Assassin's Creed IV

Assassin's Creed: Black Flag stands as one of my favorites in the series, with its captivating theme, engaging gameplay, and an unforgettable ending. The passion of the developers, actors, and sound designers truly shined through from beginning to end, making it a standout release amongst the Assassin's Creed series.

The theme and setting of this title were the main reasons for my enjoyment, along with the excellent pacing, engaging gameplay, and the memorable ending. After completing the game, I craved for more, a testament to the passion of the developers, actors, and sound designers. It's a shame that such dedication is not as common anymore with Ubisoft's releases. Perhaps they should take notes from their previous successes to create gems like Black Flags again, let's hope, that they will someday find their ways again. ...

GRAPHIC DESIGN:

It's fairly unique to see that the graphics of Assassin's Creed Black Flags, which was already in development in mid-2011 and released in the 4th quarter of 2013, still hold up pretty well a decade after its initial release.

The game looked gorgeous in its original form. The game featured detailed and realistic environments set in the Caribbean during the Golden Age of Piracy. The lush jungles, bustling cities, and vast open seas, each rendered with a high level of detail. The water effects, in particular, were praised for their realism, with dynamic waves, reflections, and spray adding to the immersive experience of sailing your ship around.

Character models were highly detailed, capturing realistic facial expressions and fluid animations. Edward Kenway and other characters were brought to life with detailed costumes and lifelike movements. They utilized advanced lighting techniques to create dynamic day-night cycles and realistic shadows for its time. The changing weather conditions, including storms and fog, added another layer of realism to the world.

Despite its age, the graphics remain quite stunning, especially when you enable this ReShade mod which you can find on nexusmods.com, originally released by Vandos. The Reshade enhances the visuals for an even better experience, I expect most of you will appreciate this little enhancement as an extra layer. ...

As mentioned, in preview blogs; I'm not really someone who sticks around for graphics alone. I'd rather lower my graphics settings a bit to gain a performance boost if necessary. That doesn't necessarily mean I don't love nice visuals, though. When I look at how this game looks right now, I honestly can not overlook that the graphics still hold up very, very well, especially if you bear in mind the release cycle of this game!

SOUND DESIGN:

I enjoy watching documentaries, or, behind-the-scenes videos of the games I truly love because they often reveal something I share with the creators. As they pour their hearts into the game, I am drawn to their unique craftsmanship, whether it's through graphics or sound design. When these elements come together well, they create something truly unique and magical, which is a testament to their genuine passion.

The soundtrack was composed by Brian Tyler, who also developed the music for Far Cry 3. Additional compositions were provided by Sarah Schachner and Omar Fadel. The sound design itself was created with a tool called Nuendo 5, as you can see in the video above. When you see all these elements nicely coming together with the visuals, you experience a very impressive atmosphere when you are playing the game.

I expect every game I play to have a high level of craftsmanship, just like this. If the various elements of the game don't come together well, I quickly lose interest. However, this wasn't the case with Assassin's Creed Black Flags. The sound design is stellar and still holds up to this day, just like the graphics. When I look back on how they designed the game as a whole, I can personally appreciate their craftsmanship even more.

That's why it's sometimes hard to believe that the passion I once felt has faded away over the years. I truly believe, even though there might be other factors, that this is partly due to Ubisoft's focus on monetized in-game gear and time savers, as well as changes in work ethics. I tend to look back at our beloved franchises and reminisce about how great our games truly can be when developers infuse them with true passion. ...

NARRATIVE:

This is one of the five boxes that need to be ticked to deliver a good game, and with this box ticked off with at least a 9 out of 10, they have already covered three out of five boxes with ease. Sadly, in my opinion, this is something that Ubisoft has not delivered for a long while, which makes it so great to look back to this game even today!

With simple fun at its core, Black Flags always focused on the experience itself. The character is crafted as you progress, and you connect with Kenway, the main protagonist, as if you were him. You become involved with the narrative like with no other release in the Assassin's Creed series, and that is what makes it so compelling.

I loved the Desmond era; the stories were good, but they were very linear. However, this changed drastically in Black Flags, where they improved on the more open approach introduced in their previously released iteration, Assassin's Creed III.

They expanded on the idea of an open approach, but they did it in such a way that it didn't feel overwhelming. It's easy to bore people, but they hit the sweet spot just right. I always felt that Black Flags carried what Assassin's Creed did so well in the Desmond Era and broke new ground at the same time.

Kenway's characteristics are in line of those of , he is at least equally charming as he was, and his traits are evolving from a similar heroic outlawed perspective, where he takes the moment of opportunity. But, he does it in his own way where it doesn't feel like the usual copy pasta that we see these days.

Kenway's character is somewhat in line with those of Ezio's, but he also has his own unique traits that make him stand out as a distinct character.

One of the things that makes Kenway interesting is that he starts out as a selfish pirate who is primarily concerned with his own wealth and well-being, but over the course of the game, he becomes more empathetic and starts to care about others beyond himself.

This character development is done in a way that feels organic and believable, which is a testament to the writing and voice acting in the game.

NARRATIVE:

The game still retains its stealth gameplay mechanics, but the addition of naval combat and exploration gives it a fresh feel. As a pirate captain, you have your own ship and crew, and you can customize and upgrade your ship with new weapons and equipment. The naval combat is intense and exciting, and the open world exploration of the Caribbean Sea and its many islands is vast and immersive. And as you progress through the game, you also become more involved with the Assassin Order, giving the game an interesting mix of pirate adventure and stealthy Assassin action.

The game has a nonlinear structure where you have the freedom to explore and engage in various activities, but at the same time, the game guides you through the story in a way that feels natural and immersive. The player is given the opportunity to discover and uncover the story on their own, which creates a sense of agency and involvement in the narrative.

The storyline of Black Flag is quite unique and different from its predecessors, as it presents the protagonist as someone who is not already tied into the Assassin Order from the beginning. The journey of Edward Kenway to discover his true allegiance and purpose adds a level of mystery and intrigue to the game. The twists and turns in the story keep the players engaged and guessing until the end, making it a truly memorable experience.

This makes it crystal clear that Ubisoft is able to deliver decent story's without annoying their player base with microtransactions and what not.

It is sadly difficult to say for sure if Ubisoft will be able to recapture the glory days of their franchises. It's important to note that industry is constantly evolving, and companies need to adapt to stay relevant. If Ubisoft is able to listen to their fans, focus on delivering high-quality experiences, and find a balance between monetization and player satisfaction, then there's always a chance they can reach new heights. Time will tell if they are able to do so.

Ubisoft has faced some significant challenges in recent years. In addition to concerns about their work ethics, they have had to deal with several high-profile departures of key executives and creative leads, as well as backlash from fans over the quality of some of their recent games.

GAMEPLAY:

The game begins with a feisty naval battle against a British vessel, which serves as a tutorial for the player to learn the game's naval combat mechanics, which will become a central aspect of the gameplay throughout the rest of the game. After the battle, Kenway ends up stranded on an island where he meets an Assassin, who he ends up killing and taking the man's place. From here, Kenway sets out on a journey to become a pirate, but soon embroils in a conflict between the Assassins and Templars.

A similar parkour system to its predecessors allows you to freely traverse the open world and scale buildings and other structures. Black Flags also introduces the ability to climb and dive, to explore various shipwrecks and beautiful underwater sceneries. Exploring with the diving bell offers a distinctive means of uncovering hidden items and side missions, adding an exciting new gameplay element to the game.

The combat system was overhauled with a focus on more fluid and responsive controls. One great feature is that you can chain together multiple attacks in a combo if you time it right, in combat. You also have access to new weapons like dual swords and pistols. Additionally, the game introduced a new "counter kill" mechanic, where you can perform an instant-kill on an enemy after perfectly timing a counter-attack.

With the gameplay mechanics covered, earning at least a 7 out of 10, I strongly believe that Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag easily ticks off four out of the five boxes needed to be a very good title overall.

When we combine everything from the atmosphere, graphics, and sound design, along with the compelling story of Edward's transformation from a selfish pirate to a dedicated member of the Assassin's Order, the game creates, in my view, a unique and immersive experience in the Assassin's Creed series.

That leaves us with the final box to tick, which is the rewarding system of the game.

As you progress through the story, you will gradually open up the game world. This created a sense of limitation for me, as I was unable to explore the entire game world from the beginning. However, I understand that this was necessary to protect the narrative and gameplay, which also tied in with unlocking weapons and equipment for your character and ship. Throughout the game, you will discover a wealth of collectibles, including treasure maps, Mayan stones, and Animus fragments.

Collecting these items can unlock new content, such as special outfits and weapons.

I never paid much attention to the multiplayer part of the game since Assassin's Creed games were always about the stories and atmosphere for me, where I could meet various historical figures along the way!

by kevanh79 | July 21, 2023 - Reading time: 11:33 minutes

This is somewhat of a love letter to Ubisoft, stop with what you are doing now! Go back to what you were doing in the past, and steer a bit of ''extra'' passion, dedication and true art into it!

GRAPHIC DESIGN:

When we consider games as an art form, the integration of graphics and sound design is crucial. The designers of Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag excels in that regard, as they have created an immersive world where the graphics and sound design complement each other perfectly.

SOUND DESIGN:

I don't mind paying more for a game; however, when I do pay more, I expect better. While games have become more expensive, it is fairly rare these days that every box is ticked off.

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WRITERS NOTES

by kevanh79 | July 21, 2023 - Reading time: 11:33 minutes

This is somewhat of a love letter to Ubisoft, stop with what you are doing now! Go back to what you were doing in the past, and steer a bit of ''extra'' passion, dedication and true art into it!

GRAPHIC DESIGN:

When we consider games as an art form, the integration of graphics and sound design is crucial. The designers of Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag excels in that regard, as they have created an immersive world where the graphics and sound design complement each other perfectly.

SOUND DESIGN:

I don't mind paying more for a game; however, when I do pay more, I expect better. While games have become more expensive, it is fairly rare these days that every box is ticked off.

NARRATIVE:

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NARRATIVE:

GAMEPLAY:

WRITERS NOTES

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