There’s always a fine line to keep in mind when visually remaking a game like Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag. Obviously, you would want to improve a significant amount, but going too far could dilute the original’s essence. Then again, if you meander in the other direction and don’t pack in enough meaningful improvements, fans will wonder why you even bothered. Finding – and most importantly, respecting – that line is a key component to every memorable remake.
Of course, by now, it should be obvious that Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced succeeds in that regard. It makes significant changes from top to bottom in almost every respect, bringing it to the level of fidelity you would expect in 2026. However, the result is still unmistakably that of the original, down to the atmosphere and traits of its unforgettable cast.
Built from the ground up on the latest version of Anvil Engine, what are some of the most noticeable graphical leaps that we observed from Resynced’s reveal? Let’s go over them, though, keep in mind that this is just an initial impression. With the remake out on July 9th, expect far more details on aspects like performance, loading times, and more. But without further ado, let’s start with…
Environmental Overhaul
Set in the Caribbean, Black Flag’s story unfolds across several locations, from Havana to Nassau, where the pirate republic ultimately stations its headquarters. Between the fortress, the various thatch rooftops and more modern-style buildings with moss filling their tiles, the former offers a pretty eclectic variety of sights.
So right off the bat, Resynced improves foliage quality in almost every respect, whether it’s the trees and how much more naturally they flow with the breeze or more prominent leaves growing on buildings, lending a more obvious weathered look and feel. More NPCs can be seen roaming the streets, and it feels like the environment is more to scale with how it would be in the real world, as strange as that sounds.
Regardless, it reinforces something that you’ll see in pretty much every aspect of the remake. The development team is not looking to change the plot and characters, or even the parkour playgrounds that you’ve known and love, so much as take them to the next level in terms of graphical realism and immersion. Of course, it’s also an incredible showcase of the high-resolution textures and lighting improvements, the latter feeling more dynamic. However, it’s just fascinating to pick out all the different additions to each environment.
Which also applies to the one place where you’ll arguably spend the most amount of time: The ocean. When Black Flag was first released, it received extensive praise for its water, be it in physics, motion, texture quality, and so on. But Resynced, as you’ve probably guessed, is on a whole other level. The reflection quality, the waves – even when the water crashes against the rocks, the foam looks so much more natural and realistic. It’s something that should stand out as prominently in naval combat, especially with cannons ringing out and shards of your ship intermixing with the waves or when exploring underwater, and simply admiring the serene flora and fauna – until you’re fighting for your life against a shark, of course.
All in all, Resynced could have easily called it a day with the improved lighting and high-resolution textures, but the development team went the extra mile in detail. We can’t wait to see how the rest of the world has changed, especially given the dynamic weather and how much more realistic rain and other phenomena, including hurricanes, look. A note on the latter: They’re far more foreboding than before, so steer clear.
Character Models and Cutscene Improvements
This is another core aspect of any remake. You don’t want to mess with the looks of iconic characters too much, and given the developer’s focus on immersion and realism, that’s very much a possibility. Yes, some faces will look decidedly more different than others, but I have to say: Edward Kenway and his crew aboard the Jackdaw have never looked better.
Leaving aside the more emotive eyes and facial animations – which took a fair amount of hand-crafting to rebuild – there’s far more realistic-looking hair and facial stubble. Clothing elements like fabric and leather look so much better, the former sporting subtle folds and wrinkles, while the latter can have varying degrees of polish and cracks. The lighting changes highlight this all the more – Edward Thatch has never looked better, especially when it comes to the various details on his embroidered coat.
Then there are the cutscenes, which appear to have undergone adjustments in cinematography and background scenery. But the real star in these instances is the animation, which has undergone numerous tweaks, both subtle and otherwise, to further lean into the realism.
Combat and Parkour Animations
And it would be incredibly remiss not to mention how much that animation work translates into combat and parkour, vastly improving both in numerous ways. Edward is far quicker in a fight, but the transitions between moves flow much better. For example, shooting someone at a distance and then quickly parrying an oncoming blow – what could have been janky instead looks smooth and natural. The same applies when you’re moving from one target to another, taking them down in style, or tossing opponents into barrels, which realistically shatter into pieces. Heck, enemies are even jerked forward more realistically with the grapple.
As for parkour, between the new free jumps, back ejects and side ejects, it would be easy for Resynced to feel too much like the more recent Assassin’s Creed titles. However, the development team was adamant about retaining Edward’s moves – the key is that parkour feels more natural, helping maintain that flow as you navigate past awnings, walkways, rooftops and more in your impromptu routes.
It should be stated again, however, that we don’t know nearly enough about the performance, especially in larger battles (both on land and sea). I’m also keen to see much more extensive footage of combat and parkour, especially during full-fledged missions. Nevertheless, from the clips shown thus far, Resynced manages that near-impossible feat of channeling the original while also looking far better in the process.
Early Verdict
And that’s what it really comes down to: Sticking to the original vision and its design pillars while bringing it forward into the modern day. There’s still so much that I’m keen to witness, like how the lighting improvements impact stealth, especially since you can freely crouch when sneaking around. How detailed can the ship destruction be? Will NPCs have more detailed animation cycles to further enhance realism? Just how violently can a shark maul you?
I’m still a bit divided on the decision to not include the DLC – multiplayer is a different issue, but at the very least, stories like Freedom Cry would have been wonderful to experience in this updated style. Nevertheless, if that means the development team focused more resources on what truly matters – that is, the journey of Edward and his crew, from riches to tragedy – then I’d say the results are worth it. Now all we have to do is wait and see how each platform will handle it.