Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is a remake done right — and the best pirate game I’ve ever played

After 19 years, 14 mainline installments, more than half a dozen spin-offs, and several remasters of varying quality, Ubisoft has finally decided to give an Assassin’s Creed game the full remake treatment, and the French publisher couldn’t have selected an AC game more worthy of a proper current-gen redux than 2013’s Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag.

Eagle-eyed fans might spot the numeral has been dropped, with this remake known simply as Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, but this is far from the only change. Nearly every aspect of Black Flag has been modernized. The visuals have been overhauled, core systems have been improved, and the modern-day storyline has been mercifully jettisoned.

If the original release was the best AAA pirate game ever made (and in this critic's book, it earned that title), then Resynced only enhances Black Flag’s claim to the crown. This is the definitive way to experience Edward Kenway’s high-sea adventures across the Caribbean.

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Some old friction remains, as Resynced also struggles to mesh its pirate sandbox with its place in the convoluted Assassin’s Creed timeline. However, when you’re sailing the vast ocean, looking for ships to raid while your crew sings a variety of sea shanties, Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced reminds you why this beloved entry remains a firm fan-favorite.

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced: The Basics

• What is it? Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is a ground-up remake of 2013’s AC IV: Black Flag. You play Edward Kenway, a pirate in the 18th-century Caribbean seeking his fortune and who’s caught up in an historical conflict.
• Who is it for? Longtime Assassin’s Creed fans with a fondness for the original will love Resynced. But anybody who enjoys a third-person action-adventure game set in a sizeable open world will find plenty to treasure here.
• What’s the price? Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced costs $59 at Amazon. There’s also a Deluxe Edition for $69 on digital storefronts, which includes some extra cosmetic booty.
• What other games has the developer made? Black Flag Resynced comes from Ubisoft Singapore. The studio has worked across the AC franchise and was lead developer on 2024’s also-pirate-themed Skull and Bones.
• What games is it similar to? A remake of the 2013 game, Black Flag Resynced has the classic AC DNA before the series transitioned to a full RPG. It’s the reliable AC open-world experience only with more swashbuckling - which is a good thing in my books.

Welcome (back) to the Golden Age of Piracy

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced welcomes players back to the Caribbean during the Golden Age of Piracy. You play Edward Kenway, a pirate seeking his fortune during this cut-throat period in history. After a skirmish with a member of the Hidden Ones, Kenway steals his identity and gets caught in the middle of the Assassins vs. Templars conflict.

Compared to many of the franchise’s more noble protagonists, Kenway’s roguish charms and “what’s in it for me” attitude were a breath of fresh air in 2013. That’s still true all these years later. While he’s by no means a sadistic, heartless pirate, his primary motivations for getting his hands dirty are being paid a large sack of gold coins. In Resynced, Kenway is once again voiced by Matt Ryan, who brings the character to life with charming swagger.

His adventures across the sun-soaked ocean see him interact with various real-life historical figures, including Anne Bonny, Benjamin Hornigold and, of course, Edward “Blackbeard” Thatch. The Assassin’s Creed series is known for using real-world history as its playground, and Black Flag does this better than most AC games that came before and the ones after.

It’s a pirate's life for me

Black Flag Resynced is at its best when it’s less of an Assassin’s Creed game, and more of a pirate sandbox. Early in the story, Kenway takes charge of his own brig, christened the Jackdaw, and from here, you’re free to neglect the main story to live life on the high seas.

Naval battles are consistently exciting. Your Jackdaw starts particularly feeble, unable to take on more than rinky-dinky merchant ships. After obtaining a few upgrades with your ill-gotten spoils, you can build a craft capable of blowing your enemies out of the water, literally. Maneuvering your ship through the water is simple: sails can be lowered and raised with a single button, and firing your cannons and mortars is equally straightforward.

I can’t count the number of times I set a waypoint to guide me towards a particular quest, and then ended up taking an unplanned detour to attack a passing British or Spanish naval convoy. Once your Jackdaw is powerful enough to hold its own against the many armored fleets that populate the vast ocean, you’ll find yourself losing hours to the simple joys of being an up-to-no-good pirate. As Kenway, my need for more treasure was insatiable.

Unlike Ubisoft’s ill-fated Skull and Bones (released to muted reviews in 2024), Black Flag doesn’t just take place at sea. It also offers the freedom to take to dry land and engage in all the usual Assassin’s Creed trappings, from scaling large buildings to get a vantage point (which populates your map with markers) to locating locked chests with worthwhile loot.

Resynced developer Ubisoft Singapore has kept the bones of the original Black Flag intact. It’s not gone full-RPG like more recent Assassin’s Creed titles. So, there are no gear levels or suite of mystical powers at your disposal. When you clash steel, it’s a case of swinging your sword and hitting the counter button when your enemy responds. And yes, the game’s notorious gory takedown animations return, and they look even more brutal this time around.

As an Assassin’s Creed game, stealth is also a fundamental pillar of missions, and these sections largely work well. Leaping from a tall tree to stab your hidden blade into an enemy's neck is simple, but always satisfying. Though the enemy A.I. is particularly easy to exploit, with soldiers often failing to spot Kenway skulking through a camp even when in plain view.

Conflicting with the Creed

There’s a curious, and at times especially frustrating, conflict at the heart of Black Flag, and for all its enhancements, this is one area where Resynced isn’t able to improve on the original.

The problem is that being a pirate is just infinitely more enjoyable and rewarding than being an Assassin. I found myself less motivated to progress the game’s reasonably lengthy 25-hour main campaign, because sailing the seas with my crew remains the real appeal.

Whenever I was drawn into a story beat, my mind would wander, wishing I could get back behind the wheel of the Jackdaw hunting for ships to board and strip of their valuables.

It’s not helped that the Assassin’s Creed lore and the ongoing “Templars vs Assassins” thread have always been more convoluted than compelling. At least Resynced strips away the original’s first-person modern-day segments. An omission I think few players will miss.

A modern classic for a new generation

As a remake, Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is a marvel. It doesn’t just make the game look so much prettier, but also smooths rough edges and adds new content that shines a spotlight on the game at its best. However, I am a little disappointed the original’s Freedom Cry DLC has been axed. Surely, it could have been incorporated into Resynced.

There are more additions and tweaks in Resynced than I could list here, but it feels like every part of the game has been polished. This includes essential additions like a dedicated crouch button (how did the original lack one?) and the game’s infamous tailing objectives being reworked so you no longer automatically fail if spotted. Instead, if your target clocks you, the quest carries on, and you have to pivot your approach to account for your mistake.

New content includes fresh customization options, larger underwater areas to explore, and new collectible sea shanties. The most noteworthy are a set of officer missions that flesh out your on-deck companions. These introduce you to new characters such as shipwright Lucy Baldwin and a former pirate turned priest. They’re an excellent addition, and tell personal stories that I found more interesting than the majority of narrative beats in the main story.

And while, as noted, Resynced does a lot more than just make AC Black Flag look even prettier, the complete visual overhaul shouldn’t be glossed over. Resynced looks like how I remember Black Flag looking, but check a side-by-side comparison, and the difference is night and day. This digital recreation of 18th-century West Indies is downright stunning.

In fact, the game is such a visual treat that the small blemishes stick out a little bit more. Clipping is a persistent issue, with swords and flowing clothing refusing to play nice. I was also disappointed to spend an entire play session hunting down Templar keys to unlock a swanky new outfit, only for its plush raised collar to morph into Kenway’s stubbly chin.

Nevertheless, I can forgive minor technical hiccups when, for the most part, Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced delivers an experience that makes the idea of returning to the original deeply unpalatable. And that’s the bar that all remakes should strive to meet.

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced: Verdict

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced successfully respects the legacy of the original, while bringing a host of additions and upgrades that now feel vital to the overall experience. You can’t really ask for more from a remake; Resynced lives up to the Black Flag name.

But Resynced can’t fix every problem with the original; the conflict between its grand pirate adventure and the need to conform to the Assassin’s Creed template still creates a disconnect. But in a gaming industry curiously lacking in AAA titles that let you live out your pirate fantasies, Black Flag Resynced offers everything a landlubber like me could want.