Assassin's Creed IV : Black Flag

[regemond]

34 minutes ago, Maryokutai said:

 

Mary Read was a real person, like most major NPCs in this series. I don't think she should be considered trans though, from what little information we have she didn't identify as a man rather than just hid behind that facade to survive in a very hostile environment. The way her character arc concludes in the game is also unfortunately how it happened in real life. I read a semi-fictionalised retelling of her life last year called 'Saltblood'. It's an excellent book IMO, highly recommend.

 

 

Oooo. Just grabbed the Audible version as I had a spare credit, thanks for the rec!

 

1 hour ago, Metroid66 said:

 

I'd be surprised if this was true. My last playthru wasn't that long ago and is reported a few posts up on this very page, where my main complaint is how archaic the gameplay feels, especially the combat - which is truly awful in the original. 

 

I've played Shadows. If it feels anything like that it will be a huge improvement.

 

It's literally just tapping R1 (or occasionally holding R1 for a heavy attack), instead of Square, and the odd tap of L1 for a parry. Better-timed parries let you come back with a kill. It honestly just feels the same. Every now and again you can spartan kick a dude into the side of a ship for an easier kill. Nowhere near the depth of Shadows. When it comes to traversal, you're still getting caught on trees you don't mean to. You're still getting stuck when trying to climb rocks that look climbable, but really, really aren't. The ship combat feels a little different, but mainly it's weapons not hitting as hard, so it could just be that I'm still early doors with it.

 

But I'm also not saying these are negatives. They're just observations. It is what it is and I still enjoy the gameplay. It's just not a massive upgrade over the original version. That's why it currently feels pointless to me.

 

 

[Maf]

I’m 3 hours in and really not enjoying it. I didn’t like it back in the day, but sometimes I play games years later and change my mind about it or find something I like. With this being one of the most popular AC games, really liking the pirate vibe, and learning from giving games multiple chances to click, I’m reminded of all things I dislike and how it hasn’t changed at all 

 

I am liking the scenery, the graphics, the big idea. Pulling the camera all the way back while sailing and the sea shanties. Just walking through the pirate towns and ports. Watching the NPC’s and admiring the detail. The beaches, the water, the sun drenched tropical vibe. On pure looks and genre and picturesque nature of it, it is working for me. People saying they don’t think the graphics are much better. I think that boils down to incremental improvement’s discussion and stuff but end of the day the game looks amazing. It really works

 

The one thing I am liking more this time around is the story and characters. I don’t remember much about this game except the beginning, the ending and the monotony. But Conway is kind of interesting. The conflict between starting a successful pirate fleet/town and wanting to go home to his girl is shallow, but separates him from everyone else he encounters and is a relatable and sort of funny side to a action hero. Essentially he just wants to not play and go home. The bad guys are a fun mix of different bad guy templates to 

 

But ultimately the game just kinda fucking sucks 

 

The parkour is terrible. The combat is boring. The sailing is so boring. With people complaining about the MTX reminds me how this was the literal first game I remember that introduced MTX as a positive to skip all the grinding and what an admission of failure on both sides. Firstly that your game sucks and secondly your game is effectively inflated to make sure that it sucks

 

I’ve done maybe 10 or so boat fights and I am so done with it. I like to think I can change my mind and learn to like what other people like but 12 years later I still don’t get it. This is one dimensional, repetitive, small idea, grindy bullshit and when looking at the materials required for the upgrades I’m looking over at the MTX like please save me 

 

This is one of those gaming things where I die on the hill and call everybody wrong. Which I honestly don;t like to do and want to be open minded but can’t help it. Since the original version people say “well the game is this and that but the boat is so cool” I’m like what are you fucking talking about? Are you actually dumb? How are you fooled by this? This is nothing. This is not gameplay. Every single fight is exactly the same. Sail around in circles, mash R2, hold square when being shot at, win the QTE and the reward is do it again with enemy’s having ever increasing health bars. For a million hours. It’s the type of gameplay you’d expect to find in a fucking mobile game. 

 

Not trying to annoy or offend but I think we all have our own video game where everyone says how good a feature is and the response is wanting to shake people and ask if their brain is working. For some it’s Witcher 3’s combat, for some it’s BotW’s weapon durability, AC4 sailing is mine. What an insult to human synapses

 

I dunno. I will still play it but on a main line path. I don’t think I’ll do the Platinum or anything. I like the vibe, digging the story enough. Not exactly one of video game’s great narratives but Conway is enough of a likeable asshole who walks the line of selfish and stupid just right
 

But I’m also at the 3hr mark staring down the barrel of another 40+ and going omg 12 years later I was right. AC4 is a fucking psyop.

[Metroid66]

57 minutes ago, Maf said:

I will still play it but on a main line path.

 

By far the weakest part of the game.

[one-armed dwarf]

I'd like to play a really gritty game about sailing with a lot of management aspects. I think the way Ubisoft type games do it is too lightweight, too much like a theme park ride

 

Give me a scurvy meter to manage.

[Maf]

I’ve started to really enjoy this game in a way. The main gameplay is still braindead and repetitive. Literally every fight either on land or on sea is the same.
 

But the story, graphics, scenery and the economy part where you upgrade your boat and town is really fun. Although, I maybe open world’d to hard because I just done the main mission that teaches you about forts and sending the fleet out on missions. But I’ve already done that for 2/3rds of the sea.

 

My Jackdaw is also 1 upgrade away from being maxed out on every upgrade. The only thing stopping me is I need the schematics for the final upgrades. Not sure how to get those yet. And my Inagua is also fully maxed. So kind of done the bit of the gameplay I enjoy the most already 

 

It’s been a good game to get through this heat. Just plonked my fan fight next to my sofa and sat in front of it while clearing these checklists 

 

Also the music in this game is great. Maybe it’s strongest aspect. And this particular sea shanty when cruising through the world makes the vibe 

 

 

[Maf]

Well, that was gross 

 

 

[Maf]

Finally finished the main story today. When I played this back on PS4, I thought it was terrible. Playing on PS5, I might sharpen that to miserable. 
 

To start on a good note, things I liked. The graphics in this game are wonderful, the music is excellent, you can feel the pride they take in this game with the effort, detail and how much production. When there are cutscenes, dream like sequences, or strong story beats the game feels like it has real artistic merit or at least aspiration. Whatever problems there are with this game, it is not what I would call half-assed. Though it definitely feels like they spend so much more care and attention on scenery, moments and the fantasy aspect opposed to say, the controls 

 

One problem this playthrough/version resolved for me was I never thought this was much of an Assassin’s Creed game. Not just because so much of it is on a boat but Kenway also just didn’t feel like an AC character. He spends so much time ignoring them and their faction it kind of felt like that was the game’s attitude towards the Assassin’s as well. Like, they’re here because they have to be but that’s not what this game cares about 

 

But that wasn’t right and actually the story and main character is the strongest part. It’s far from amazing, but it is a good story about a man consumed by greed he can’t see or refuses to recognise all the things he destroys along the way. Allies, ambitions, family, and because it’s still kind of a superhero game the world is almost ruined by his nonstop need for gold and glory above all else.

 

By nature of the game being 40+ hours long this does become very repetitive, and sort of backwards because you can have a big moment where Kenway is growing, then a side quest pops up where he chooses the gold again. Like, err..

 

But all told it’s a pretty good story and main character 

 

The video game, though, is awful. The irony of a game in the open seas having the shallowest gameplay of all time.

 

In my previous post I was talking about how much I was getting in to it, which was true. But that was at the 15-20 hours mark. At 40+? I’m done with this shit. Every fight is the same. Every stealth bit is the same. Every location is just the same 6 activities. 
 

Every tiny thing about this game grew to annoy me. The start button doesn’t take you to the start menu. When you climb on the masts of your ship, you’re surrounded by ropes which take you back down to the deck which makes trying to navigate to the other ship’s mast so incredibly fickle. The stealth is so bad I literally gave up on it except the small handful of times a mission requires it and just run past every guard, alerted them and just killed whoever I had to until the alert stopped. It was maybe more annoying but more time efficient. The game has several combat mechanics which either trivialise all fights or simply don’t work because the enemy type denies it. 
 

And more besides. It’s one of those games where while playing it I could write lists of everything I dislike about it, though once I stop playing I immediately forget what they were. Psychologically I’m not sure what that’s about, but it’s a clear sign the pain the game is putting me through. 
 

At the end every core gameplay mechanic was draining. Not even tough, just draining. I cannot put myself through it anymore. I’m close to the platinum so maybe might have a week’s break and come back to it for completionist’s sake.  
 

Also, as a fun bonus. When I played this on PS4, the final boss fight bugged out and I had to restart. In 2026 the same thing happened! It bugged out in a different way, but I thought wow. What a way to come full circle with this remake 

 

Quick spoiler. As much as I enjoy the story in the game, the world ending plot stuff makes no sense to me 

 

Spoiler

So there’s this thing called the Observatory where if the Templar’s have someone’s blood you can see that person wherever they are. Which for some reason is framed as the ultimate power to subjugate civilisation because of all the top ranking people the Templar’s could blackmail. But not only does Kenway take the item that allows someone to do that out of the Observatory, when the Templars finally get to the Observatory, what can they use it for? The final boss is Torres standing in a sci-fi force field where Kenway found the item. And I can’t get over how silly the whole set up is but also, why not just leave him to it. Who cares? 

 

Also the idea that just being able to know the exact location of where someone is by having their blood sample. Is it meant to be like the 18th century equivalent of having access to everyone’s biometrics or everyone’s phone tracked? But even if it is supernatural surveillance, how exactly do you prove anything you saw for the blackmail to work?  I really don’t get what they’re going for with this plot line. 

Overall I can say I enjoyed that more than the first time I played it in 2013 and it has a step up in my estimation because of the story and graphics. But what a miserable video game. I almost managed to let that part of it slide and enjoy the pirate adventure, but the game is far too long and at a point constant, overexposure to such tedium has made me turn on the game again. Like a tide or something clever and witty haha I can’t be assed to find the joke, the game has wiped me out 

[regemond]

I think the fact it's so shallow in the deep waters is why I like Black Flag so much. Assassin's Creed I outright disliked, the Ezio trilogy had promise but still didn't quite get there, and 3 was a step back for me. Then 4 came along, gave me brainless pirating, sea shanties, and a fucking ridiculous modern day first-person section.

 

I knew what I was getting into every time I started it up, and it hits my brain in a similar way to Powerwash Simulator. 

 

Thing is, I don't even disagree with your criticisms. I actively dislike boarding a ship because climbing up to take their flag down then becomes a puzzle of not falling to your doom. Stealth sucks. The assassin thread was just there because it had to be. The parkour is more than a bit shit, and you're as likely to run in a straight line as you are to dive off the nearest roof. Or repeatedly run into a tree you can't climb. 

 

But there's a sense of comfort in it. And I think there's something to be said for that.

[Maf]

Well, thank you for reading my really long post even though it couldn’t help save you from your terrible, terrible taste 😞

[regemond]

1 hour ago, Maf said:

couldn’t help save you from your terrible, terrible taste

 

I never said I had good taste in games. I play to make brain go brrr. Pirate make brain go brrrr.