Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag

The season has changed to autumn which means the latest annual installment of Assassin’s Creed is upon us.  The series’ first release in 2007 introduced an entirely new style of game to the world.  It combined stealth, action, intrigue, mystery, and gratifying assassinations.  The unique gameplay and cliffhanger ending captured the attention of gamers and that winning formula has been the franchise’s recipe for success from then on.

Probably the single most important event the development of the series was the departure of Patrice Desilets who served as the creative lead on 2007’s Assassin’s Creed, 2009’s Assassin’s Creed II, and  parted ways with Ubisoft just prior to the release of 2010’s Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood.  It has since come to light that differing ideas for the future of the franchise led to the split.

Nowhere was his importance to the franchise felt more than in 2011’s Assassin’s Creed: Revelations.  It was the first major installment which he was not part of and it was an utter disaster and an obvious low point for the series.  2012’s Assassin’s Creed III attempted to get things back on track with a fresh setting.  While definitely an improvement from Revelations, it was still unable to bring the series back to it’s former glory.

Enter 2013’s release: Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag.  The two most readily apparent changes is that we once again have a sharp and witty protagonist (sorry Connor, your naivete is your undoing), and that this installment has taken to the seas.

The game has you play as Edward Kenway and if the name sounds familiar, it should.  Edward is the father of Haytham Kenway, and therefore the grandfather of Connor.  Edward is a Welshman who dreams of a life much better than simply scraping to get by.  This is a key point because this is probably the first major Assassin’s Creed protagonist who’s main story is something instantly relatable to almost everyone.  His family wasn’t murdered and he wasn’t raised in some secret cult.  He’s just a regular guy who longs for something more.

This inner desire leads him to set out aboard a privateer’s ship.  Initially things don’t go quit as planned and he gets frustrated by the pittance he is earning.  However, when disaster strikes his ship, Edward is able to take advantage of his bleak situation and sets out to better his standing.  The adventure that ensues has him cross paths with everyone from influential Governors to Blackbeard himself.

After a somewhat long introductory phase, you begin to realize that Black Flag is a whole different sort of beast.  Edward is not your typical “for the creed and brotherhood” type of assassin.  He is merely a man looking to better his own interest.  Thankfully, he is also witty and smart.  Let’s hope Ubisoft has learned their lesson that assassin protagonists need to be witty and smart.  Edward Kenway brings new life into a faltering franchise.

Every year, fans of the franchise speculate endlessly on what setting the next release will take place in.  Feudal Japan, Egypt, and France all seem to generate a lot of chatter every year but thankfully Ubisoft came up with their own idea: pirates.  The piracy focus in the Caribbean seems uniquely fit for an Assassin’s Creed game because of the warring factions and grayed lines between who’s good or bad.

Despite the novel setting or brilliant protagonist, Black Flag continues to carry over some major Assassin’s Creed letdowns.  The most notable letdown is of course the continued emphasis on the metagame.

Let’s make a brief comparison.  The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is probably the best example ever made when it comes to crafting a beautiful and rich world for people to explore.  Just wandering around in that game is exciting because you really don’t ever know what you’re going to find.  You might pass by a cave while traveling through the mountains.  Should you go in the cave?  Will there be treasure?  You won’t ever know unless you go in.  If you choose not to go in, there likely won’t be any mention of what you could have found in the entire game.

The Assassin’s Creed franchise has turned into the polar opposite.  Every single thing you can accomplish is constantly displayed to you as some sort of progress tracker?  Wonder if there might be treasure on that island?  Well, you shouldn’t ever wonder because all you have to do is look at your map to see if there is a ‘chest’ icon.  This is true for everything in the game.  I am not looking for a Skyrim-like experience.  I just want to play a game that doesn’t feel like a giant progress bar.

This just takes so much fun out of playing a game.  It’s as if you are presented with a humongous list at the beginning of the game and every item has an empty checkbox next to it.  The goal of the game is to continue to complete tasks so you can check the boxes.  Now at some level any game boils down to that, but it shouldn’t be apparent while playing it.

This problem is exacerbated by the very weak storyline.  Even though the big picture objectives make sense and seem well enough thought out, the vast majority of the missions you go on are only very loosely related to this bigger picture.  Again, it seems as if you are merely being kept busy.

These are all issues that can be fixed going forward.  They won’t likely be, but conceivably they could be fixed and the franchise would be better off if they were.  There are also other problems more which are more deeply rooted, such as the entire overall idea of what’s going on.  For a long time, the whole Desmond thing worked really well.  The game and world were so fresh that playing as Desmond and his historical ancestors both allowed for an opportunity to hunt for the worlds secrets.  The problem is that there are no more secrets of any interest.

All of the hype and buildup over multiple games over many years went out in a poof of smoke.  Unlike Mass Effects ending which was an instantaneous 180 degree turn from magnificent to unconscionable, the Assassin’s Creed franchise simmered out for awhile before dying.  Despite denying it for years, Ubisoft finally admitted that the game has no overall ending.

That doesn’t mean that the franchise is doomed.  They have proved that they can create fun, historical worlds worth investing your time in.  However, it does mean that the entire modern age storyline should be killed off.  Desmond was exciting when there was some imminent threat.  Now that the game’s modern events are going to lollygagging around indefinitely, what is the point?  Why bother starting over with some new character?  Why bother creating this new front for Abstergo?  No one cares.  The mystery and hunt for truth which used to be such an important part of the game is gone forever and focus should instead be placed squarely on creating the best experience possible for whatever time period they decide to recreate.

Thankfully, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag produced many moments where it was easy to forget about these follies.  Most of these moments came as your ship was peacefully sailing towards the horizon, with the waves crashing, the sun beating down, and your crew spouting off a sea shanty.  Nowhere are you more able to get lost in the game than when you are sailing out to some new destination.  While Black Flag is undoubtedly the best Assassin’s Creed game in years, I am left wondering how much better this game about pirates would have been if it didn’t carry all the baggage that comes along with being an Assassin’s Creed game.