffocation. Ubisoft told me there will be many more underwater sections in Resynced, with new collectibles and secrets.
Outlook
Even with so many remakes and re-releases coming out, Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced stands out thanks to its meaningful graphical and gameplay updates. Thanks to that, it looks and feels like a modern title and not just a reskinned older game. It’s clear Ubisoft went all out here, and I anticipate this title will do well because of the company’s efforts.
Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced should be perfect for newcomers and veterans alike. It releases on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on July 9, cementing it as the perfect game for the long summer months. I can’t wait to play the full game, and you can definitely expect more coverage from me, so stay tuned, you land lubbers!
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