The Best AC is Even Better: Hands-On with Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced

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As a long-time fan of the Assassin’s Creed series, I was really intrigued by Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced. Ubisoft had a lot of options – remember when a new Assassin’s Creed game came out every year? – but they made a smart choice picking Black Flag as the first to get a full remake. It feels like a fresh start for the series, and I’m excited to see where they take it.

Considering how much fans love Black Flag, it’s a sensible decision, but Ubisoft isn’t simply relying on past success with this new game. The developers emphasized that Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced isn’t just built upon the original; it’s a complete reimagining. Even the ship combat, which you might think would be similar to Skull & Bones, has been specifically designed for this remake. It’s a true remake, not just a continuation or update.

I spent over four hours playing a preview of Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced to see how Ubisoft is updating this classic game. It successfully recreates the spirit of the original while looking and playing much more polished. If the final version is as good as this preview, it will be a fantastic remake.

Black Flag and Edward Kenway Get a Visual Upgrade

As a huge fan of the Assassin’s Creed series, I have to say Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is a real treat for the eyes. It looks so much better than the original! They’ve rebuilt it using the same engine as AC Shadows, which means all the modern visual effects, details, and depth are there. It’s not necessarily the most beautiful Assassin’s Creed game ever, partly because it’s such a big open world, but it’s definitely a gorgeous experience.

The characters in Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced are incredibly detailed – you can even see wrinkles on faces and individual strands in beards. The game world feels much more vibrant and populated, with more characters walking around, little details like leaves blowing in the wind, and a stunning use of light and shadow. Light and darkness have always been important to the Assassin’s Creed series, as assassins rely on shadows, but previous games only told you the character was hidden. In this version, you genuinely feel like Edward Kenway is blending into his environment.

I’m so excited Kenway is back, and even better, Matt Ryan returned to play him! He actually hinted at this remake a while ago. What’s really cool is that while they’re using the original voice recordings, we’re getting brand new missions and quests with the whole cast reprising their roles – almost everyone is back! There’s been some discussion about how Kenway looks in this version, but I think the updated design actually suits Matt Ryan’s performance better. It makes Kenway’s feelings feel more real and adds even more depth to a character who was already one of the most interesting in the whole Assassin’s Creed series.

Combat is Fast, Fluid, and Very Satisfying

Although the visual improvements in Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced are immediately noticeable, the gameplay is what truly sets it apart. Ubisoft has successfully recreated the spirit of Black Flag while making the experience smoother and more impactful. The game focuses purely on skill-based action, meaning how well a player performs is the key to winning.

While small improvements like universal crouching help the game progress, they feel like expected features, not groundbreaking ones. To reach the quality of recent Assassin’s Creed games like Shadows, Resynced needs to avoid feeling outdated. The core gameplay has improved over time, and the developers aren’t interested in reverting to older systems. This focus on modernizing the experience while preserving the original game’s charm is where Resynced truly feels like a fitting addition to the current Assassin’s Creed lineup.

Close-quarters fighting in games has improved a lot since Black Flag, but Resynced takes a different approach than many similar games. It doesn’t have a complex system for upgrading equipment. Instead, weapons have small bonuses, like increasing how many consecutive attacks you can land, and you can use trinkets to improve tools or special abilities. Your own skill is the most important thing, and I found the combat to be both graceful and impactful, with a satisfying level of violence.

Every enemy has health and a defense that reduces the damage Edward can inflict. While regular attacks slowly lower an enemy’s defense, and powerful charged attacks hit a wider area, the most effective tactic is parrying. Successfully timed perfect parries instantly shatter an enemy’s defense, creating an opportunity for a takedown. Depending on your weapon, you can then follow up with a series of takedowns.

While Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced still rewards players who focus on blocking and reacting to enemy attacks, Edward can also take a more proactive approach. He can use powerful moves like kicks and sweeps to break through an opponent’s defenses – kicks are especially effective if they send enemies crashing into breakable objects, and sweeps leave them open to attack. Dodging, and perfectly timed dodges, add extra skill to combat, letting players easily evade attacks and leave enemies flailing.

As a big fan of the series, I really enjoyed how Resynced lets you play with different gadgets – things like Edward’s pistol, a rope dart, or even smoke bombs. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but the combat feels so good, especially the parrying. It’s incredibly satisfying and keeps the energy up throughout every fight. While Assassin’s Creed has always had this kind of combat, Resynced nails the familiar formula without getting bogged down in the complexity of some of the newer games. It just feels really polished and fun.

Honestly, the biggest issue I had with the combat in the preview was the camera. It kept getting stuck on objects or just wouldn’t show me all the enemies attacking me, which was super frustrating. Since even a single hit can do a lot of damage and force you to use a heal, you really need to keep track of everything happening around you – who’s attacking, when, and from where. But a lot of the time, I couldn’t even see the attackers because the camera was too close or the environment was too cramped. I wasn’t the only one either – several other people playing the preview had the same problem. Hopefully, Ubisoft can fix this before Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced comes out in July, because this has been a recurring issue in past Assassin’s Creed games and it can make some fights really difficult.

The Stealthiest Assassin’s Creed Has Been in a While

As a critic, I’ve always appreciated the stealth gameplay in Assassin’s Creed, and Black Flag Resynced really leans into what makes it great. It’s familiar – you use Eagle Vision to spot enemies, map out your approach, and take them down one by one. But what Resynced does brilliantly is give you the freedom to choose how you tackle a situation. It’s at its best when you’re navigating a busy area and deciding your own path, and this version gives you enough tools to make each attempt feel fresh. Getting the rope dart early on opens up some fantastic opportunities for silent takedowns, and the blow dart is a lifesaver when you’re facing a particularly tough group of guards.

If you think recent Assassin’s Creed games focus too much on action, Black Flag Resynced is a great way to revisit the series’ earlier balance of stealth and combat. It also smartly updates classic stealth mechanics – like crouching and using shadows – so they feel modern without losing their original charm.

Black Flag Resynced nicely shows how successfully the older games balanced stealth and close-quarters combat.

Parkour can be tricky – it’s easy to do well, but a single mistake can ruin everything. Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced gets this balance perfectly, offering a great sense of freedom with dedicated buttons for climbing up and down. The animations are also incredibly smooth and responsive, letting you change direction on the fly. Simply put, the movement feels fantastic and looks as graceful as fans expected.

Sea Shanties and Ship Battles are Still Incredible

Look, naval combat wasn’t new to this game, but it definitely became the defining feature, and that’s what everyone remembers. And let me be clear: this isn’t just a reskin of Skull & Bones. It truly feels unique. While you’ll recognize a few things if you’re a series veteran – like the auto-targeting Swivel Gun from Rogue – and there’s a great system for upgrading your ship’s weapons, adding things like the Hot Shot cannon or the devastating Double Shot, it all comes together in a way that feels fresh. It doesn’t feel like they just grabbed something from another game and slapped it in here.

Learning naval combat is similar to learning to ride a bike – it can feel awkward at first, but once you understand how important your location is and when to strike or defend, it all clicks. I especially enjoyed taking control at the captain’s wheel and actively searching for a fight.

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced lets players explore underwater more freely as Edward Kenway. While the Diving Bell sections are still included, like the one I tested in the demo, you can now simply dive underwater at any time during gameplay.

Even though Resynced is a remake and generally follows the original game’s storyline, it also includes new missions and quests. The modern-day segments featuring Abstergo have been removed, which has given the developers space to flesh out Edward’s story and the backstories of some popular supporting characters. I previewed a scene with Blackbeard that felt like a natural fit within the game’s world – the acting was strong, and the scene had its own satisfying development. Frankly, more story content in the Assassin’s Creed universe is always welcome.

I noticed some familiar things from the Assassin’s Creed series in Resynced, such as collectible music pages in Havana and opportunities to attack forts and ships. However, it still plays like an AC game, with plenty of map markers and side quests. While I haven’t explored the entire Black Flag Resynced map yet, what I’ve seen doesn’t feel overly crowded with things to do. There’s enough content to be interesting, but not so much that it feels overwhelming.

Final Thoughts: Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced

Many fans consider Assassin’s Creed Black Flag the best game in the series, making a remake a logical choice. If you’ve already enjoyed Black Flag, whether or not you’ll like the remake depends on how much you loved the original story and characters, and how interested you are in the new additions. However, if you’re new to Black Flag, this remake seems like the perfect way to experience what makes Assassin’s Creed so special – it’s clearly been made with a lot of passion and attention to detail.

It’s difficult to remake a 13-year-old game and still make it feel current, but after playing Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, I believe Ubisoft has succeeded. The game perfectly captures the smooth, flowing sword fighting, the careful and creative stealth gameplay, and the exciting naval battles of the original. Everything in this remake feels true to the spirit of the first game, even if it’s not a perfect replica. I’m really looking forward to sailing the seas and revisiting the adventures of Edward Kenway!

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced will be available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S starting July 9, 2026. We received travel assistance from TopMob to attend a preview of the game.

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2026-05-21 19:42