assassin's creed iv: black flag
After fighting our way through the newborn America, Ubisoft takes us back to the past to relive the Golden Age of Pirates with the most polished Assassin's Creed experience ever made. The core mechanics look better than ever, although they are going to need freshening in the next iteration. A true pirate's life, the whole Caribbean is ours to enjoy what we do best in the series.
The year is 1715. Pirates rule the waters of the Caribbean and have established a lawless Republic. Among these outlaws is a lethal young captain named Edward Kenway, father of Haytham Kenway and grandfather of Connor from Assassin's Creed 3. He's a "privateer, assassin and occasional pirate.". His notorious exploits earn the respect of legends like Blackbeard, but draw him into an ancient war that may destroy everything the pirates have built for themselves.
Multiplayer mode
Available on Playstation 4, Playstation 3, Xbox One, and Xbox 360 |
Long time fans of the series will know that the central play mechanics of Black Flag remain exploration, stealth, free-running and combat with edged weapons. That’s been the case since the first entry in the franchise. The big change that Black Flag brings to the franchise is nautical navigation.
Those who’ve been paying attention since Black Flag was first unveiled in March of this year will know that the action has moved from colonial America to the Golden Age of Piracy. Black Flag plonks players into the boots of Edward Kenway, hooded assassin and fully paid up member of the republic of pirates. Since he’s the captain of a vessel named the Jackdaw, it makes sense that the players should expect quite some time at sea. Sailing the Jackdaw takes a bit of getting used to. Players take the helm by positioning Kenway behind the ship’s wheel. While the camera is positioned up close behind him, players can guide the Jackdaw with some degree of precision, which is useful for docking and pulling alongside enemy ships during naval battles. Click the X button and the ship speeds up and the camera shifts behind it; effectively at full speed, the ship becomes the player’s avatar. The degree of ease at which the player moves through the map is probably what necessitated the sheer size of it. Black Flag’s map is the biggest that has ever appeared in an Assassin’s Creed video game and, for the first time, players can traverse it from end to end without having to look at a loading screen. The map contains three full cities - Havana, Kingston, and Nassau – as well as a ton of hidden coves, jungle islands, shipwrecks and forts. And that’s just stuff above the ocean… |