Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
Developer(s)	Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher(s)	Ubisoft
Director(s)	Ashraf Ismail Jean Guesdon
Producer(s)	Sylvain Trottier
Writer(s)	Darby McDevitt Corey May
Composer(s)	Brian Tyler Sarah Schachner Freedom Cry: Olivier Derivière
Series	Assassin's Creed
Engine	AnvilNext
Platforms	Microsoft Windows PlayStation 3 PlayStation 4 Wii U Xbox 360 Xbox One
Release date(s)	October 29, 2013 PlayStation 3 & Xbox 360 Wii U NA October 29, 2013 AUS 20131121November 21, 2013 EU November 22, 2013 PlayStation 4 NA November 15, 2013 AUS 20131129November 29, 2013 EU November 22, 2013 Microsoft Windows NA November 19, 2013 AUS 20131121November 21, 2013 EU November 22, 2013 Xbox One
Genre(s)	Action-adventure, stealth
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag is a 2013 action-adventure video game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It is the sixth major installment in the Assassin's Creed series. Its historical timeframe precedes that of Assassin's Creed III (2012), though its modern-day sequences succeed III's own. Black Flag was first released on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii U in October 2013 and a month later on the PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, and Xbox One.

The plot is set in a fictional history of real world events and follows the centuries-old struggle between the Assassins, who fight for peace with free will, and the Templars, who desire peace through control. The framing story is set in the 21st century and describes the player as an Abstergo agent. The main story is set in the 18th century Caribbean during the Golden Age of Piracy, and follows notorious pirate Edward Kenway, grandfather and father of Assassin's Creed III protagonists Ratonhnhaké:ton and Haytham Kenway respectively, who stumble upon the Assassin/Templar conflict. Unlike previous games, gameplay elements focus more on ship-based exploration of the seamless open world map, while also retaining the series' third-person land-based exploration, melee combat, and stealth system. Multiplayer also returns, albeit with only land-based modes and settings. The game spans across the Caribbean with the three main cities of Havana, Nassau and Kingston along with numerous islands, sunken ships, and forts. Players have the option to harpoon large sea animals and hunt land animals. For the first time in the series, naval exploration is a major part of an Assassin's Creed game, where Edward Kenway captains the Jackdaw, a brig he captures from a Spanish fleet.

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag was positively received upon release, and was one of the best selling games of 2013. It has sold more than 11 million copies to date. Critics praised the massive open world gameplay, numerous side-quests, graphics and improved naval combat. The light-hearted pirate theme was well received by critics. The modern day story however, received a slightly more mixed response, while criticism fell on aspects of the historical story missions which were considered repetitive. The game received several awards and nominations, including winning the Spike VGX 2013 award for Best Action Adventure Game. It was followed by Assassin's Creed Unity and Assassin's Creed Rogue, set during the French Revolution and Seven Years' War respectively, with both released in November 2014.

Gameplay

The game features three main cities; Havana, Kingston, and Nassau, which reside under Spanish, British, and pirate influence, respectively. The game also features 50 other individual locations—including atolls, sea forts, Mayan ruins, sugar plantations and underwater shipwrecks—to explore, with a 60/40 balance between land and naval exploration. Assassin's Creed IV has a more open world feel, with missions similar to those found in Assassin's Creed, as well as fewer restrictions for the player. The world opens up sooner in the game, as opposed to Assassin's Creed III, which had very scripted missions and did not give players freedom to explore until the game was well into its first act. The player will encounter jungles, forts, ruins, and small villages and the world is built to allow players much more freedom, such as allowing players to engage, board, and capture passing ships and swimming to nearby beaches in a seamless fashion. In addition, the hunting system has been retained from Assassin's Creed III, allowing the player to hunt on land, and fish in the water, with resources gathered used to upgrade equipment.

A new aspect in the game is the Jackdaw, the ship that the player captains. The Jackdaw is upgradeable throughout the game, and is easily accessible to the player when needed. In addition, a new underwater component has been added. The player has access to a spyglass, allowing the examination of distant ships, along with their cargo and strength. It can also help determine if an island still has animals to hunt, treasures to find, high points to reach for synchronization or additional side-quests to complete, such as assassinations and naval contracts. An updated form of the recruit system introduced in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood has returned, allowing Edward to recruit crew members. While Kenway's crew will remain loyal to him, can be promoted to captain acquired ships, and are needed to assist in boarding enemy vessels, they cannot assist in combat or perform long-range assassinations, as in previous games. Ubisoft removed this aspect of the brotherhood system, believing it allowed players to bypass tense and challenging scenarios too easily.

In the present day, at the offices of Abstergo Entertainment—a subsidiary of Abstergo Industries—in Montreal, Quebec, players engage in modern-day pirating through the exploration of Abstergo's offices, eavesdropping and hacking, all without combat. As well, various "hacking" games, similar to previous cluster and glyph puzzles, are present, that uncover secrets about Abstergo.

Multiplayer also returns, with new settings and game modes, though it is only land-based.

Synopsis

Characters

The main character of the game is Edward Kenway (Matt Ryan), a Welsh privateer-turned-pirate and eventual member of the Assassin Order. Edward is the father of Haytham Kenway, and grandfather of Ratonhnhaké:ton (Connor), the two playable characters of Assassin's Creed III. Real-life individuals that are encountered include the pirates Edward "Blackbeard" Thatch (voiced by Mark Bonnar), Benjamin Hornigold, Mary Read, Stede Bonnet Anne Bonny, Calico Jack, and Charles Vane (Ralph Ineson).

Setting

As is the case in previous games in the Assassin's Creed series, the story is divided into two intertwined halves, with one in the present day, one in a historical setting, and the events of each influencing the other. Although the present-day story had previously established that an Animus was required to view one's ancestors memories, the ending of Assassin's Creed III reveals that Abstergo can now view a host's genetic memories simply by sequencing the host's DNA. As such, the player character is hired by Abstergo Entertainment to investigate a pivotal character in Desmond's ancestry, the Assassin Edward Kenway. A notorious pirate and privateer operating during the Golden Age of Piracy, Kenway's story is set in the Caribbean, and mixes open-ended ship-based exploration with combat and land-based adventures in Cuba and Jamaica, and on a number of Caribbean islands, parts of southern Florida and eastern Mexico.

Plot

Samples taken from Desmond Miles' body in the moments after his death have enabled Abstergo Industries to continue to explore his genetic memories using the Animus' newfound cloud computing abilities. The unnamed player character is hired by Abstergo Entertainment, from their Montréal headquarters, to sift through the memories of Edward Kenway, an eighteenth-century pirate, the father of Haytham Kenway and the grandfather of Ratonhnhaké:ton. Ostensibly, this is to gather material for an Animus-powered interactive feature film, but in reality, Abstergo—the Templars of the present time—are searching for a First Civilization structure known as the Observatory, and are using the memories of Edward Kenway to find it.

As Kenway, the player must unravel a conspiracy between high-ranking Templars within the British and Spanish empires who, under the guise of cleaning up piracy in the Caribbean, have used their positions to locate the Sage—later identified as Bartholomew Roberts—who is the only man that can lead them to the Observatory, a First Civilization device which can monitor anyone anywhere in the world when provided a blood sample, which they intend to use to spy on and blackmail world leaders. Kenway becomes an unwitting player in their plot when he kills a rogue Assassin, Duncan Walpole. Seeing an opportunity for profit, Kenway takes Walpole's place at a meeting of Templars in Havana, where he meets Woodes Rogers as well as Cuban Governor, and Templar Grandmaster, Laureano Torres. His recklessness endangers the entire Assassins' Order, prompting him to pursue the Sage and the conspirators from the Yucatán Peninsula to Jamaica, eventually catching Roberts on the island of Príncipe off the African coast.

Meanwhile, a band of notorious pirates—including Edward "Blackbeard" Thatch, Benjamin Hornigold, and Charles Vane, among others—dream of a pirate utopia where man is free to live beyond the reach of kings and rulers. With Kenway's help, they seize control of Nassau and establish a pirate republic. However, poor governance, a lack of an economy and an outbreak of disease bring the pirate state perilously close to collapse, with the founders divided on the best way forward. Kenway attempts to resolve the dispute, but is too late to stop the Templars from exploiting the situation for their own ends.

Eventually, Kenway and Roberts uncover the location of the Observatory and retrieve the artifact powering it, but Kenway is betrayed by Roberts at the last moment. After a brief stint in prison for the crimes of piracy, Edward escapes with the aid of Ah Tabai, the Assassin Mentor, and elects to join their Order. Chasing down Roberts and the Templar conspirators, Kenway retrieves the artifact and returns it to the Observatory, sealing it away for good. He is left facing an uncertain future with his newfound convictions until he receives a letter informing him of the passing of his wife and the imminent arrival of his hitherto unknown daughter, Jennifer Scott. Kenway travels back to England, promising Ah Tabai that he will one day return to continue the fight against the Templars. Some years later, Kenway, Jennifer (using her mother's surname in her memory) and Kenway's young son Haytham are about to watch a play in an English theatre.

In the present day, the player is contacted by John, Abstergo Entertainment's information technology manager. John convinces the player that their employers know more than they are telling, and encourages them to investigate in more detail. He convinces the player to hack several Animus terminals and security cameras, and then has them deliver the information taken to Shaun Hastings and Rebecca Crane, who are working undercover to infiltrate Abstergo. When the facility is locked down after the hackings are discovered, John arranges for the player to access the Animus' core, at which point Juno materializes into an incorporeal form. She reveals that although it was necessary to open her temple to avert disaster, the world was not ready for her, and she is unable to affect it or possess the player character as her agents intended. John is unmasked as the reincarnated form of the Sage and attempts to murder the player to cover up the failed attempt at resurrecting Juno, but is killed by Abstergo's security before he can do so, thus implicating him as the one responsible for the hacks. As Roberts, the Sage admits to Kenway that he owes no allegiance to the Assassins or the Templars and instead uses whoever he thinks represents his best chance of achieving his ends. With the Sage dead, the player is contacted by the Assassins as they continue their infiltration of Abstergo, but neither side is able to explain the Sage's presence or identify his followers, the Instruments of the First Will.

Freedom Cry

The Freedom Cry downloadable content is set twenty years after the events of Black Flag and follows Adéwalé in his mission as an Assassin.

While attempting to intercept Templar activities in the West Indies Sea, Adéwalé is shipwrecked off the coast of Haiti. Making his way into Port-au-Prince, he establishes that the Templars are working with Bastienne Josèphe, the proprietor of a local brothel and a sympathiser to the Maroons, a faction of freedom fighters made up of liberated slaves led by Augustin Dieufort. Despite his obligations to the Brotherhood of Assassins, Adéwalé becomes sympathetic to their cause, and joins with the Maroons in hijacking a vessel, Experto Crede, in order to interrupt the slave trade.

Whilst working for Bastienne, Adéwalé begins to uncover a conspiracy within the French provincial government ruling Port-au-Prince. The local governor, Pierre de Fayet, plans a clandestine scientific expedition to measure the curvature of the earth and gather geographical data, which they intend to sell to the highest bidder with the promise of naval superiority. Adéwalé successfully sabotages the expedition by substituting the illiterate slaves being used by the expedition for literate members of the Maroons.

Tensions begin to arise within the Maroons when Adéwalé plots further raids against the slave trade. Bastienne objects, as de Fayet will only punish those trapped in slavery further as punishment. Adéwalé ignores her, but is horrified when he witnesses a frigate fire on an unarmed slave ship to prevent the slaves from joining the Maroons. Adéwalé boards the slave ship and manages to save a few slaves from drowning before the ship capsized with the rest. He plans retribution, but Bastienne cautions that taking revenge will weaken the Maroons' cause; if Adéwalé is to kill de Fayet, then he should do so acting as an agent of justice. After assaulting the Governor's Mansion, pursuing him through the city and fighting off a local garrison, Adéwalé finally corners and kills de Fayet, who claims that slaves are incapable of self-governance and turn to armed uprising at the slightest provocation. Adéwalé points out that none of the slaves or overseers came to the his aid, and instead let him die. After killing de Fayet, Adéwalé returns to Bastienne, promising to leave Port-au-Prince for good, but pledging to use his newfound convictions to aid people who are oppressed rather than the cause of their would-be liberators.

Development

In early February 2013, during its quarterly financial call to investors, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot confirmed that the next Assassin's Creed game, due for release some time before April 2014, would feature a new hero, time period, and development team. On February 28, 2013, Ubisoft posted their first promotional picture and cover for their next Assassin's Creed game, following leaked marketing material days before. It announced the title of the game as Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag and featured an unnamed character holding a flintlock and a sword with a black flag in the back ground containing the Assassin's symbol with a skull. A reported glitch on the official Assassin's Creed IV website suggested the game will release on next-gen consoles and October 29 as the release date, which was confirmed by the first trailer for the game, released on March 4, 2013 (originally leaked on March 2, 2013, but was quickly pulled by Ubisoft).

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag was announced with a cinematic trailer on March 4, 2013. Development began in mid-2011 at Ubisoft Montreal by a separate team from the one on Assassin's Creed III, with additional work done by Ubisoft studios in Annecy, Bucharest, Kyiv, Montpellier, Singapore and Sofia.

Lead content manager Carsten Myhill stressed away the sentiment that the sequel should have been a spin-off in the same vein as Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood or Assassin's Creed: Revelations, given the ostensible similarities with Assassin's Creed III. He stated "The whole feeling of the game is completely fresh and new. It will feel very different from Assassin's Creed III. I think it completely warrants the Assassin's Creed IV moniker, not only with the new name and setting, but the attitude and the tone of the experience." Assassin's Creed IV is the first main series numbered title to carry a subtitle, a decision which Myhill says was made to clearly distinguish the pirate theme from the rest of the franchise.

By utilizing the AnvilNext engine, the development team is able to work with one engine for both the next-gen and current-gen versions of the game, as the AnvilNext engine was designed with next-gen capabilities in mind, while still working on current-gen systems. In addition, each system will have their own intricacies and feature sets, with support for the different controllers and utilizing features specific to each console. The PC version supports Nvidia's TXAA.

Music

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (Original Game Soundtrack)
Soundtrack album by Brian Tyler
Released	October 14, 2013 (2013-10-14)
Genre	Video game soundtrack
Length	1:41:33
Label	Ubisoft Music

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (Original Game Soundtrack) was composed by American composer Brian Tyler, who also composed the soundtrack of the previous Ubisoft title Far Cry 3. Additional compositions and arrangements were provided by Sarah Schachner, Omar Fadel, Steve Davis, Mike Kramer, Jeremy Lamb, Matthew Llewellyn, and Robert Lydecker. The soundtrack was released on Amazon MP3 and iTunes on October 14, 2013. Two other soundtracks have also been released:

• Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (Game Soundtrack — Sea Shanty Edition), a second soundtrack containing a set of 16 sea shanties composed by various artists, was released on Amazon MP3 and iTunes on October 29, 2013.
• Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (Game Soundtrack — The Complete Edition), a complete soundtrack including the two previous soundtracks as well as the multiplayer soundtrack composed by Joe Henson and Alexis Smith, was released on Amazon MP3 and iTunes on December 2, 2013.

The score to the Freedom Cry DLC was composed by French composer Olivier Deriviere. It was recorded at Avatar Studios in New York with La Troupe Makandal, a dedicated group for Haitian music, and at Galaxy Studios in Belgium with the Brussels Philharmonic.

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (Original Game Soundtrack) / Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (Game Soundtrack — The Complete Edition) (Disc One)
No.	Title	Music	Length
1.	"Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag Main Theme"	Sarah Schachner	2:13
2.	"Pyrates Beware"	Schachner	3:16
3.	"On the Horizon"	Brian Tyler, Schachner	3:01
4.	"The High Seas"	Tyler	2:44
5.	"The Fortune of Edward Kenway"	Schachner	1:57
6.	"In This World or the One Below"	Tyler, Schachner	2:49
7.	"Under the Black Flag"	Schachner	3:21
8.	"The Ends of the Earth"	Tyler	2:53
9.	"Stealing a Brig"	Tyler	1:52
10.	"Fare Thee Well"	Tyler	5:14
11.	"The Buccaneers"	Tyler	4:05
12.	"Marked for Death"	Tyler	3:21
13.	"Last Goodbyes"	Tyler	2:24
14.	"Take What Is Ours!"	Tyler	3:15
15.	"I'll Be with You"	Tyler	6:04
16.	"Lay Aboard Lads"	Tyler	2:24
17.	"A Pirate's Life"	Tyler	2:02
18.	"Men of War"	Tyler	2:57
19.	"Order of the Assassin"	Tyler	3:10
20.	"In the Midst"	Tyler	3:05
21.	"The British Empire"	Tyler	3:08
22.	"Batten Down the Hatches"	Tyler	1:37
23.	"Modernity"	Tyler	2:14
24.	"A Merry Life and a Short One"	Tyler	1:16
25.	"Queen Anne's Revenge"	Tyler	4:42
26.	"Confrontation"	Tyler	3:15
27.	"Prizes Plunder and Adventure"	Tyler	2:12
28.	"Meet the Sage"	Omar Fadel	3:36
29.	"Into the Jungle"	Tyler	1:46
30.	"The Spanish Empire"	Tyler	3:57
31.	"The Islands of the West Indies"	Tyler	3:06
32.	"Ships of Legend"	Tyler	2:02
33.	"Secrets of the Maya"	Tyler	3:24
34.	"Life at Sea"	Fadel	3:10
Total length:			1:41:33

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (Game Soundtrack — Sea Shanty Edition) / Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (Game Soundtrack — The Complete Edition) (Disc Two)
No.	Title	Music	Length
1.	"Randy Dandy Oh"	Sean Dagher, Nils Brown, Michiel Schrey	1:35
2.	"Maid of Amsterdam"	Brown, Schrey, Dagher	1:41
3.	"Leave Her Johnny"	Dagher, Brown, Schrey	2:12
4.	"Whisky Johnny O'"	Schrey, Dagher, Brown	1:21
5.	"Good Morning Ladies"	Dagher, Brown, Schrey	1:38
6.	"Fish in the Sea"	Schrey, Dagher, Brown	1:29
7.	"Dead Horse"	Dagher, Brown, Schrey	1:07
8.	"Running Down to Cuba"	Schrey, Dagher, Brown	1:29
9.	"Trooper and the Maid"	Charlotte Cumberbirch, Dagher, Nelson Carter, Richard Irwin, David Gossage	1:57
10.	"William Taylor"	Dagher, Brown, Schrey, Cumberbirch, Carter, Irwin, Gossage	2:16
11.	"Patrick Spens"	Schrey, Dagher, Irwin, Gossage	1:52
12.	"Fathom the Bowl"	Linda Morrison, Dagher, Carter, Patrick Graham, Gossage	2:13
13.	"Admiral Benbow"	Schrey, Dagher, Brown, Carter, Irwin, Gossage	1:53
14.	"All for Me Grog"	Morrison, Dagher, Carter, Graham, Gossage	2:06
15.	"Buleria"	Marco Marin, Dominic Soulard, Eric Breton	2:06
16.	"Verdiales"	Marin, Soulard, Breton	1:26
Total length:			28:22

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (Game Soundtrack — The Complete Edition) (Disc Three)
No.	Title	Music	Length
1.	"Saba Island"	Joe Henson, Alexis Smith	3:37
2.	"Santa Lucia"	Joe Henson, Smith	3:10
3.	"Tampa Bay"	Joe Henson, Smith, Christian Henson	3:19
4.	"Prison"	Joe Henson, Smith	3:00
5.	"La Havana"	Joe Henson, Smith	3:18
6.	"Portobelo"	Joe Henson, Smith	3:45
7.	"Saint Pierre"	Joe Henson, Smith, Christian Henson	3:23
8.	"King Of The Seven Seas"	Orivian	3:08
Total length:			(Disc 3) 26:40 (Complete) 2:36:35

Notes

• ^{^[a]} signifies a song that is included in the "Skull Edition"

Marketing and release

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag was released worldwide for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on October 29, 2013, while the Wii U was released on October 29, 2013 in North America, November 21, 2013 in Australia, November 22, 2013 in Europe and November 28, 2013 in Japan. The Wii U version in Europe was delayed from its original November 1, 2013 release date. It was announced on March 1, 2013 that the game will also come to the PlayStation 4, and on May 21 that it will release on the Xbox One. Both versions will be launch titles, with the PlayStation 4 version releasing on November 15 and November 29, 2013 in North America and Europe, respectively, and November 22, 2013 worldwide for Xbox One.

Ubisoft once again partnered with Sony to bring exclusive content to the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 versions of the game, which will feature the protagonist of Assassin's Creed III: Liberation, Aveline de Grandpré, in three missions. The Aveline content, which will be written by Liberation writer Jill Murray, picks up after the conclusion of her story in Liberation. The content is also available on the PC platform, through the Uplay Gold Edition.

On June 21, 2013, it was announced that the Microsoft Windows version had been delayed "a few weeks" from its intended release of October 29, 2013. Its new release dates were later revealed to be November 19, 2013 in North America and November 22, 2013 in Europe. Lead designer Jean-Sebastien Decant explained that the delay was caused by the team working on the "master version" first, making sure it works and then proceeding to the other versions. For Black Flag, the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 version was the master, before the team adapted it to the other consoles.

On October 31, 2013 Ubisoft announced that the Uplay Passport requirement would be removed from Assassin's Creed IV and all future games. Uplay Passport came with all new copies of the game and was required for accessing multiplayer and Edward's Fleet minigame. Owners of used copies could download Uplay Passport for a fee before the removal.

A Japanese manga adaptation of the game, written by Takashi Yano and illustrated by Kenji Oiwa, began serialization in Shueisha's Jump X magazine on August 10, 2013. The manga however contradicts many parts of the game's actual storyline, despite the manga being an adaptation of the game.

Downloadable content

On October 8, 2013, Ubisoft announced that a Season Pass will be available for purchase at the launch of the game on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and PC, and will include the Freedom Cry single-player missions, Kraken Ship pack featuring elements to personalize the Jackdaw, as well as additional single-player and multiplayer elements.

Freedom Cry sees the player take on the role of Adéwalé, a freed slave from Trinidad who became Edward Kenway's Quartermaster, and later a member of the Assassin Order. The story mode takes place 15 years after the events of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag where Adéwalé has become a trained assassin and finds himself shipwrecked in Saint-Domingue, where he comes face-to-face with some of the most brutal slavery in the West Indies. The DLC is written by Jill Murray, who wrote Liberation and the Aveline content for Black Flag. In February 2014, it was announced that Freedom Cry would be released as a standalone title on the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 on February 18, 2014 for North America and February 19, 2014 for Europe. It was released for the PC on February 25, 2014.

Blackbeard's Wrath allows the player to play any one of three new characters in Black Flag's multiplayer mode. These characters include Blackbeard, The Jaguar and The Orchid. This DLC is free with the Season Pass.

Guild of Rogues adds three new characters to the multiplayer mode. These characters are The Shaman, The Siren and The Stowaway. It was not released for the Wii U.

The PS3 and PS4 releases both contain an exclusive DLC, "Aveline". As an exception it is available on PC in the Uplay Digital Deluxe Edition only.

A Game of The Year Edition, called the Jackdaw Edition, was released only on the Xbox One, PS4 and PC. It includes all available downloadable content released so far for Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag.

Reception

Reception

Aggregate scores Aggregator Score GameRankings (PS3) 88 (X360) 86% (WIIU) 87% (PS4) 85.31% (XONE) 81.00% (PC) 86.67% Metacritic (PS3) 88/100 (WIIU) 86/100 (X360) 86/100 (PS4) 84/100 (PC) 86/100 Review scores Publication Score CVG 9/10 Edge 9/10 EGM 9.5/10 Eurogamer 9/10 Famitsu 37/40 Game Informer 8.25/10 GameSpot 9/10 Giant Bomb IGN 8.5/10 Joystiq OPM (UK) 8/10 OXM 9.0/10 PC Gamer (UK) 90% VideoGamer.com 7/10 The Escapist

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag received critical acclaim upon release, with critics generally praising the open world gameplay, side-quests, graphics and naval combat. Aggregating review websites GameRankings and Metacritic gave the PlayStation 3 version 87.62% and 88/100, the Xbox 360 version 85.74% and 86/100, the Wii U version 87.00% and 86/100, the PlayStation 4 version 85.31% and 83/100, the Xbox One version 81.00% and the PC version 86.67% and 86/100. In November 2013, Hardcore Gamer ranked Black Flag as the 70th greatest game of the seventh generation era.

Black Flag was generally praised as superior to Assassin's Creed III, with Game Informer's Joe Juba noting that Ubisoft responded to criticisms the previous game faced and rectified them. CVG's Matt Gilman called the game "a return to form for the franchise," while Mikel Reparaz of Official Xbox Magazine stated that "After weathering the somewhat diminishing returns of Revelations and ACIII, Black Flag is exactly the shot in the arm Assassin's Creed needed." Two days after its release, IGN ranked Black Flag as the 2nd best game in the Assassin's Creed series, only behind Assassin's Creed II.

Several reviewers directed heavy acclaim to the game's open world structure, with the Edge staff declaring that Black Flag "sets new benchmarks not only for Ubisoft's series but for open-world gaming." Eurogamer's Tom Bramwell called the open world gameplay "a surprising breath of fresh sea air," with Gilman stating it "revitalizes the series." The large scale of the open world was praised, with Greg Tito of The Escapist saying that the game "opens up the whole Caribbean." Reviewers also praised the game's side-quests and collectibles, as it actively encouraged the player to explore the open world, with GameSpot's Shaun McInnis saying that "Black Flag presents a world full of adventure and opportunity [and] full of reasons to go exploring." The side-quests were generally agreed to be superior to the main missions, with IGN's Marty Sliva stating that "Black Flag is at its best [when you] set out in search of your own fun." The assassination side-missions were particularly praised. The seamless exploration between ship, land, and sea without loading was also praised.

The graphics were also widely acclaimed. The Edge staff stated that "From a graphical standpoint, Black Flag's world is built to amaze regardless of which console generation you're playing it on." Reviewers praised the game's open world as "beautiful" and "gorgeous;" Sliva called Black Flag "one of the best looking games of 2013." The game's level of detail was also acclaimed, with the open world's water, rain and sea, being cited as "amazing" to look at.

The game's naval combat system drew much praise. Reviewers noted that the naval combat was Assassin's Creed III's best feature, and consequently praised Black Flag for improving on it. Tito explained that, while Assassin's Creed III's naval missions were linear and limited, Black Flag offered the player much greater freedom by allowing them to explore, fight or sail whenever they wanted. McInnis said that the game "places a huge emphasis on naval combat," and stated that it "builds on ACIII's naval side missions to create an experience every bit as important as running around on dry land." The naval combat received praise for its additions of boarding ships and attacking forts, as well as the seamless transitions between ship and sword gameplay, with Tito calling it "a great dual system that rewards both skill in naval combat, and [in] pirate action."

The stealth in the game was praised for being more flexible than previous games by allowing the player more options to accomplish their goals. The Edge staff said that "Stealth games are only as good as the flexibility of their encounters, and in that regard Black Flag is the most generous Assassin's Creed game to date." However, some also criticized the stealth for being frustrating, due to its clunky and poorly defined controls. Reviewers noted that fighting as Edward was similar to previous games, with some criticizing it for being monotonous, too easy, and lacking nuance. However, it was also praised for being "an effective and violent power trip," and for being "fluid and lively." Some also complained about the enemy A.I. for lacking intelligence. The simplified crafting system was praised for improving over Assassin's Creed III's, with reviewers noting it took inspiration from Far Cry 3.

The story received a mixed response from reviewers. Reparaz praised it as "engrossing" and one of the Assassin's Creed series' best. Reparaz and McInnis also complimented the characters, and praised the way the story explores the human side of pirates, painting them in a sympathetic and relatable light. Bramwell felt that the story "flourishes," particularly praising the supporting characters and Edward's character arc. PlayStation Official Magazine's Joel Gregory felt that Black Flag's storyline was nothing unique for the series, though he praised the characters as "far more interesting, more likeable, and more varied" than previous games. While he praised the story's first half, Gilman was more critical of the latter half, adding that its flawed pacing and structure resulted in player apathy towards the characters. Both Sliva and Juba also criticized the main story, with Juba complaining about its lack of purpose, or a compelling antagonist, and felt that most of the supporting characters were underdeveloped.

The story missions also had a mixed reception. Reparaz, who gave the game high praise, felt that they were the weakest aspect of Black Flag. Juba and VideoGamer.com's Steven Burns both felt that most of the story missions were extremely repetitive and were tediously tiring. Tito, however, felt that they were varied, and that the frustrating portions compensated by being challenging. One particular aspect that received heavy criticism from most reviewers were the eavesdropping and tailing missions, with several noting that these problems should have been fixed or removed entirely from the series. The tailing objectives were also extended to ship/sea missions, with reviewers also criticizing this form of naval stealth. The game's pacing and opening were praised, as it introduced the pirate gameplay without the need of an overly long tutorial, with Juba noting it an improvement over Assassin's Creed III.

Several reviewers labelled Black Flag a more pirate game than it is an Assassin's Creed one, due to its heavy focusing on pirating in gameplay, story, and characters. Reviewers felt that it was better for the game; they praised Black Flag's more light-hearted fare and tone compared to previous games, while also believing the game wisely avoided the usual convoluted Assassin's plot in favor of a simplistic pirate story. Gilman stated that "Black Flag is a better pirate game than it is an assassin game," with PC Gamer's Tom Senior remarking that "Black Flag doesn't really want to be an Assassin's Creed game, and [...] that is a welcome move." Reparaz called it the greatest pirate game he had ever played, while Electronic Gaming Monthly's Ray Carsillo declared Black Flag to be "probably the best pirate simulation in gaming history." Tito stated that Black Flag's gameplay reminded him more of a 3D version of Sid Meier's Pirates! than any Assassin's Creed game. Edward Kenway's character as a self-motivated pirate rather than an Assassin was also praised by most. Sliva believed that Edward's character was a "refreshing change of pace from a series that had started to take itself a bit too seriously," while he and Gilman stated that Edward was a "livelier" and more "palatable" protagonist than Assassin's Creed III's Connor.

In December 2015, Game Informer ranked the game as the fifth best game in the Assassin's Creed series to date.

Sales

During the first week of sales in the United Kingdom, Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag became the best-selling game on all available formats, ahead of Battlefield 4. However, the game's opening week sales were 60% down compared to 2012's Assassin's Creed III. Ubisoft blamed the fall in demand on uncertainty caused by the upcoming transition to eighth generation consoles. According to NPD Group figures, Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag was the third best-selling game of November 2013 in the United States, only behind Call of Duty: Ghosts and Battlefield 4. In May 2014, Ubisoft announced that the game had shipped over 11 million copies.

Awards

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag has received Game of the Year nominations from media outlets Cheat Code Central, GameSpot, and the Inside Gaming Awards, It won the Spike VGX 2013 award for Best Action Adventure Game, and the GameSpot awards for PS4 Game of the Year and Xbox One Game of the Year.

List of notable awards and nominations for Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

Year Award Category Result Ref. 2013 5th Annual Inside Gaming Awards Game of the Year Nominated Best Story Nominated Gamers' Choice Nominated Cheat Code Central's 7th Annual Cody Awards Game of the Year Nominated Studio of the Year (Ubisoft Montreal) Nominated Best Graphics Nominated Best Action/Adventure Game Nominated Spike VGX 2013 Best Action Adventure Game Won Game Revolution's Best of 2013 Awards Best Action-Adventure Game Won Best Publisher (Ubisoft) Nominated GameSpot's Game of the Year 2013 Awards PS4 Game of the Year Won Xbox One Game of the Year Won Game of the Year Nominated PS3 Game of the Year Nominated Xbox 360 Game of the Year Nominated Hardcore Gamer's Game of the Year Awards 2013 Best Adventure Game Won The Sequel of Sequels Won Game of the Year Nominated Best Multiplatform Game Nominated Best Multiplayer Nominated Best New Character (Edward Kenway) Nominated Best Technical Graphics Nominated Destructoid's Best of 2013 Best Multiplatform Game Nominated Best Action Game Nominated Best Competitive Game Nominated Giant Bomb's 2013 Game of the Year Awards Best Surprise Won Best Game Nominated 2014 GameTrailers Game of the Year Awards 2013 Game of the Year Nominated Best Multiplatform Game Nominated Best Action/Adventure Game Nominated IGN's Best of 2013 Best PS4 Multiplayer Game Won Xbox One Game of the Year Won Best Xbox One Action-Adventure Game Won Best Xbox One Story Won Best Wii U Action-Adventure Game Won Best Wii U Sound Won Best Overall Action-Adventure Game Nominated Best Overall Music Nominated Best PC Action-Adventure Game Nominated Best PS3 Action-Adventure Game Nominated Best PS3 Sound Nominated Best PS3 Story Nominated PS4 Game of the Year Nominated Best Xbox 360 Action-Adventure Game Nominated Best Xbox 360 Sound Nominated Best Xbox 360 Story Nominated Best Xbox One Sound Nominated Wii U Game of the Year Nominated Best Wii U Multiplayer Game Nominated Best Wii U Music Nominated The Escapist Awards 2013 Game of the Year Nominated Best Action-Adventure Game Nominated Official Xbox Magazine's Game of the Year Awards 2013 Best Action Game Won Game of the Year Nominated 66th Writers Guild of America Awards Outstanding Achievement in Videogame Writing (Story by Darby McDevitt, Mustapha Mahrach, Jean Guesdon; Lead Scriptwriter Darby McDevitt; Scriptwriter Jill Murray; AI Scriptwriter Nicholas Grimwood; Scriptwriter Singapore Mark Llabres Hill) Nominated 17th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Game of the Year Nominated Adventure Game of the Year Nominated Outstanding Achievement in Animation Nominated Outstanding Achievement in Gameplay Engineering Nominated Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering Nominated 10th BAFTA Video Games Awards Best Game Nominated Action/Adventure Nominated Game Design Nominated Music Nominated 13th Annual National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers Awards Art Direction, Period Influence Nominated Character Design Nominated Costume Design Nominated Game Design, Franchise Nominated Graphics, Technical Nominated Game, Franchise Adventure Nominated 14th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards Best Technology Nominated 32nd Golden Joystick Awards Best Visual Design Won Studio of the Year (Ubisoft Montreal) Won Best Audio Won Best Gaming Moment (Sea shanties) Nominated Game of the Year Nominated

PETA criticism

Animal rights organisation People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) criticized Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag for the inclusion of whaling, saying that it is "disgraceful" for a video game to "glorify" whaling. In response, Ubisoft stated that they did not condone "illegal whaling" any more than they condoned "a pirate lifestyle", and that it was simply representative of real events from that period in history.

Series continuation

Main articles: Assassin's Creed Unity and Assassin's Creed Rogue

Assassin's Creed Unity, set in Paris on the eve of the French Revolution, was released worldwide on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows on November 11, 2014.

Additionally, Assassin's Creed Rogue is the sequel to Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag and the prequel to both Unity and III, following Shay Cormac, an Assassin-turned-Templar who hunts members of the Assassin order. Taking place in North America during the Seven Years' War, the game was released worldwide on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on November 11, 2014.