Hey UbiSlop, can you please shift delete your ubislop launcher and let steam open the game, this will finally allow me to open the game without trying to keep re-entering the password again and again like a spastic forgetful idiot. Oh wait that's your launcher not me

...is a parkour beat'em up adventure game. Edward Kenway, a lowly privateer, dons the hood of a dead assassin, attracting the attention of the Assassin Brotherhood, the Templar Order and the Pirate Federation, all while carving his own piece of the Caribbean.

For those unfamiliar with the franchise, the metaplot based in the near-future uses a technology called the Animus that allows one to visit their ancestors' memories, passed down by genetics. Now that the technology no longer relies on live subjects, others can use advanced VR to relive other people's genetic memories, uncovering the hidden truth forgotten by time or kept hidden by biased historians. You're a new researcher for a mysterious new branch of Ubisoft called Abstergo Entertainment, looking into the history of Subject 17's ancestor, a notorious pirate called Edward Kenway. Unbeknownst to you, Abtergo is a front for the Templar Order, and the Animus technology is derived from extremely advanced technology of a long-lost people known as the Precursors, which left behind many technological artifacts for which Templars and Assassins have spent history competing over.

You get to explore the Caribbean of the 18th Century, including multiple cities or small settlements, dozens of islands, along with a few jungle environments, ruins and underwater segments. You traverse the world by climbing anything: rocks, trees, buildings, even the highest towers. Forget about looking for yellow paint, as any nook and cranny will do, be it doors and windows, wood beams, loose bricks, roof carving, is it's big enough for your hand to grab onto, you can use it to climb. You can also hide from enemies by blending into crowds, diving in haystacks or crouching in foliage, to name a few. When you aren't sneaking, you can sword-fight your way with a block and counter system, allowing you to face multiple enemies at once.

I cannot talk about Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag without bringing up its main attraction: ship exploration and battles. The mechanics first introduced in Assassin's Creed III, you now have a wide variety of weapons at your disposal when at sea: side batteries, forward chain-ball launchers, mortar cannons, explosive barrels. You can blow your enemies to smithereens and sink them, or disable their vessels and board them for on-ship fights, from dueling with the captain on the rear deck to throwing snipers off the highest mast. You explore the open sea, battle enemy forts, dock in small settlements or stop by small islands to jump off your ship and look for forgotten treasure or drifted cargo.

Ubisoft have once again done a magnificent job at capturing historical locations and their look and feel, keeping them as authentic as real-life historical records allowed them. Havana, Nassau, Kingston, they all feel extremely distinct, accurately recreated and filled with their known landmarks. As you discover or visit those locations, their information is added to your database, enticing you to read up on the subject. Doing so is optional, but the option is there for those whose interest in the game spark a willingness to learn more on those locations.

Gameplay is an experience that will vary widely depending on the environment. In cities, you jump from rooftop to rooftop, avoiding gunmen and tailing your enemies. In jungles, scoot along tree branches to hunt down human and animal preys alike. In lieu of managing assassin contracts, you get a trading game where, after building a fleet from captured ships, you send them out across the Atlantic Ocean for additional revenue, finding collectibles and unlocking additional trading locations.

Along with hunting, a harpooning minigame opens additional crafting material by having you fish a variety of sharks and whales found in the area, including the elusive white whale. This allows you to improve your armor, increase ammunition storage capacity, or unlock new costumes. Your ship can also be improved with better cannons, increased storage and a reinforced hull, but the crafting materials such as iron, wood and cloth can only be found by capturing other ships. Finally, you eventually get your personal homestead, Great Inagua, where you can improve the village to provide you with shops and free services, as well as your house where you store your collectibles.

The game seems to have lost interest in the story. How is it that Edward, who has never got any Assassin training whatsoever, is capable of all the stealth techniques and combat tricks specific to the teachings of The Creed, and good enough to impress Templars into believing him to be a real Assassin? No one in their right mind would attempt a Leap of Fate, not without years of training, but here he goes, jumping from the highest tower into an insignificant haystack, including the backflip and open-armed back fall. I was also disappointed that the metaplot took such a back seat. With the Desmond story coming to an end, we got a small taste of its absence when playing Assassin's Creed: Liberation (for those that played it), but I only really felt it now, as the modern story element almost felt shoehorned, almost an excuse to add a few familiar faces.

Combat mechanics are very, very basic. Sure, you have pistols, smoke bomb and blow darts, but this pales in comparison to the dozens of combo moves and variety of gadgets you had in the similar but superior combat mechanics of Batman: Arkham City released at least two years prior. While the animation makes a nice show of the swordplay, you're really doing little more than blocking and countering, breaking your streak as soon as you attempt to use a different move. Because of how easy it is, you have little incentives to use the stealth mechanics unless made mandatory by the mission criteria. You also have a total lack of incentive to get a perfect animus synchronization by filling optional objectives, except for assassin missions where the bonus objectives result in a higher payout.


Despite my criticism, the fact that this game isn't absolutely flawless doesn't take away from being the most fun game in the entire franchise, a game no one should miss out on, regardless of your prior experience with the series. It's a great Assassin's Creed game, and an excellent pirate game! With Skull and Bones's lackluster features, it's a great time to revisit Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag!

P.S.: The game's Season Pass, part of the Gold Edition, clearly states that Assassin's Creed: Freedom Cry is included as a DLC. However, Ubisoft actually removed it years ago to replace it with a small unrelated mission featuring Aveline from Assassin's Creed: Liberation. If you want Assassin's Creed: Freedom Cry, you must purchase it separately. Shame on Ubisoft for not updating their store fronts properly!

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This was just my opinion.

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I loved this game growing up, playing back on the xbox 360. Now the since the game has updated to include Achievements, the game no longer works and only thing that happens is the splash screen for ubisoft then the game crashes. Until this issue is resolved i can not recommend this game to anyone.