Reviews// Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

Also, as the setting is 1715, guns are common, and they are also accurate at long range. Riflemen on the roof of a building can take you out while you skirmish with troops on the ground below. It makes combat a much tougher prospect than in previous games, and you'll be advised to use stealth and stalking zones as much as possible.

But the real opportunity to earn money comes from completing assassination missions. These common and straightforward side missions are obtained from the equivalent of the previous games' dovecotes. Once you accept a mission, the target location will be highlighted on the map.

Then you have to travel there - it's usually a restricted zone, so enemies will attack you on sight. Use Eagle Vision to identify the target, and then kill it. These are actually easier than the captain missions in previous AC games, because even when it is clear that you are attacking the target, they will remain visible, and even fight back, rather than run away and hide, effectively finishing the mission.

When you have killed the target, you still have to escape the area, which can be challenge, as some of the pursuing enemies can run faster than you.

Once you've performed a few core missions in Havana your cover as Walpole is blown, and you'll take to the high seas and begin to enjoy the huge, free-roaming world of Black Flag.

Here you can plunder passing vessels for supplies to upgrade your own ship, The Jackdaw, or capture them to add to your pirate fleet. Naval battle is a fast and fun part of the game. No slow and ponderous real time strategy here, it's full-on action. Disable a ship, and then board her to skirmish for the crew and supplies.

Unlike previous games, where financial gain was rather pointlessly spent on renovating villas and buying art, in Black Flag , you'll put your spoils to the very important task of maintaining and upgrading your ships... this is much more motivating, and it drives you to play the many maritime side missions that add tens, and potentially hundreds of hours to the game.

Black Flag has a wealth of locations for you to explore, from the vast city of Havana to tine unmanned desert islands (which still hold treasure and collectibles).

Exploring is part of the fun, and as you go you can hunt creatures on land and in the sea, and use their body parts to craft clothing and equipment upgrades. There are so many strands to Black Flag: exploring, managements, action, combat, crafting, trading. It really is an incredibly immersive experience. Except for every now and then, when the main story dumps you out into the "Real world" to play a section in the Abstergo Offices.

Ubisoft has made something of a rod for its own back with the modern aspect of the Assassin's Creed games. This changes drastically with every iteration of the game, yet this aspect is generally less popular with users than the historical sections. The "ancient race/impending armageddon/sinister conspiracy" plot seems to be going nowhere, while becoming ever more complex but less interesting with each game.

I personally do not know a single AC fan who would give a flying foot if it were removed unceremoniously from the game and never spoken of again. Having said that, the modern world sections of Black Flag are not bad at all, and while they don't compare well with the piratical action of the main game, they are tolerable.

So, Black Flag is more of the same with a twist. But when the same is one of the greatest, most expansive and immersive games ever released, that's no bad thing. For lovers of the series it will be a welcome new episode, for newcomers, a fabulous introduction to the world of the Assassins.

Who knows where the Assassin's Creed time-machine will alight next? Perhaps ancient Egypt would be good. Luxor, Tannis and the Valley of the Kings would provide some excellent environments.

Pros
+ That fabulous, familiar, immersive gaming experience
+ Beautiful environments (can't wait to see the PS4/Xbone versions)
+ Plentiful and diverse subgames and side missions

Cons
- More of that confusing storyline
- Not massively different from previous games
- The "modern world" parts of the game are dull

SPOnG Score: 9/10