After struggling to play Assassin's Creed III, I thought that the franchise was on a slippery slope downward. I told myself I wasn't even going to pick up the next game in the series after I played ACIII. "They've pretty much done all they can do with this series." I told myself...
Damn, I was wrong.
Assassin's Creed IV throws you directly into the Caribbean as you play as Edward Kenway. Kenway is looking to bring wealth and a good life to himself and his wife, and this really brings a refreshing feel to the game. It's very satisfying to play as someone who's got a bit of a different personality than his counterparts in the series.
The gameplay is what you would expect from Assassin's Creed, but it's been expanded by allowing you to take on an open world where you captain your ship the "Jackdaw." Sailing around simply discovering random islands and areas is hours of fun by itself, and when you decide to follow the primary storyline, it's relatively compelling as well. As you progress, you can get upgrades to your ship, manage your own fleet of ships, and craft things from the goods you acquire after hunting in the wild.
The fact that there is so much to do at any given time gives you all kinds of freedom, which is really what Assassin's Creed III lacked, and the map is very large which adds to the replayability of the single player mode. I found myself simply sailing around looting random islands for hours. The single player also features a few present-day missions when you exit your animus, which are relatively fun and interesting themselves.
The movement and climbing is smoother than it has ever been in the series, and the combat on foot is also very fluent and fun. Unlike the other games in the series, the missions aren't all the same, and it keeps things fresh as there's seemingly always something new to learn or discover. As you and your crew sail around the open world, you can conquer forts, board enemy ships, and hunt for sea creatures. When you hunt, you'll acquire goods that allow you to craft clothes, storage space, and ammo.
The relatively long story mode makes for an excellent time-killer, and really goes toe-to-toe with Assassin's Creed II to be (in my opinion) the best in the series.
There is also a multiplayer mode, which I haven't spent much time with. I played Brotherhood's MP mode, and it seems to be pretty similar. It's what you would think it would be if you've ever played AC online. It's pretty fun, but it seems to get quite repetitive. Either way, the single player is more than enough to keep you entertained for quite some time.
The Verdict:
To me, this is the best Assassin's Creed title since II, and I'd highly recommend it to anyone looking for an open-world game on next-gen.