Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag is still considered one of the most popular parts of the entire series. No wonder: Ubisoft not only delivered an assassin game in 2013, but also one of the best pirate games ever. With Black Flag Resynced, Edward Kenway now returns in a lavishly modernized remake. New content, revised gameplay, fresh missions and completely modernized technology are intended to make the classic fit for the current generation. We tested Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced on the PS5 and tell you why, despite some painful decisions, the remake is once again one of the strongest Assassin’s Creed experiences ever.
Christopher Bahner (own opinion):
Conclusion on AC Black Flag Resynced
Black Flag was already an exceptional case within the series in 2013. While other Assassin’s Creed games often wavered between open world, story and gameplay, Black Flag hit exactly the right nerve: a huge virtual Caribbean, fantastic sea battles, great pirate atmosphere and, in Edward Kenway, one of the best protagonists in the series to date.
Resynced expands this strong foundation in a meaningful way. The remake modernizes technology and gameplay, expands the story with successful new content and eliminates many of the weaknesses of the original. The beautiful Caribbean in particular benefits enormously from the new engine and appears more atmospheric than ever.
But the pirate feeling remains particularly impressive. Sailing through storms on the Jackdaw, boarding enemy ships and listening to the crew’s shanties still creates an atmosphere that few other games can match. The sea battles are once again among the absolute highlights and appear more intense than ever before thanks to new effects, better controls and stronger destruction physics.
However, not every change is convincing. The omission of the present story may disappoint some fans and some simplifications in the gameplay seem unnecessary. Nevertheless, Ubisoft delivers by far the best version of an already fantastic game.
- + Fantastic modernized graphics
- + Significantly better stealth gameplay
- + New story content about Blackbeard and Stede Bonnet
- + Revamped missions without the frustration of the original
- + Great atmosphere at sea
- + Extensive expansion of the hiding place
- + Flexible difficulty options
- + Edward Kenway remains a strong protagonist
- – Present story completely removed
- – Some gameplay features from the original are missing
- – Fights are sometimes too simple
- – Secondary activities remain too repetitive in places
8/10
More than just a pretty remaster
Ubisoft officially calls Black Flag Resynced a remake, but many fans expected a general technical overhaul in advance. In fact, Resynced goes much further. The game was completely rebuilt in the current Anvil engine and is technically very much based on Assassin’s Creed Shadows. The entire Caribbean benefits enormously from this. Water, vegetation, lighting and cities not only look sharper, but appear more lively, dense and believable.
Especially when switching between jungles, colonial cities and open sea areas, it becomes clear how much work Ubisoft has put into the new edition. The old Black Flag already had a strong atmosphere back then, but in retrospect it often seemed surprisingly dark and colorless. Resynced corrects exactly that. The Caribbean now literally glows with colors and sunlight. And the best thing about it: no more loading times between cities and the open Caribbean world.
At the same time, it remains Structure of the original is almost completely preserved. Anyone who loved Black Flag back then will immediately feel at home. Havana, Nassau or Kingston look different but still feel exactly like the places you remember.
» Watch video: Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced – graphics comparison 2013 vs. 2026
Edward Kenway remains the centerpiece
Black Flag Resynced also remains surprisingly close to the original in terms of narrative. That’s a good decision because Edward’s story still works brilliantly. Edward starts out as a selfish privateer looking for wealth and fame, but develops into a much more complex character as the story progresses. It is precisely this development that sets him apart from many other Assassin’s Creed protagonists to this day.
Added to this is the fantastic pirate setting. Blackbeard, Charles Vane, Anne Bonny or Stede Bonnet ensure that Black Flag is more like an interactive pirate series feels like a classic assassin game. The narrative seems very adult and doesn’t shy away from drastic decisions.
However, Resynced also takes liberties and that might not go down well with everyone. The entire present story has been removed. As a reminder: In the original game, between the memory sequences, you take on the role of an office worker at Abstergo who synchronizes Edward Kenway’s memories. From a first-person perspective, you walk through offices, hack computers in mini-games and learn more about the company’s machinations.
I was never a fan of these segments in the original, so the removal of these sequences isn’t a huge loss for me. However, anyone who liked the old Assassin’s Creed games because of their overarching lore will miss this part. The ending in particular seems a bit strangely cut off. As Replacement for the present story There are now four large Rift missions in which you compete against the EGO user, who also played a role in previous parts.
What can the new story content do?
The biggest surprise of the remake is the numerous new content. Ubisoft hasn’t just added a few side quests, but has also expanded entire storylines.
With “A world without gold” you get a new endgame quest series with a total of eight additional missions. This revolves around the villain Robert Maynard and also fills in the backstory of Captain Blackbeard, who also gets his own treasure hunt side quest.
Also Stede Bonnet gets more attention. The eccentric gentleman pirate receives new missions and an additional conclusion to his story.
Added to this are complete new crew members for the Jackdaw. Lucy Baldwin, Padre Abel Galvao and Tobias “Deadman” Smith have their own quest lines, bring gameplay advantages for the Jackdaw and ensure that your team appears much more personal.
The new content integrates surprisingly organically into the existing plot, but is now also not an outstanding highlight. The new quests allow you to visit some new, but very small islands. In terms of gameplay, you shouldn’t expect any new features or special mission structures that will be remembered.
Finally a modern pirate adventure
Resynced playfully modernizes many of the original’s weaknesses. This starts with the stealth system. It’s hard to believe, but the original Black Flag actually didn’t have a proper crouch button. Back then, sneaking worked almost exclusively through bushes or crowds. Resynced is finally rolling out now modern stealth system a.
Edward can duck at any timebetter use cover and infiltrate more flexibly. This changes the feel of the game enormously. Suddenly missions seem much more dynamic and are more closely based on modern series parts such as Mirage or Shadows.
There is also one better integration of gadgets by Edward. The dart in particular benefits from this. This time you get this powerful weapon early in the game and can eliminate opponents much more creatively by pulling them towards you or hanging them on the nearest branch.
The biggest improvement, however, concerns the infamous pursuit missions. In the original, a small mistake often meant immediate failure. The obligation to always remain within the radius of the hunted often caused moments of frustration. Resynced takes a completely different approach here. If you are discovered, mission objectives change dynamically. Instead of desynchronization, chases, fights or alternative ways of obtaining information suddenly arise.
Fight faster and more aggressively
That too Combat system has been modernized. The original counterattack system still works as a basis, but now plays much more dynamically. New Perfect Parries reward good timing and allow for quick finishers. This makes fights appear more aggressive and fluid. There are also heavy blows to break through the enemy’s defenses and a foot sweep move in which you throw your enemies to the ground in order to then finish them off.
Still, that remains Combat system overall rather simple. Anyone who is used to modern action games like Ghost of Yotei or Sekiro will not find any extreme gameplay depth here.
In order to determine the level of difficulty of the fights or other activities, you can now set different levels of difficulty separately. Melee, stealth, naval battles and side activities each have their own options. This is not only comfortable, but also makes Resynced feel much better different playing styles adapts.
This is where I am at home
The much improved one Shelter expansion on Great Inagua is another highlight in the remake. This time, your hideout serves as a real pirate hub with numerous expandable buildings, new functions and noticeable development.
The more money and resources you invest, the more lively the island becomes. New merchants, additional residents, and exclusive bonuses make progress feel more visible.
That too Fleet mini-game has been completely revised. Instead of moving ships around on an anonymous world map, the actual game world map now serves as the game board for Kenway’s fleet. In addition, you first have to conquer the various forts on the map in order to open new trade routes for the fleet. These gameplay elements intertwine in the remake.
Not every gameplay change is convincing
However, some changes seem unnecessary. In the original, for example, you could pick up weapons from defeated opponents and use them yourself. Large axes or heavy sabers in particular made for wonderfully chaotic fights. This function is now completely missing.
This may speed up the flow of the game, but it also takes away a bit of freedom from the fights. Some too Side activities remain repetitive. Treasure hunts, assassin missions or smaller collecting tasks benefit from new rewards and additional secrets, but they still become repetitive in the long run.
23 questions that only real Assassin’s Creed experts can answer
Question 1 of 23
What is the name of Ratonhnhaké:ton’s ship?
A) Jackdaw
B) Flying Dutchman
C) Aquila
D) Black Pearl