Resynced, Remade, Reinvigorated.
When the original Assassin's Creed released nearly two decades ago, I wasn't engaged by the added framing of its modern day narrative. In fact, it caused me to avoid the franchise for years. However, as time would go on, the series would slowly start to abandon much of its modern day focus and lean more into the era and feel of its chosen time period. The series finally became what I wanted.
Black Flag was largely the last game in the main series to really have much focus on that modern day narrative, limiting it greatly and allowing its pirate aesthetic to shine through. It was also the first time across the main series for its protagonist to not be an assassin of the creed. It made some bold swings for the series and became one of the most beloved of the franchise.
When Black Flag Resynced was announced, it was mentioned that all modern day story elements would be entirely removed. This change is incredibly welcomed and results in a better paced adventure, and allows the story of Edward Kenway to feel like his, as opposed to being a narrative pawn to discover the location of the fabled Observatory. Instead, you feel like you have real impact in its world, and to its cast of memorable characters.
While the story itself hasn't seen much in the way of any significant changes, I really wish that the game's directors would have taken the time to change the fate of one of the game's most memorable and underrated characters. While I certainly won't look to spoil whom I am referring to, as fans of the original likely know who I mean, this remake could have made attempts to give them a far better send off, as opposed to the sad and unfortunate end presented here. It was a horrible decision then, and feels even worse now. It stands out as the worst carry-over from the original, and continued to do this character considerably dirty.
Still, Black Flag was a very enjoyable entry back in the day, being one of the first games to be released on Xbox 360 and Xbox One, as well as PS3 and PS4. The new hardware at the time provided a slightly better experience, even if it didn't always deliver that next gen upgrade that many had hoped for. This was a launch game for both consoles, so it didn't really stand out like the later games eventually would.
Resynced is a completely rebuilt experience from the ground up. Every single asset, texture, and model, are entirely built from scratch. Ubisoft has looked to address several of the original game’s flaws and bring it up to modern standards. From completely rebuilt traversal and parkour mechanics, new lighting and weather systems, to finally being able to deep dive across its entire ocean. This is on top of all new quick menu skills and items, a whole new menu, and a map that actually looks like a map this time. While the mini map is gone, it has been replaced by a compass and does provide a bit more immersion, for those looking for such a thing.
What hasn't seen an improvement; however, is the climbing. While it is a marked improvement over the original, it feels like a huge step back when compared to its contemporaries, especially that of Shadows and even Mirage. I found myself clinging to walls or ladders when I didn't want to, or not being able to release off a platform fast enough, despite tapping the button half a dozen times in a panic. The number of times I've got caught due to the sluggish response time and slow climbing was far too often, and stands out as my only real criticism of this remake. Well, apart from one other issue, but we will cross that bridge when we get to it. Regardless, we've seen Ubisoft do better over the years, so it's a disappointment that Resynced feels so dated in this respect.
That said, there are also a host of quality of life updates here that do enhance and upgrade the experience. It was reported that the game's directors, Paul Fu and Richard Knight, played through the original, notepad in hand, and made notes of what needed to be replaced, added, or removed, and present Resynced with modern touches to make it feel like it would have been had it released today. Despite my issues with climbing, a great deal of what is here is significantly improved and allows this game to shine in ways the original did not. This is, quite frankly, one of the best approaches to a remake we've ever seen.
Such updates include an actual crouch button instead of the dynamic crouching you'd perform in the original. This allows you to easily stealth anywhere, not just in tall grass, and the rebuilt environments do a lot to see stealth and parkour take a major focus. And, should you then engage in battle, new mechanics, such as parrying, active dodging, or the use of the rope dart, have been included, which opens up combat significantly. This is on top of adaptive enemies that will notice your attack style and dodge or block so that you cannot just spam the same attacks over and over again. Combat has you deflecting blue attacks with a parry to stun them, whereas a red attack will need to be dodged.
Additionally, Edward can now equip new weapon types. While this was present in the original, you could only do so if an enemy had dropped their current weapon, allowing you to use it temporarily. Here, you can permanently equip a variety of different swords that each have a unique heavy attack, which is also a new attack feature added here for the remake. Combat feels significantly better, and I strongly suggest swapping between the games to truly feel what it was like all those years ago, it’s insanely better.
While large chunks of Black Flag Resynced will remain true to the original, such as much of its story and characters, as well as the general flow of missions, sailing, and your destination, everything mentioned has seen a significant boost or refinement to make for a better experience overall. This comes in the form of new post game missions, new NPCs that reward you with ship upgrades for completing their quests, to systems for building out your hideout, to structural changes in missions to prevent fail states. Yup, you'll rarely “desynchronization” should you fail the objective now, making for a vastly better time. This can still happen, but it's significantly less than the original.
Early on in the game, you'll be instructed to look for ship officers to aid in the efforts to be a force to be reckoned with on the open seas. To manage the condition of your boat, to the men who serve on it, these characters fit naturally into the story, and their benefits toward ship combat really come in handy. From a more impactful ramming mechanic, a perfect brace to negate damage, to alternative fire modes for your side cannons, these boosts really make Naval combat significantly more enticing and varied. And, their own personal quests are some of the better stories in the game.
Now, that said, they eventually just become people standing around on your ship. I adored the questline with Lucy, but after a while she would just be there on the ship and not really do anything. I loved their quests, and would have preferred just a few more interactions to make their inclusion here feel tangible. While they do assist later in the new post game missions, I would have loved more of them during the main campaign.
If you enjoyed Blackbeard and his involvement in the original story, there is a new post game mission called “A world without gold” that expands upon his legacy. This also includes a new officer, similar to those I mentioned previously, that help guide your efforts as a pirate. Blackbeard was a fascinating character, so seeing more of what he left behind does a lot to service what a compelling character he was to the story. And, everyone's favorite gentleman pirate, Stede Bonnet, also sees more time here with additional quests to give us a bit more insight into his unique pirate life.
The original Black Flag had some pacing issues, constant fail states, and some messy moments that felt clumsy or confusing, causing players to get stuck, or annoyed at how easy it was to fail certain moments, such as tailing an informant or the lack of stealth options to remain hidden. Thankfully, Resynced does away with those frustrations as it has built systems into each mission to stop the majority of fail states, as previously mentioned. To add, some tailing missions have been replaced with other means to find that same information. In fact, every side mission or quest has been rebuilt from scratch. This not only removes any previously annoying hurdle, but it gives you more variety in how you go about your pirate ways. And, given the ability to crouch or the improved parkour systems, you have more options than ever when having to follow or chase your objective.
Early on, you'll establish a new base away from Nassau, and this new location can be upgraded and expanded upon. You'll expand shops, brothels, taverns, and more, as you make this space more lively and engaging. You'll also have your own Villa, complete with a butler, who asks that you bring back any of several art pieces that were taken away from this homestead. You'll also collect a series of keys to unlock a new outfit for Kenway through a series of some of the game's best missions.
And this isn't even close to being all the new additions. There is a skip time feature that allows you to change the time of day, no loading screens to dock your ship, to new target assassinations that are not only better designed, but spaced out as well. There are pets for the ship, such as a cat or a monkey, to new shanty songs as well. In fact, you can now select which song you want from a simple menu button press.
There is dynamic weather that makes sailing even more adventurous, to new locations in the map to deepen the world around you. And, there are countless new cosmetics available through the Animus system, which has been a staple for the last few games. That said, it is a big grind to really dive into that system.
Milo van der Graaff also makes a return, but this time in the flesh, as opposed to letters and contracts in the original. You'll meet him early on and offer your services for a variety of Naval quests and assassinations.
Black Flag’s sailing and pirate battles were second to none, with thrilling encounters that would pit you against multiple ships, or those that outclass you with double the guns. These dynamic events have been expanded upon, with new voice lines that will mention new adventures and encounters.
Naval combat was a strong pillar of the original, and surpasses nearly any other pirate game since. And, to the game's credit, they made it even better with a variety of new cannon shots and a ramming mechanic that is unlocked when you complete your new officer's missions. And, once you start raking in the gold, you can continue to improve your ship's capabilities at your local Harbour Master.
As you continue to take out enemy forces at sea, especially the fortresses, you'll soon be able to send fleets out to conquer territories and earn rewards and additional resources. Originally, the design wasn't terribly intuitive, and was also attached to a companion app for iOS and Android. There were also aspects of it tied to the game's online component, but the system has been redesigned to make it far more simple and the multiplayer has been scrapped entirely.
Visually, Resynced trounces the original in every conceivable way. Character models are vastly improved, and there is a greater sense of detail across every surface. From hardware-accelerated ray-tracing, pop-in free environments due to micropolygon geometry, to dynamic weather systems, and improved water physics, Resynced simply looks and runs phenomenally. Consoles have a 60fps performance option, with PS Pro having its PSSR tech producing strand-based hair.
Now, I mentioned before that I had another criticism for this remake, and that is the inconsistency of Edward’s model. Often, it looks great and heavily detailed, but some locations swap it out for a vastly lower quality version, and some kill animations can reveal it right up close to the camera. This was something that I complained about with Star Wars Outlaws, another Ubisoft game. That said, the other models for Kenway are fantastic, but when you notice this lower end model, you’ll notice it every time.
Matt Ryan returns as Edward Kenway and while much of the dialogue remains the same, new scenes and expanded conversations help deepen his relationship here with his estranged wife, Caroline. And, with the new officer's joining the rank, Ryan is as fantastic as ever and returns here without missing a beat.
If you haven't already dipped into Black Flag’s waters, then you're in for a treat. It's not only an impressive Assassin's Creed title, but easily one of, if not, the best pirate game to sail the seven seas. The improvements here are solid additions across the board, with upgrades and quality of life improvements that took a game that was already impressive and have made it just so much better. And thankfully, it has no direct ties to other games in the series, making it a solid jumping on point. Resynced is easily one of the best remakes of all time, and if you don't agree, you can walk the plank, matey.
Developer - Ubisoft Singapore, Ubisoft Montpellier.
Publisher - Ubisoft.
Released - July 9th, 2026.
Available On - Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC.
Rated - (M) - Blood, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol, and Violence.
Platform Reviewed - Xbox Series X.
Review Access - A review code for Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag Resynced was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.
Jeff is the original founder of Analog Stick Gaming. His favorite games include The Witcher III, the Mass Effect Trilogy, Hi-Fi Rush, Stellar Blade, Hellbade: Senua’s Sacrifice, and the Legend of Heroes series, especially Trails of Cold Steel III & IV.