More gameplay details surrounding Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag Resynced show players much of what they loved from the original game, but several changes also promise a new experience. Arguably the biggest alterations from the most popular entry in Ubisoft’s flagship franchise come to the game’s combat. Extra depth to how you fight could make hostile encounters more exciting, but one key legacy feature from the series does get sacrificed as a result.
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Plenty of systems from AC: Black Flag have been removed, while many others have been added, turning this remaster into more of a remake with every new detail shown. Being able to toggle crouch, refinement to tailing missions, and expanded parkour make playing as Edward Kenway feel fresh and nostalgic at the same time. Thankfully, the changes to Black Flag Resynced don’t transform the game into a full RPG like the recent AC: Shadows or Valhalla, rather adopting a mixture of past elements with modern updates.
Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced Has Overhauled The Original Game’s Combat Systems
Almost everything about Black Flag‘s combat has changed in some way within the remake, including even how the player moves. Edward Kenway is much faster in a fight this time, rather than the deliberate movements of the past. Before, combat in Black Flag was painfully easy, with instant kills and a whirlwind of swords, hidden blades, and firearms allowing players to take down armies easily in Batman: Arkham-style combat based more on free-from counters than anything else.
This time around, there’s a stricter emphasis on an ebb and flow to react to in Black Flag Resynced‘s fights, with enemies not acting nearly as rashly. Enemies now have a guard you have to break, either through a well-timed parry or through utilizing powerful environment tools or a targeted offense. Mindless swinging will get you parried, leading to a vulnerable state where Edward can easily be damaged, especially when surrounded. Instead of being an unstoppable force, the remake forces you to be mindful of your situation, encouraging you to flee if you get overwhelmed.
Intricate swordplay in Black Flag Resynced creates new layers of strategy in every battle, creating an interesting blend between the Assassin’s Creed games of the past and present. This does come with its own pros and cons, though, as many players have strong feelings for one system over the other. For example, some fans are concerned that making it harder to eliminate a single enemy in non-stealth combat makes it easy to get swarmed by multiple enemies fast. Regardless of opinions, though, one clear limitation of this new combat system is how it removes a weapon from the combat equation.
Traditional Combat Options From The First Assassin’s Creed Titles Will Be Absent In This Remake
One of the biggest drawbacks to the Black Flag remake’s combat is how it almost eliminates the traditional hidden blades used by most Assassin’s Creed characters. Almost every fight relies on Edward’s dual wielding swords, with pistols and other equipment serving to aid in that form of melee combat. Although there are plenty of systems tied to sword fighting, such as perfect parries that lead to takedowns and kicks to throw your opponent off guard, the hidden blades are only really seen for finishing animations.
Stealth kills still rely on the hidden blades, so players will still see them. However, unlike the original AC: Black Flag, you can’t use these blades as their own fighting style. Other equipment somewhat makes up for this, with smoke bombs and a grapple hook adding other layers to combat. The intricate nature of dodging, attacking, and parrying with swords creates a new combat system, but one that has a lot of departures from the earliest Assassin’s Creed games, including the first iteration of Black Flag.
Returning Features Might Make Up For Resynced’s Limitations When Fighting Enemies
Although the combat overhaul turns fights into more tactical affairs, there are still many returning features that keep the power fantasy of the original title. Chaining takedowns is still present in combat, allowing Edward to chain finishers into instant kills against multiple foes during a battle. This can set up a quick getaway, using Black Flag Resynced‘s refined parkour to escape a fight and lie low for a while. Pistols also still pack the same punch they had in the original title, acting as incredibly strong weapons that take out enemies instantly.
Despite fan concerns that Black Flag Resynced would adopt newer combat from recent Assassin’s Creed games, this remake honors many of the same mechanics players experiences years earlier. For example, naval battles have been enhanced, but not reworked, allowing players to get into large ship versus ship combat encounters. Boarding enemy vessels remains, alongside easier stealth on land that prevents enemies from being immune to takedowns.
Newer games in the series like to tie your success to your level, similar to an RPG, restricting what combat encounters you can do. Even with the overhauled combat and the reduced role of hidden blades of Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag Resynced, the systems in play are still very traditional, likely to satisfy new and old fans alike.
Do you think the removal of hidden blades and reworked combat of Black Flag Resynced is a deal-breaker? Leave a comment below or join the conversation in the ComicBook Forum!
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