The adventures of Edward Kenway are renewed and expanded upon in this remake. 

After a year of rumours and speculation, Edward Kenway has made his welcome–but certainly not unexpected–return. Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is a remake of 2013’s open-world pirate game Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, replete with visual flourishes, all-new recorded dialogue, and expanded storylines. It’s a throwback to the franchise’s golden age, back when Assassin's Creed was only just removing itself from the present-day adventures of Desmond Miles, and thus brimming with renewed potential.

Black Flag Resynced all but removes any mention of present-day storylines, in keeping with a pattern established by recent entries in the franchise. However, the core appeal of the original game is very much present; this is still an addictive journey across the high seas, where well-executed naval combat shines amid a surprisingly emotional story.

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced

Release date: 9 July, 2026

Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC

Developer: Ubisoft

What is Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced about?

Edward Kenway embarks on a life of piracy in Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced.

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is a remake that brings plenty of changes to the original game, but its campaign missions have been kept intact for the most part. The story follows Edward Kenway, a rapscallion privateer-turned-pirate who eventually stumbles his way into the Brotherhood of Assassins during the golden age of piracy in the 1700s. Kenway starts out as something of a villain, looking to plunder and pirate in the open seas in order to make a name for himself. When he kills a rogue assassin and takes their guise, however, he unearths a larger conspiracy unfolding in the Caribbean. 

Much like the original game, Black Flag’s story is a slow burn. The game’s first half, which is weighed down by repetitive trailing and walk-and-talk missions, is bolstered by the strength of its protagonist–an out of place Arthur Morgan-type, who slowly but surely matures enough to recognise the errors of his rakish behaviour. Matt Ryan once again delivers one of the series’ strongest performances as Edward Kenway here, though I might be biased–I was and always will be a massive fan of his turn as DC’s John Constantine. 

Things kick into high gear when familiar faces from the annals of pirate history begin working their way into the main story. As Kenway climbs into the heights of infamy on the open seas, he rubs shoulders with iconic pirates like Edward “Blackbeard” Thatch, Stede Bonnet, Anne Bonny, and Charles Vane–the latter of whom boasts the unmistakably gravelly voice of Ralph Ineson, no less (Galactus in Fantastic Four: First Steps, Lorath in Diablo IV).

New islands and locations have been added to Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced's Caribbean environments.

This is where the Assassin’s Creed formula shines; by throwing Templars and Assassins into pirate history and spinning fan fiction out of the lives of real-world pirates, the game grounds itself where it threatens to steer fully into the realm of cheesy sci-fi. The Templars and Assassin’s never-ending conflict has always been a little silly, especially when packaged with the Animus’ futuristic 4D-history tech. Thankfully, the story largely focuses on Kenway and his brotherhood of pirates, whose shared relationships become the focus of the game's climactic events.

This works in favour of the campaign, which will be surprisingly emotional for those who might have forgotten its specifics over the years, such as myself. Coming back to the game all these years later, it now feels like a precursor to Red Dead Redemption II thematically–depicting the rise and fall of a golden age in crime, as the expansion of civilisation catches up to the misplaced pursuit of freedom and riches. Kenway offers a departure from the honourable protagonists typical of recent Assassin's Creed games, and finds his vices tested for once, rather than his morals.

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced new story quests and content

Blackbeard and more familiar real-world pirates appear throughout Edward Kenway's adventures.

Black Flag Resynced also features a few new story missions, on top of the existing and largely untouched campaign quest line. For starters, the remake adds three naval officers whom Kenway can seek out in the open world and complete all-new quests for. Recruiting these officers not only unlocks new storylines to explore, but also adds functionality to Kenway’s ship, the Jackdaw. Admittedly, these unlockable features were baseline mechanics in the original game–like bracing for incoming fire, and speeding up to ram into enemy ships. 

While these ship mechanics take more work to unlock in the remake, the additional story quests are a nice touch. The three new naval officers–the Padre, Lucy Baldwin, and Tobias ‘Deadman’ Smith–all fit into the game world seamlessly, almost like they were there from the beginning. The new sidequests also provide some sorely-needed fleshed-out story content for players looking to go off the beaten path, as the original game was otherwise more inclined to shower players with kill contracts and collectible hunts as side content. 

Returning features like blending in with crowds in towns are not quite relevant anymore, thanks to the game's expanded stealth and combat options.

Impressively, Black Flag Resynced’s new content expansions don’t end there. The remake adds a suite of all-new endgame missions that follow up on the story’s most climactic events, providing more closure for players invested in the fate of Kenway and his fellow pirates. There’s more new stuff to be found around the Caribbean–from sidequests and adoptable pets for the ship, to new locations in the open world and underwater exploration. 

Frankly, there’s so much new stuff here that the lines between new and old content have become blurred–I am very fond of the original Black Flag, and found myself constantly looking up old gameplay footage to see if the occasional piece of content in this remake was all-new, or had simply been there all along. None of the new content feels terribly out of place, nor does it feel tacked on to pad out the game’s runtime. There’s just more to do here for those looking for an extended stay in the golden age of piracy.

The world of Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced is breathtaking, save for some soft lighting issues and stiff animations during exploration and cutscenes.

There is one new feature here that is a definite downgrade from the original: the integration of the Animus. To be clear, I don’t mind the absence of the modern-day Assassin’s Creed storyline in this remake–but if all new games in the franchise are to be relegated to the Animus Hub, then the Animus Hub is in desperate need of a rework. This mess of laggy menus and flimsily presented free battle passes is meant to reward players for their progress with more cosmetics. 

However, it’s downright unbearable to navigate with a bafflingly unintuitive UI, and thus is best ignored when playing through the game. Occasionally, you’ll be given Animus currency to spend for new cosmetics–but even I couldn’t bring myself to journey through these laggard menus for a legendary pet monkey after a while, loath as I am to turn a monkey down in any context.

How has Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced’s gameplay been changed from the original?

Edward Kenway has more tools with which to assassinate foes in the open world.

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced also has a ton of gameplay and visual upgrades over the original game, making it a downright breathtaking adventure at times. For starters, the game’s Caribbean locales have been rebuilt for this remake with photogenic realism, featuring the kind of open-world detail through which Ubisoft once made its bones. Small details, like watching birds and iguanas flee upon Kenway’s presence, or scattering tomato trellises by running through them, allow the world to feel like an immersive slice of real-world history. 

Additionally, the game’s open seas are utterly beautiful to navigate. When raising the sails and taking the Jackdaw into the deep blue sea, one can’t help but understand the wicked promises it seems to whisper into Kenway’s ears–the water is some of the best I have ever seen in a video game, sparkling and teeming with underwater life, and the land is populated with islands rich with secrets and treasure. One can't help but to dive into the deep blue, and Black Flag Resynced does not discourage the notion.

Kenway’s combat kit has also seen a couple upgrades, factoring in more tools and gadgets to boost his capabilities as both an assassin and a swordfighter. The Rope Dart can now be unlocked earlier for use in melee combos, for example, and Kenway now has access to perfect parries, Hidden Blade takedowns, and heavy attacks. Additionally, a few changes to parkour–like a jump button and new ziplines–will allow for more seamless manoeuvrability. 

Ship combat, while repetitive an endeavour, hardly gets old thanks to the Jackdaw's wide variety of weaponry.

The biggest changes to combat might actually be better felt while in the Jackdaw. Kenway’s ship has a robust suite of upgrades that will take time to unlock, given that Reales can be hard to come by, but can be used to turn the ship into a monster. The ship has new secondary fire options to mix things up during big battles, such as the all-new Heated Shot broadside cannons, which can melt enemy ships with ease. 

These new changes are essential to modernise the more repetitive nature of Black Flag’s original gameplay elements–with a wider variety of options to take advantage of in stealth, combat, or naval battles, the game’s extended playtime does not wear thin. It’s the bevy of collectathons, ranging from collecting items for outfits, to hunting animals for inventory upgrades, that grinds my gears. Thankfully, the latter activities boil down to easily ignorable open-world fluff.

Verdict

Edward Kenway's story is expanded upon in a meaningful way with this remake.

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced cements this nautical adventure as one of the series’ best, and certainly one of its most tonally unique entries. Edward Kenway is a refreshing change of pace as a naive and uncaring protagonist, who finds himself at a moral crossroads while pursuing the pirate’s life of prosperous infamy. The addition of naval combat is fantastic as always here, with the gameplay loop built around building and upgrading the Jackdaw once again being my favourite part of the whole package. 

Even those who have replayed the original game in recent years will find something to enjoy in this remake, as its new story quests and side-activities serve to expand on the adventures of Kenway and his allies. While some of those side-activities can be irksome, specifically the collectible hunts and animal hunts, the new story content is a highlight here. As for the Animus, it only serves as an unfortunate add-on that continues to latch itself onto new entries in this franchise.

It’s somewhat comforting; even after all these years, and so many Assassin’s Creed games later, that it’s still a pirate’s life for me. 

Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced launches on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S on 9 July, 2026 for US$59.99. We received a copy of the game for this review.

Who made Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced?

Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced is a remake of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. Development on the game was led by Ubisoft Singapore (Skull and Bones).

Does Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced have multiplayer?

No, Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced does not have multiplayer content. However, online players can share and see each other’s photos in the game’s map.

Are the Abstergo sections still in Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced?

No, the modern-day Abstergo sections have been removed from Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, though they were present in the original game. A new series of “what if” quests are present in the remake via Animus Rifts, delving into various tales of what could have been in Kenway’s life.