
Players get to explore virtual versions of cities including Havana, Kingston, and Nassau - recreated using maps, images, and artifacts from the era - and interact with historical figures such as Blackbeard and Anne Bonny, all while working through a complex and engaging story that seamlessly jumps between modern and historical eras and is filled with unexpected twists and turns. There's little else like it in the world of games.īeyond the piratical element, the primary draw remains the series' rich storytelling and immersive, historically accurate world. It's an exciting, visually sumptuous, and undeniably fresh way to approach both sandbox play and water-based combat. Building on the terrific sea ship mechanics of Assassin's Creed III, nearly half the game is spent sailing around the Caribbean, exploring small islands, and getting into spectacular cannon battles with other boats.

Show moreĪssassin's Creed IV: Black Flag stands apart from its predecessors in plenty of ways, but none more evident than its focus on sea-based exploration. A multiplayer component pits assassin against assassin, with players trying to track down and identify one another in environments crowded with civilians. Activities include sailing the seas, searching for treasure, hunting animals, melee-fighting on land, and epic ship-to-ship battling on the ocean. As Kenway, players explore a massive open world in which they can take on missions that further the story, or they can choose to simply explore. Kenway was a privateer, a pirate, and an Assassin - a member of an ancient order pledged to protect the freedom of humanity through the ages. But the bulk of the game takes place in the past, within the genetic memories of Desmond's ancestor, Edward Kenway, who lived during the golden age of pirates in the Caribbean. One is the present, where players take control of a rookie researcher working for a game company in Montreal who explores the genetic memories of Desmond Miles, the modern-day protagonist of past games in the series. As with previous Assassin's Creed games, it has two very distinct settings.



ASSASSIN'S CREED IV: BLACK FLAG continues the rich and historical narrative established by its predecessors but introduces new protagonists.
