Assassin's Creed Black Flag resync undoubtedly faced many pressures and challenges internally at Ubisoft and externally in the hearts and minds of fans, but developers at Ubisoft Singapore (and the various supporting studios) faced these issues head on. The result is a prize worthy of Edward Kenway's wildest dreams. Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag has always been one of the best games in the franchise, not to mention the best pirate game ever, and Resynced doubles it while being the best Assassin's Creed games in recent years.
Shown at every moment of Assassin's Creed Black Flag resync is the heart and soul that has long defined the franchise. It's not perfect by any means, and it will need to iron out some rough patches via post-launch updates, but Black flag resynced lives up to everything that fans hoped it would be. With the direction of the open world Assassin's Creed franchise, as well as how it has deviated from key principles like parkour, stealth and even storytelling, many fans feared the worst: that Black flag resynced would end up being a nostalgic cash grab. Long before I rolled credits, it turned out to be much more than that.
Black Flag Resynced remakes the original AC game with love and care
Assassin's Creed Black Flag resync is an absolute beauty to look at, making the original game look far more dated than it actually is in every comparison. There are some weaker moments, sure, where Kenway looks more like a wet dog with heavy eyeliner than a pirate, but as a whole it polishes and cleans up the original game in every aspect. Old cutscenes often feel brand new, and vice versa, brand new cutscenes often feel like they've always been part of the game, and maybe that's what makes this feel so special. A bad remake can absolutely hurt a very good or great video game, but everything feels natural to the world Assassin's Creed Black Flag resync.
In fact, a single misstep in the graphics, gameplay updates or the smallest tweaks could have seen AC Black Flag Resynced down a bad spiral from which it could not recover, but that is not the case here. The most controversial gameplay changes actually involve the removal of Hidden Blade battles, but the game is made better for it. If there is a single aspect of Black flag resynced it was clearly better than the original Assassin's Creed game, it's battle.
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Kenway has a handful of new combat options, as well as improvements to existing combat options, ensuring that the hidden blade may be absent, but doesn't feel like it. Of course, players can still assassinate unsuspecting enemies, but in combat, players are forced to create openings with combat options such as kicking enemies, tripping them, and/or bypassing their defenses to perform takedowns (which are essentially in-combat assassinations). Sure, players can throw away defense and health with standard weapons and that's fun enough, but creating openings for takedowns is a lot more fun. That's combat mastery in Assassin's Creed Black Flag resyncand it fixes one of the very few problems in the original game.
In the original AC4Edward Kenway was often a pirate in the story but a master assassin in the game, despite not accepting any creed and not joining the Brotherhood until later in life. It created a kind of dissonance that couldn't hold up to the scrutiny of its story and gameplay, but it was easy enough to dismiss. The new combat completely eliminates that dissonance, while still managing to give fans the best Assassin combat in years. Kenway is a scoundrel, a scallywag, a bloody, cunning and opportunistic pirate – not an assassin. It can be felt in combat as Kenway undoubtedly fights dirt and uses opportunistic Assassin-like tactics, without feeling like a modern version of a classic Assassin like Altair or Ezio. The removal of Hidden Blade combat is key here, as the replaced combat options completely make up for it, and there's no denying that it's a huge improvement.
The new content in Assassin's Creed Black Flag is made with the same care
Not all improvements to the core elements of the AC4: Black Flag is so extensive, but all changes are improvements of some degree. Maybe that's what makes it feel so special because it's somehow an extension and sequel to the original Black Flag, not a basic remake. In addition to that, the new content comes in Assassin's Creed Black Flag resync adhere to the same standard. Everything feels like a natural extension of the base game, not just new additive layers.
Without going into spoilers, nowhere is this more evident than in the addition of the new Blackbeard and Stede Bonnet side quests, the new naval officers, and the new endgame chapter. These aren't crass additions for the sake of new content, but intentional additions that double down on important parts of the game's story and who Kenway is. Kenway is a tragic hero, one who constantly goes his own way and chases his dreams to the detriment of those who love him and stand by him, and it remains a key component of all new story additions to AC Black Flag Resynced.
For example, the new naval officers in Assassin's Creed Black Flag resync add new gameplay options to Jackdaw, but that's practically secondary to their real purpose. They are important story additions that span the entire game and always bring a stronger sense of camaraderie to the Jackdaw's crew. When all is said and done, especially the new World Without Gold chapter, they are just as important to Kenway (and players) as Adewale, Mary Read, and Anne Bonny. The fact that World Without Gold also introduces some of the best ship battles in AC Black Flag Resynced is a cherry on top of the narrative depth that the new content adds to the game.
What keeps AC Black Flag in sync back from a 10/10
AC Black Flag Resynced is truly the best way to experience Edward Kenway's story in 2026 – if it has been experienced before. There are some very minor nitpicks that may affect the experience of the game for first-time players, as well as a handful of technical issues that may mar the otherwise exceptional experience for others. I suspect most of these issues will be fixed with post-launch updates, but the sheer number of small issues is noticeable.
First of all, I hesitate to recommend AC black flag resynchronized to a beginner as the Animus Hub framing can break the game. There is an early mission involving a certain pirate where the Animus Hub mission overview, if players save and load before starting, destroys some motivation, and I can't say for sure what those descriptions look like for each mission. Second, sometimes the tutorial efforts in AC Black Flag synchronized feel lacking, or at least come with little or no improvement. AC Black Flag synchronized players are unlocking Rope Darts earlier than before, which is nice, but it's awkwardly done. Overall, the “new player experience” could be stronger, but it's not particularly harmful or anything in the grand scheme of things.
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Black flag resynced also comes with its fair share of bugs and technical hiccups. None of it is game-breaking, but it's still noticeable. Sometimes, instead of trying to climb a ship, Kenway would act like he was climbing an invisible wall. At one point my ship wouldn't leave port because it thought my sails were still stowed (they weren't). 99% of these issues were resolved immediately thereafter, but there were enough of them to be a constant annoyance. That said, the worst of it saw me having to reload and lose almost two hours of gameplay in the new World Without Gold chapter, which was less than ideal, but at least those missions are worth replaying for the sheer fun of them.
“In a world without gold, we could have been heroes!”
AC Black Flag Resynced is a prize and a treasure
Long before Ubisoft confirmed Assassin's Creed Black Flag resync was in development, fans were understandably concerned about the game. It's a make-or-break game for the future Assassin's Creed remakes (although I wish all the mainline games played more like Black flag resynced). If Ubisoft did it well, then it could be a huge success for the franchise; if Ubisoft dropped the ball, it could tarnish one of the best games in the franchise. Whether it's commercially successful remains to be seen, but creatively, Ubisoft has never been better.
At its best, Assassin's Creed Black Flag resync firmly establishes the formula for new remakes in the franchise, if not what all new ones Assassin's Creed games 2026 and beyond should feel like. At its absolute worst at the bottom of the ocean, it's a reminder of what did Assassin's Creed franchise the beloved game series it was in the first place.
Assassin's Creed Black Flag resync releases July 9 for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. GameRant received a PS5 code for this review.
