For a remake that’s changing so much, the story of Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced faithfully sticks to the 2013 original. Sure, the modern-day Abstergo sections are apparently gone, and you won’t get to experience the DLC, but this is Edward Kenway’s tale through and through.
That doesn’t mean it hasn’t been enhanced with new scenes, including one that writer Darby McDevitt describes as “top-five favorite.” Besides new quests surrounding characters like Thatch, Kenway will also receive some additional narrative focus. And according to Matt Ryan, who voices the character, they’re not just “there for the sake of” filling out the story.
“What a joy to come back and, after all this, all this time, doing new scenes,” he told Game Informer when asked how he felt about coming back to play Edward. “[These] new scenes just jumped off the page, and they really add to the character – they add depth to the character and the story. They’re not just there for the sake of filling it out.”
He described the entire process as a “strange and wonderful and nostalgic and beautiful experience, man. It’s like an old friend. The funny thing is, when I did the original game, you didn’t quite know what it would be. You want to do the best job you can; you do your research, you do your preparation, and you give it your all.”
Over 12 years, millions of sales, and extensive critical acclaim later, it’s a different experience entirely. “Coming back to something that you know has been very successful and that [Assassin’s Creed fans] like, and you’re like, ‘Oh s***, where is he? How do I realign to him?’ But he was there, man, and it was kind of easy to slip into. My voice has changed slightly; it is slightly lower now, but I trained as an actor for this.”
Launching on July 9th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC, Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is a ground-up remake running on the latest version of Ubisoft’s Anvil Engine. Textures and character models have been completely redone, as is the dynamic weather (which now utilises Atmos). While the world map remains the same, Ubisoft Singapore has taken to filling it with more content, including new islands and locations.
Check out our feature for all the latest news, or scope out some of the new underwater gameplay. Not only can Edward dive anywhere, but thanks to the expanded accessibility options, you can skip those pesky shark attack QTEs.