I fell off Assassin's Creed Black Flag in a big way back in 2013. I've been a huge fan of the series for almost two decades, and that's an admission I've always said in hushed tones. For many, Black Flag is one of the best Assassin's Creed games out there, after all, and no one was more surprised than I was about the fact that I just didn't get on with it. On paper, everything about it appealed to me: swashbuckling adventures, the open seas of the Caribbean, treasure hunting. And who wouldn't want to be a charismatic pirate who commands their own ship?
In practice, though, one particular type of mission kept getting in my way, and eventually made me lower my pirate flag for good. Fast forward 13 years on, and as I watch a presentation for the upcoming remake, Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, I'm delighted to discover that Ubisoft is directly addressing what even the studio calls a "big pain point" in the original's stealth experience. While the fix that's being introduced promises to put the wind back in my sails, after seeing how, in the words of game director Richard Knight, "the entire adventure [has been] rebuilt using the latest Anvil Engine", it's far from the only reason I'll finally be giving Edward Kenway's journey another chance when it drops on July 9, 2026 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X.
