The original Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag was absolutely amazing. I loved every second of it. Edward, the Caribbean, the ships, the exploration. It was one of those games tha…

The original Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag was absolutely amazing. I loved every second of it. Edward, the Caribbean, the ships, the exploration. It was one of those games that gave the series a completely different feel while still keeping it connected to everything that came before. It came out in 2013, right after Assassin’s Creed III, but the historical story takes us backward. Edward Kenway is Haytham’s father and Connor’s grandfather. We meet him as a pirate chasing money and freedom, long before he understands what he’s getting involved in with the Assassins and Templars. ACIII had already brought naval combat into the series, but Black Flag put sailing at the center of the experience. The Jackdaw was a huge part of that. Going from a fight on the water to boarding another ship, taking its supplies, and using those materials to improve your own ship gave the exploration a purpose beyond just uncovering the map. The upgrades matter too. Hull strength, broadside cannons, round shot, heavy shot, mortars, swivel guns, the ram, and fire barrels all affect what you can take on and how you fight. Storage and crew upgrades help keep the ship supplied, while the harpooning equipment has its own progression. There’s a lot more to it than just buying a better cannon and calling it done. And now Black Flag has been remade as Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced. I haven’t played that one yet. It’s on my list. I’m working my way through Kingdom Come: Deliverance 1 and 2, and I need to get through those before moving into the new Black Flag. I will most certainly be playing it. I’m really looking forward to seeing what they’ve done with it. Ubisoft describes it as a remake with reworked systems, new content, and changes to the naval gameplay, so I’m keeping my thoughts about the original separate from a game I haven’t played yet. A big part of why the naval side connected with me goes all the way back to the original Uncharted Waters on the SNES. Not the Uncharted series. Uncharted Waters. Sailing around, the ships, and that feeling of heading out on the ocean brought some of that back for me. Black Flag was doing its own thing, obviously, but that connection made the experience even better. For now, the original is the one I can talk about from experience, and I loved it. Edward’s journey and the freedom of taking the Jackdaw out across the Caribbean made it something special. I want to spend more time going through the ship systems, the upgrades, and the rest of what that original game had to offer.