Assassin's Creed has always been one of my favorite video game series for nothing else if not the thrill of going back in time. I've always loved the historical time periods the series have let us run around in. With Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag I was a little hesitant. The golden age of pirates is an interesting and exciting direction, but I was afraid that the focus would be on pirates instead of assassins and templars. I was expecting the game to flop. I put the lowest expectation on this game of the whole series. I'm so glad that I was wrong. Although I was completely wrong about the pirate focus, Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag is one of the most enjoyable games I've played in a long time.
Story - 9.0: The story of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag is unlike any Assassin's Creed story. For starters, it has the most unique protagonist in the series, Edward Kenway. Edward is a pirate, and the game doesn't take very long to establish this. Unlike its predecessor, ACIV throws you right into the action. Right from the opening scene, Edward has been a pirate for almost two years. Almost immediately, Edward is thrusted into the eternal struggle of the Assassins and Templars. He may have been forced into the conflict, but he does not become an assassin. He is a pirate and a selfish one at that. He finds Assassin's Creed unconvincing, and he greatly misinterprets the creed of "Nothing is true; everything is permitted." All this being said, for most of the game the story doesn't feel like Assassin's Creed. That's because the focus is around the golden age of pirates. Through this incredible adventure, you meet the infamous Blackbeard, Charles Vain, Benjamin Hornigold, and James Kidd. These historical figures are unique and fascinating characters. The downside of the story is the lack of a proper set up. To be more specific, the plot itself has a great set up, but the game feels like it's lacking a real introduction to the characters. Almost very pirate you meet, Edward has already known them for two years. Apparently, Edward Thatch (Blackbeard) and Ben Hornigold both sailed with Edward prior to their career as pirates. The story briefly mentions this, and I'm interested to know more. The major downside is that we missed the opportunity to grow and care for these characters as much as we could have. This was my favorite part of ACIII's story; sure it had a slow start, but that slow start made the emotional moments have that much more of an impact. What the story excels at is the character development of Edward. Edward truly is the focus of the game who grows to realize the errors of his life. It takes quite sometime for that realization, but that makes Edward's story have so much impact. This growth in Edward is unmatched by any other character in the series making him arguably the best character in the series. His story is what makes it a great Assassin's Creed story. Watching Edward learn the creed through experience is like relearning the creed yourself. It's almost like playing ACI for the first time again. Lastly, the conclusion of the game is pretty satisfying. It's not an epic or action packed ending, but it's a good conclusion nonetheless. For the first time in the series, we leave Desmond Miles for present day story. The story takes place after the events of ACIII. In this story you play, well, yourself. Your an employee at Abstergo Entertainment tasked with researching the life of Edward Kenway. Although there is nothing really breathtaking about the present day story, it's quite interesting nonetheless and makes you wander where the series is going next.
Gameplay - 9.5: There is so much to do and all of it is so wonderful! Like the story, the gameplay also feels more like a pirate game than an AC game. You obtain your own ship, the Jackdaw, and upgrade it with the money and resources you find in the massive West Indies. This world is huge! With over 50 unique locations, three major cities, and numerous vessels and forts to battle along the way. The naval combat from ACIII returns and is better than ever. It takes the innovative addition to ACIII and makes it so much more fun with the numerous upgrades, weapons, enemies, and the new boarding system. It is so satisfying to cripple a ship, board it, and fight the crew. It is so easy to get sidetracked on the way to a main mission. Not enough can be said about the new additions to the gameplay. ACIV's assassinations draw back from the original AC. Now, assassinations are more about freedom to strike from the angle of your choosing rather than the specific guidelines necessary to accomplish it. An interesting direction the missions take is that for most stealth missions, you have the choice to charge straight in and kill every guard. But, that approach will easily get you killed. One of the downsides to the game is the combat seems to have taken a hit. It's hard to explain but you simply don't feel like a BA assassin who can cut through any amount of guards. The exception is boarding. Combat is very fun and rewarding during boarding. Many missions take place both on land and sea which takes advantage of the integrated world. What doesn't work for the game's benefit are the tailing missions. There is simply so many of them, and the game adds nothing new to the old tailing formula. It's so noticeable because everything else is so new and so fresh. Either tailing missions should be done for the series, or they need to be innovated and improved. But, everything else the game does very well.
Visuals - 9.5: ACIV is absolutely beautiful! The game's world is the most beautiful, vibrant, colorful, and vibrant world in the series. Even on current-gen, the visuals outshine all of its predecessors. I could go on, but it's easier to say that everything looks amazing! The visuals are still not without its flaws. The game's graphics are still hindered by the series's usual glitches like MPCs and faraway buildings appearing in front of you. But, these glitches are far less frequent and less annoying than ACIII's glitches.
Multiplayer - 8.0: Multiplayer is back, and it's not much different than before. The classic game modes return with Wanted, Assassination, Team Deathmatch, Man Hunt, Artifact Assault, and the return of Wolf Pack. All these game modes are as fun as ever, but the game doesn't really offer anything new to enhance the experience. It's a great deal of fun, and it's yet another way to invest dozens of more hours into an already huge game.
Verdict - 9.0: Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag is great breathe of fresh air into the series and is arguably the best. Although the game often feels more like a pirate game than an Assassin's Creed game, the game is still no less enjoyable. The enthralling story of Edward Kenway is the most unique and interesting in the series. Annual releases no longer concern me if they're able to make a game so superb in so many ways. I'm already looking forward to the series has in store for us next.