Black Flag Resynced: Early reviews impress fans – but there’s a catch

The first reviews for Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag Resynced are in, and they are just as positive as many fans had hoped. In the official review thread on Reddit, many users seem relieved that Ubisoft appears to have handled the remake of the fan favorite with care. At launch, the pirate adventure sits at 86 on OpenCritic, while Metacritic lists a Metascore of 84.

Reviewers are especially praising the modernized visuals, revised controls, improved combat system and numerous quality-of-life changes. At the same time, the remake keeps what has made Black Flag so memorable for many players to this day: the Caribbean open world, spectacular naval battles, treasure hunts, Edward Kenway as the protagonist and, of course, the famous sea shanties. The latter are already prompting plenty of nostalgic comments and jokes, with several users saying their families will soon have to endure loudly sung sailor songs all over again.

Ubisoft’s decision to keep the remake close to the original is also going down well with many fans. Some reviews argue that the changes are a little too cautious, but the community appears to see things differently. Several users point out that developers can hardly win with remakes: stay too faithful to the original and the result is called too safe; change too much and fans accuse the studio of destroying the charm of the classic. For many players, Black Flag Resynced seems to strike the right balance.

Overall, the mood in the community is clearly enthusiastic, but there is one major catch: the price. Many users say they have already played the original several times and would rather wait for a sale. Others see a month of Ubisoft+ as the smarter option than paying the full price of just under $60 for a remake. At the same time, many fans are now hoping that Ubisoft will follow Black Flag Resynced with a modern remake of the first Assassin’s Creed.