Black Flag focuses on the story of 18th century pirate-turned-assassin, Edward Kenway. The story follows Edward as he tries to accomplish several goals 1.) becoming filthy rich so that he can win back the heart of his wife (who was persuaded by her family to separate from him due to his poor social standing and lack of means), 2.) interrupt the plotting of the Templars and finding a mysterious location known as "the observatory," and 3.) working with his fellow pirate friends to establish Nassau as a free city where piracy can thrive. Things grow more and more chaotic as some of these individual strands start connecting....and some need to be trimmed.
Since I am a shameless completionist, I tried my best to complete as much of the game as I could. I managed 94%, which meant that I did most of the tasks, but didn't manage to get them all (those legendary ships tho'....crazy hard. I also managed to hack 32/33 computers...I missed one measly computer). I made it a point to discover all the locations and complete them. Somehow I missed two treasure maps...still don't know how. Anyway, I completed the game and here is my review.
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| The real reason Black Flag is so great....petting dogs! |
Pros:
--The absolute highlight of Black Flag is the naval combat. You get to captain your own 18th century pirate ship--complete with a rowdy crew of pirate friends and absolutely bristling with weapons; mortars, broadside cannons, frontal cannons (that shoot special chain shot to slow enemy ships), fire barrels, and swivel guns for precision aiming. Learning to effectively use all these weapons can be challenging at first, but once you've figured it out there's much joy to be had in sailing the high seas and attacking the various types of ships. Once a ship is weakened, it can be boarded which offers up a chance for some good ol' hand-to-hand combat. I enjoyed the fact that you also get to choose how to deal with a captured ship and have options that can all be beneficial.
Success in naval combat allows you to seize items that can be used to upgrade your ship or to be sold for some extra cash. It's really fun to see how your ship changes and becomes an absolute killing machine by the end of the game (legendary ships are still brutal)--taking down a man o'war becomes no issue.
--Buried treasure, brawls, and the freedom of piracy. There aren't enough pirate themed games out there (although I've seen more recently) and I appreciated the fact that the game included tasks like using treasure maps to find buried chests and lots of attacking and capturing ships for the booty. It felt appropriately pirate-y but not too overly cheesy--there aren't any parrots or peg legs.
--Scampering around rooftops and finding places to hide is a blast. I can definitely see the roots of the Assassin's Creed series in the way that Edward deftly navigates the areas in the jungles and throughout the various cities. I also liked the way that they incorporated the use of distraction--hire a bunch of drunken pirates or "dancers" (aka prostitutes) to create a scene while Edward slips away.
--A variety of weapons to utilize. Edward wields special assassin's blades, two swords, multiple pistols, and a blowpipe. Each type of weapon can be upgraded and there are many varieties of swords and pistols to choose from--from slow-swinging pirate's cutlasses to speedy, rapiers--from highly accurate hand cannons to wide-spreading blunderbusses. The addition of the blowpipe midway through the game offers a stealthier option for dealing with enemies.
--Plenty of exploration and sidequests. The map is covered with treasure chests, lost islands, and animus fragments to find. There are critters to hunt and sea creatures to harpoon, shanties to track down, assassination contracts (both on land and at sea), and underwater shipwrecks to explore. Not all of these activities are mandatory and players have the freedom to pick which of these activities that they want to complete.
--A cast of famous pirates to befriend (...sort of). If you're a fan of pirate history or know anything about these characters you will appreciate seeing them pop-up in the game. I really enjoyed seeing Blackbeard with his hat full of burning wicks.
--Story within a story. Being new to Assassin's Creed, I understood very little of the animus related part of the story in Odyssey. Black Flag really shed some light on the entire concept of the animus and how it is tied to playing all these characters in different historical periods (honestly, this concept is sort of genius because it really doesn't have to make any sense and allows for games to be set in any time period with virtually no need for ties between games). I liked the modern part of the story (I'm still not completely sure what exactly is happening, but at least I have some idea now) and connecting all the dots about what is happening with Abstergo and the Templars.
--Upgradeable pirate hideout. I really liked the whole concept of having your own island complete with mansion and docks. Your docks can be used to manage a fleet of ships in a mini-game like activity (which can be used to make some extra cash but also offers unique pieces of art as rewards) and the special art items you unlock are displayed in your mansion.
--For a game from 2013, I thought the graphics looked great. They aren't 2018 graphics, but the world is still pretty and there are lots of small details to take in. Each city has a unique look and I loved how the color of the ocean would vary depending on where you were at.
--Assassins armor. I liked the artistic style of Edward's armor and the various armors worn by the other assassins--it felt simultaneously pirate-like and assassin-like--a perfect combination!
Cons:
--Controls can feel mushy and slow--especially during hand-to-hand combat. I would frequently be irritated by the fact that I would be mashing the counter button only to watch it not work at all. Attacks can also seem like they don't happen very fast--there's a bit of a combo build-up type of thing, but it mostly just makes it feel like you're not in control. Fighting someone on top of stairs or standing on something is also very awkward and doesn't work at all. It doesn't ruin the game or anything, it just makes certain things more annoying.
--I wasn't terribly impressed by the story. I am getting the impression that AC is all about massive conspiracies...which is fine, but I didn't feel anything special about hunting down people or the way the story resolved itself. After playing this and Odyssey I am getting a strong sense that story isn't really the focal point of AC. The huge worlds and parkour style stealth seem to be the main focal points. There were parts of the story I liked, but overall it felt pretty meh.
--I bought it on Steam and still had to activate it through Uplay. It's yet another game launcher that I have to download and maintain. The game runs on this weird dual setup between Steam and Uplay. If you already have Uplay....just get it there.
Recommended for:
--fans of stealth action games
--wannabe pirates
--exploration junkies who want a game chocked full of locations to explore and items to track down
--PARKOUR! *you like climbing, jumping, balancing, and games that give you the feeling of astounding agility
--people who like stabbing people in video games (you probably shouldn't admit this one...but it's true)
--conspiracy theorists
--people who started off with Odyssey but who want a better feel for the series
Not recommended for:
--people who want an astoundingly strong story in their games.
The holiday season is fast approaching and Black Flag is more than worth the low price that it will be offered for on various sales. Give piracy a chance!
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