The Assassin’s Creed series has plenty of iconic entries, but one of the standouts is Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. Set during the Golden Age of Piracy, Black Flag follows Edward Kenway (portrayed by Matt Ryan), who winds up getting caught in the age-old conflict between the Assassin Brotherhood and the Knights Templar while sailing the high seas. Like any classic game, Black Flag was bound to be revisited at some point, and that’s where Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag Resynced comes in. Ubisoft invited me to attend a preview of the game at the beginning of May, and the developer pulled out all the stops to create a unique experience.
While Black Flag Resynced does have the same story as the original version of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, the gameplay experience has undergone a massive overhaul, courtesy of creative director Paul Fu. Mr. Fu and his team utilized the same engine that powered Assassin’s Creed Shadows, literally rebuilding Black Flag from the ground up. This results in six hours of new content, including eight endgame missions that replace the modern-day sections of the original game.
Black Flag Resynced has also restructured key elements of the Assassin‘s Creed playbook, including the stealth and parkour baked into the franchise. The environment plays a key role in stealth, meaning that players will have to find shadows to hide in to avoid enemies. As for the parkour, there are more expansive landscapes that let players climb, run, and even leap from dizzying heights, resulting in truly dazzling visuals.
But the real standout of the game is the combat mode. Fighting is built around skill, which means you’ll have to learn the ropes, and fast – enemies not only adapt to your attacks, but also have a tough defense to break through. Thankfully, with a combination of buttons you can unleash attacks that allow you to parry enemy attacks, then deliver a brutal counterattack that leaves them in a bloody heap on the floor. I’m not lying when I say that the combat sections are probably the most fun part of the game, even when you’re swarmed by enemies.
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Far trickier were the sections where you pilot Edward’s ship, the Jackdaw. Getting the Jackdaw up and sailing is easy, but steering it is a vast learning curve, not to mention the impact it has on ship battles. I had to learn very quickly how to steer the ship so I could take down enemy vessels, and it paid off, as the Jackdaw comes equipped with new upgrades to its weaponry. This includes the chain shot, which is now a frontal weapon, and the broadside cannons, which deliver additional damage if you point them in the right direction.
In true Assassin’s Creed fashion, Black Flag Resynced also includes Edward interacting with historical figures. Chief among them is Stede Bonnet, the “Gentleman Pirate”, and Edward Thatch, the infamous Blackbeard; I got to assist Bonnet in a mission at the beginning of the play session, and capped it off by piloting Blackbeard’s ship, the Queen Anne’s Revenge. You can also recruit new officers for the Jackdaw, as I had to infiltrate an enemy ship to spring one of them from imprisonment.
Ubisoft didn’t just stop at having journalists play a preview of Black Flag Resynced. It also took great pains to turn the gaming area into a near-perfect replica of the Jackdaw‘s nest, complete with netting hanging from the walls and barrels in the corner. Even the food fit the theme: there was a coffee bar with coconut- and other tropical-flavored drinks, and lunch included a Caribbean-themed buffet with jerk chicken and bread pudding with rum sauce.
Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag Resynced feels like a true update in every sense of the word. Not only does it recapture everything that made Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag a great game, but its new features add elements that make the game worth revisiting. With other classic Assassin’s Creed titles waiting for their own revamp, the question remains: can Ubisoft top this remake, and future preview events?
Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag Resynced will release on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S on July 9, 2026.
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