Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag Reviews

There are still a few bugs in this game, which is a given considering that no one’s play through will ever be the same. What bugs there are though are generally hidden underneath the beautiful aesthetics of the game. Some missions can become repetitive and tiresome, but please don’t let that dishearten you. Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag is an excellent game and one of the best games of the year without a shadow of a doubt. It is completely refreshing for the series and for the fans as well. Your holiday to the Caribbean will be time well spent.

Republished on Wednesday 13th July, 2022: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of July's PS Plus Extra, Premium lineup. The original text follows.

This game was played on the Wii U.

“A new world, protagonist, and setting help elevate a formula that is otherwise growing stale.”

Man the cannons and brace for impact, because Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag is here to blow up any preconceived notions you had about the annual franchise. With a great cast of characters and a huge world to explore, this next-generation sequel is the best installment since Assassin's Creed II.

There are many hidden elements and motives that unravel as the story progresses but it's an experience worthy of your time. Best of all, you don't need to have played the previous Assassin's Creed titles as the story presents itself with enough depth to feature as a stand-alone story; although previous experience with the storyline will undoubtedly offer a little more substance.

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag is one of those games that simultaneously launched for current and next-gen consoles, along with the likes of LEGO Marvel and CoD: Ghosts. And like those games, Black Flag for Xbox One is the exact same game, but with marginally prettier visuals. That means all the same frustrations we had with the Xbox 360 version persist, meaning a similar review.

The game looks absolutely beautiful, is jam packed with things to do, and as ever, the combat is a joy to fiddle with. But for next year? Ubisoft, it’s called Assassin’s Creed: make me feel like one.

It’s hard to wrap around all the elements Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag possesses. Despite a nonsensical story and flawed multiplayer, the sheer vastness of its connected content drowns out any discrepancy. There is a vice for every whim only a few paces away at any time in the game and that in a multitude of ways. It reaches such extents that this can be fully detached from any other elements that would make the game seem less interesting than the entertainment masterpiece it is now. Don’t witness the game; play the game. Live free of rules. It’s a pirate’s life.

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag reinvigorates the series after its patchy performance over the last few years, making it the best game since Brotherhood.

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Having plied us with six games in the last five years, it’s little wonder that the Assassin’s Creed series has started to go a little stale.

Black Flag takes you where no Assassin’s Creed game has before, and we’re not just talking about the fact that boats are involved. A true open-world treat that will provide completionists with dozens of hours of gameplay, ACIV is the real deal, not to mention a real shot in the arm for a series that was starting to look like something of a one-trick pony to all but the most hardcore fans. Highly recommended.

The fears of the malcontents did not come true - the fourth part of the Assassin saga is one of the best sandboxes of recent years, and the switch to a pirate atmosphere turned out to be a bull's-eye.