Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

 PC
User Score
8.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 3161 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,500 out of 3161
  2. Mixed: 438 out of 3161
  3. Negative: 223 out of 3161
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  1. Blackcompany
    Dec 22, 2013
    4
    A good open world pirate game that could have been better, hampered by the same tired, frustrating "mission structure" we see in every AC game. The constant need to do exactly as Ubisoft demands hinders the fun in exploring this visually gorgeous game world, and the frustrating mission types, such as Eavesdropping and Tailing, are far, far too frequent, and over-used. The weather system isA good open world pirate game that could have been better, hampered by the same tired, frustrating "mission structure" we see in every AC game. The constant need to do exactly as Ubisoft demands hinders the fun in exploring this visually gorgeous game world, and the frustrating mission types, such as Eavesdropping and Tailing, are far, far too frequent, and over-used. The weather system is also frustrating, as the developers tend to overuse storms on the open sea in order to make missions feel more "dramatic."

    Black Flag is a game that would have been far, far better, had it not needed the Assassin's Creed name attached at all. This is Assassin's Creed ruining what could otherwise have been a great pirate game.    … Expand
  2. Budget_Security
    Dec 25, 2015
    4
    After the fairly decent AssCreed3, and considering the many positive reviews for this game, I made the mistake of having slightly higher expectations than usual. This unsurprisingly led to some disappointment (yes, sadly going against the trend in most other reviews). But once I recalibrated my expectations to “standard AssCreed fare”, it was not too bad.

    The story is messy and silly.    After the fairly decent AssCreed3, and considering the many positive reviews for this game, I made the mistake of having slightly higher expectations than usual. This unsurprisingly led to some disappointment (yes, sadly going against the trend in most other reviews). But once I recalibrated my expectations to “standard AssCreed fare”, it was not too bad.

    The story is messy and silly. It has some good parts but most of it is mediocre - overall not as good as AssCreed3 in my opinion. I have the suspicion casual or younger gamers may like it more. It sorely lacks atmosphere when compared to games like Dishonored or The Witcher or films like 'Pirates of the Caribbean'. The script is full of plot holes (even more than usual). Half of the game is fairly serious and makes some sense, but the other half is silly and does not make any sense. This inconsistency harms immersion. The main character is decent, but does not quite have the charisma of Ezio or Haytham from previous games.

    The missions and gameplay built on the story are very bland and repetitive. Almost any potentially interesting story scenario is reduced to a handful of copy-paste follow/sneak/kill/eavesdrop gameplay designs. It seems like the devs were slightly lazier than usual - AssCreed3 missions were far from perfect, but still seemed slightly more varied and hand-crafted.

    The difficulty balance of the gameplay is poor. AI detection feels arcade and inconsistent. Stealth areas are severely overpopulated with guards, meaning you are forced to look at the minimap all the time to have any chance of avoiding detection. If you don't reload checkpoints often, open combat is nearly inevitable, which in turn is far too easy. This makes trying to play stealth frustrating, because the odds feel unfairly stacked against you, and it is always so much easier to just fight and kill everyone. But fighting gets boring quickly - you just spam attacks, then counter when prompted, and repeat that indefinitely.

    The sandbox gameplay has been brought to the fore, but like the main missions, it is very arcade, bland, and repetitive. The open world is large, but most places all look the same. Compared to AC3, there seems to be slightly less content overall, though still more than enough. The problem is a lack of quality, not quantity. Still things like naval battles and boarding enemy ships are novel for a while and work fairly reliably, which is more than can be said of naval battles in a Total War game (Shogun II etc). The sea shanties (songs) are a nice touch, and possibly the single best feature in this game.

    Graphics are the best yet for an AssCreed game, and the first in my opinion to just about match those of Crysis 1 (released 6 years earlier). The water out at sea looks particularly good. The visual quality does not hold up everywhere though - quite a few ugly meshes and textures here and there. The default settings are poorly optimised - you need to manually tweak the settings to get the best visuals while keeping the FPS high. Ship physics are decent and must feel amazing to the average console peasant, but if you have an eye for realism and have been on a real ship, it still leaves much to be desired. Your 150-ton brig behaves like it has the mass and manoeuvrability of a modern olympic racing yacht combined with the stability of a modern river ferry (complete with bow thrusters). You can sail straight into the wind with no speed loss. Enemy ships also handle like powerboats. In some ways the sailing physics were more realistic in AC3 - you could not sail into the wind, and it felt slightly more natural, though admittedly less reliable (momentarily flying ships etc).

    PC controls are as bad as usual. They are not game-breaking, but they do work against you - I messed up a lot of missions because my character would do the wrong thing like randomly climbing a wall. A few times just before successfully capturing a huge enemy ship, I would fall from a mast to my death due to glitched controls. The checkpoint system has its usual annoyances and reloads sometimes caused technical problems like missing quest items (requiring quiting to desktop and reloading). I encountered more bugs and glitches and generally rushed content here than in any previous AssCreed game.

    Overall, for me, AC4 is a mediocre AssCreed game that wasted a lot of potential. It is not a “bad” game, but it does not deserve any of the hyped reviews. I can only recommend it at the steam sale price.    … Expand
  3. irmscher
    Mar 19, 2018
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Well. What can I say... this is my 1st Assasins Creed game (few hours into very first Assasins Creed doesn't count), and probably the last one. Pirate theme and sailing is the only thing that kept me playing and reach 71% main mission completion. After that the "assassins" part of the game just become unbearable with all those repetitive missions and **** up controls. The main story is quite good up until around middle of the game and then just becomes MEH. I don't have more time to waste on this "fun simulation" crap.… Expand
  4. sensuality
    Nov 19, 2013
    4
    really good that there are in the game so the naval battles, because otherwise contained in AC3 and sameness more so this time worsened. the killer already starts strong and does not even need training to matar.fora the pessima optimization that in certain parts falls to 17 fps.ubisoft shot himself in the foot with this game, that really turning this fighter nickel
  5. NavyEurofighter
    Nov 21, 2013
    4
    I love this game, but the Pc version has a lot of Framerate issue and Ubisoft said they will not patch it for economic reasons, what a software house. PLEASE DON'T SPEND ANY MONEY ON IT, UBISOFT MUST CRY FOR THIS
  6. atatyu
    Feb 5, 2014
    4
    All the missions i hate gathered in one game. Stalking a guy, listening a conversation. Like these aren't enough there are stalking missions with ships. Yes being a pirate and a captain is fun but if you don't play the missions. Another non surprising poor game by Ubisoft.
  7. Rezaee
    Feb 27, 2014
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. assassin's creed Black flag was terrible.the story was terrible and so It was the gameplay.It was not even an assassin's creed!we were not an assassin,we were a pirate who stole an assassin's clothes. The gameplay on the sea was stupid.About the wind on the sea,I went every where to hide from the wind.where ever I went,for example I hide my ship behind a big rock on the sea but the wind was still moving my ship.In real world that could never happen.the only reason I gave 4 to this game was blackbear death scene.the whole game was terrible.… Expand
  8. Tatzen
    Mar 14, 2014
    4
    I had never played an Assassin's Creed game before this one. I tried it because I heard good things about it, and I really enjoy the swashbuckling theme. Search for treasure and pilot my own ship? Sounds good! It's a pretty game and has lots to explore.

    But unfortunately, I was quite disappointed in this game. The movement was fairly clunky, even though my character was quite    I had never played an Assassin's Creed game before this one. I tried it because I heard good things about it, and I really enjoy the swashbuckling theme. Search for treasure and pilot my own ship? Sounds good! It's a pretty game and has lots to explore.

    But unfortunately, I was quite disappointed in this game. The movement was fairly clunky, even though my character was quite athletic and could climb walls, walk along tree branches and tightropes.

    The combat isn't fun at all. I found it rather and boring. And the computer AI was pretty ridiculous. Often times I'd think "I'll run away and climb this building, the guards will never find me there!" Just to find that as soon as I reached the rooftop to get away, maybe even jump rooftop-to-rooftop, the guard was ALREADY on the roof waiting for me. Hardly realistic that a guard can not only climb as well as my master assassin, but he knew where I was going so beamed himself up to the roof before I could even get there.

    Other games have much more realistic enemies. I guess in this game I'm supposed to reload the game if I make a mistake and am discovered or chased by guards? That's not a fun way to play.

    I didn't like the "modern time" alternate story either. Why is this even there? I'm supposed to be a pirate assassin, but actually no, I'm some computer programmer from the future? Confused me and wrecked the immersion. I don't feel for my character since every action is already predestined and I'm just reliving a past story. My character is essentially immortal since any failures I make are just "rescyncronized" and reset to try again. So don't worry, jump off the cliff or fight the shark with bare hands, your character is just a simulation.

    I never finished it or even got much of the way in. I just wasn't enjoying myself at all, and I don't play games that are bad for the most part, just to earn the rare good parts. Games should be fun and keep you engaged throughout.    … Expand
  9. Iluvatar21
    May 5, 2014
    4
    HOW I RATE: 10-9 score: perfect or near-perfect don't exist; 8 score: one of the best games ever. Top score; 7-6 score: great but not one of the best; 5-below score: serious flaws.
    ===========
    Apart from being a pirate simulator, which it pulls off quite well, AC4 is a poorly optimized console port of a once great series.
  10. danstew
    Feb 17, 2016
    4
    Not sure where to start. I seriously tried TWICE to get into this game, expecting to really enjoy it, as so many claim it to be one of the best ACs, along with the Ezio ones.
    But I simply can't, it wasn't fun for me.
    Let's go through it, starting with the good things: + Looks nice, both in town and at sea + Some nice new mechanics + The shanties your crew sings are a great touch and    Not sure where to start. I seriously tried TWICE to get into this game, expecting to really enjoy it, as so many claim it to be one of the best ACs, along with the Ezio ones.
    But I simply can't, it wasn't fun for me.
    Let's go through it, starting with the good things:
    + Looks nice, both in town and at sea
    + Some nice new mechanics
    + The shanties your crew sings are a great touch and made me smile a lot while at sea
    + Naval battles can be fun, even more so than in AC III
    + They did great with the pirate-history. Not as cliche as usual, no parrots on shoulders, no wooden leg and stuff on every pirate. I am rather certain I know the books they based this on, as a lot of the story-points of that subplot are rather correct, historically, and I liked that a lot.

    Now, the cons:
    - The story. This really sucks. So basically, you have the main character kill an Assassin he gets marooned with, kill him EASILY, and simply put on a bit of his outfit, becoming an assassin that way. So, this guy easily kills an assassin and kinda becomes one by putting out the clothes. Yes, he also has eagle vision, and I am sure there is an explanation that he secretly has the "assassin gene" or is the grandson of one, but before that was explained, I lost interest, it just feels weird and is rather sad, considering the previous games.
    - The main character. No personality, apart from him apparently being some kind of Jack Sparrow-type cool guy. I really liked Ezio, Altair, even Connor and Arno, but this guy, I couldn't care less about.
    - The missions. SOME tailing/eavesdrop/chase-missions can be fun. TOO many of them get frustrating and dull. Sail to a town. Talk to someone. Tail someone and listen to his conversation without being caught. Try again. Try again. Yay, checkpoint. Now sneak in and kill him. Rinse and repeat.
    - The "big story twist" about a certain person in game. This was so incredibly obvious from the start. I mean, how the heck am I supposed to believe no one noticed this (not spoiling it here) about a pirate, in a tightly-knit crew, on a ship, travelling, fighting, eating together for months? First time I saw him and heard him speak, it was so obvious, it was sad.
    - Diving. Nice change, maybe, but I never much liked diving in games, whether it was TR or this one. And here, it's mandatory - not only for a story quest where you first learn it, but also to PROGRESS. No, it's not optional.
    This "open world game" REQUIRED me to dive several times. Why? Because at some point, the game says "Stop. You can't do the next story-quest until you upgrade your ship". And to do that, you need to find blueprints, in some chest underwater. You can use the web to find out where. If you hate the diving (with overly aggressive sharks which attack you on sight and kill you quickly, while you don't have much breath in the first place), it sucks, because you won't be able to get those blueprints, upgrade your ship enough (thanks for giving me a choice there to try the blocked mission at least) in order to progress the story.
    - Your stronghold feels pointless and more like a money-sink
    - I don't think the game is well optimized. It works ok on my PC (W7, 16 gigs of RAM, i7, with a GTX 960 with 4 gigs of ram), but on the same system with an Nvidia GT 730, there were problems.
    - Still has some wonky controls, which sucks for jumping puzzles and chases.

    I am happy for those that truly think this is one of the best ACs, but I simply lost interest both times I tried to get into the game. The first time, it happened 3 hrs in (same repetitive side content, yawn, and another chase with no room for error there...one missstep, back to the checkpoint), the second time I played 6-7 hrs and then didnt wanna continue (see above, didn't wanna dive over and over to upgrade my ship just to continue the story).

    If this was a standalone pirate game with no AC added to it, like, I dunno "Davy Jones' Amazin Adventures" or "Swashbucklers of the Carribean", it'd be really nice, but as an AC game, it just isn't fun, and didn't grab me at all, sorry    … Expand
  11. CoreGamer1408
    Dec 1, 2022
    4
    I have played some AC games way back in the day on PS3. This is a free drop from Ubisoft Connect. The fundimental flaw of all AC games is that I am playing a game within a game. Taking a VR trip inside in a characters ancestors memories is kind of immersion breaking. This series would of worked without the sci-fi elements. I would of happily played an line of descendant assassinsI have played some AC games way back in the day on PS3. This is a free drop from Ubisoft Connect. The fundimental flaw of all AC games is that I am playing a game within a game. Taking a VR trip inside in a characters ancestors memories is kind of immersion breaking. This series would of worked without the sci-fi elements. I would of happily played an line of descendant assassins throughout the history.… Expand
  12. RomanGor
    Dec 14, 2019
    4
    Это просто унылая дрочильня, однотипные миссии, дерганая анимация, гг какой-то моральный урод, а про морские баталии я вообще молчу. Большего дрочева, чем морские сражения, я еще ни в одном асасине не встречал. Если что я прошел 1, 2 части и бразерхуд. Не знаю, чем 4-я часть всем нравится, как по мне, так унылое дно. Попробую себя заставить пройти ее до конца. И да, горите в аду юбики соЭто просто унылая дрочильня, однотипные миссии, дерганая анимация, гг какой-то моральный урод, а про морские баталии я вообще молчу. Большего дрочева, чем морские сражения, я еще ни в одном асасине не встречал. Если что я прошел 1, 2 части и бразерхуд. Не знаю, чем 4-я часть всем нравится, как по мне, так унылое дно. Попробую себя заставить пройти ее до конца. И да, горите в аду юбики со своим копировальным станком по производству дерьмовых ежегодных игр!!! Прошел до конца и могу сказать, что если бы вся игра была как последние 3 главы, то еще ничего. Но так как первые 3/4 игры - это настоящее дрочево, разбавленное тупорылыми морскими сражениями, то оценка только 4 из 10. 4 бала за красоту картинки и полную локализацию, с чем у юбиков никогда проблем не было.… Expand
  13. Graw960
    Apr 20, 2023
    4
    The game is dull, repetitive and the naval combat feels clunky and frustrating at times. The grind to achieve compulsory naval upgrades required for some missions definetly killed the game for me. Not to mention the ridiculous step back in stealth mechanics which, gameplay and lore-wise, should be the main focus of the franchise. Last note of demerit are the ludicrous plot holes in the main story
  14. JimCorbett
    Mar 10, 2014
    3
    I remember when Assassin's Creed was about story, sneaking, and planning. That time is long passed, and Black Flag is a prime showcase of that. The only reason this game could possibly get good reviews is because of blind fanboys upvoting the game simply because it's a pirate game.This is an action-oriented pirate simulation that has absolutely nothing to do with the Assassin's CreedI remember when Assassin's Creed was about story, sneaking, and planning. That time is long passed, and Black Flag is a prime showcase of that. The only reason this game could possibly get good reviews is because of blind fanboys upvoting the game simply because it's a pirate game.This is an action-oriented pirate simulation that has absolutely nothing to do with the Assassin's Creed franchise. The graphics are good but just about everything else isn't. Sound is terribly synced, especially when performing kills. The controls are slightly improved but still terrible. The optimization is beyond bad. The insane amount of context-sensitive controls and movements are incredibly frustrating, and have been throughout the whole series but Blag Flag just proves that Ubisoft has no intention whatsoever of fixing it. The story is laughable and will not interest you in the slightest and the modern day sequences are worse than ever. The gameplay is super repetitive with linear levels lining the campaign and a repetitive grind awaiting you at sea. This is the last straw for the AC series in my opinion. One of my favorite franchise has been ruined yet again by a a yearly development cycle and a greedy publisher. I'm not longer going to purchase this garbage and I highly suggest all of you do the same.… Expand
  15. Dvoraak
    Mar 8, 2014
    3
    Started out decently enough except right away you're climbing towers.... Tried to get passed that in the interest of fairness. Then, once the game really started, it stayed true to the AC form..... Climb a tower, fight a crowd. Really? After so many iterations they can't get passed this formula. Granted, I'm only an hour in but it's likely to be the only hour I give. They could'veStarted out decently enough except right away you're climbing towers.... Tried to get passed that in the interest of fairness. Then, once the game really started, it stayed true to the AC form..... Climb a tower, fight a crowd. Really? After so many iterations they can't get passed this formula. Granted, I'm only an hour in but it's likely to be the only hour I give. They could've (should've) shown me something new early on. Not just a new setting and steering a boat..... and climbing towers. Maybe AC should be called Tower Climber.… Expand
  16. matty_o
    May 14, 2014
    3
    Just stop making Assasin's Creed games already. Ubisoft have completely stuffed it up from AC3 already and this is no better. The nerve to take out the best part of AC3 (seafearing) and make it the premise of AC4 is just plain lazy and admittant to how bad the game is. Don't be fooled by the great graphics. The idiot-system where the player will climb over objects and laddersJust stop making Assasin's Creed games already. Ubisoft have completely stuffed it up from AC3 already and this is no better. The nerve to take out the best part of AC3 (seafearing) and make it the premise of AC4 is just plain lazy and admittant to how bad the game is. Don't be fooled by the great graphics. The idiot-system where the player will climb over objects and ladders unintentionally still exists. Yes, sprint and parkour are again the same fking button! Furthermore the completely unnecessary "keep close, don't be spotted but hurry up" missions begin within the first 30 minutes of the game already. What is this, an arcade game? I preferred AC1+2 with open world, thank you. There is no saving the franchise, it is a shocking mess. Rather remember the good old Desmond, Altair and Enzio.… Expand
  17. masterx1234
    Dec 29, 2013
    3
    Yet another unoptimized console port, and ubisoft said that assassins creed black flag would be better optimized than assassins creed 3. they lied to the PC gamers and thats why i will never buy another ubisoft games, because they obviously dont give a shi* about PC gamers.
  18. Alby94play
    Dec 12, 2013
    3
    Take ACIII, add guns, boats and some palm trees and TA-DA!! you have Black Flag... sad, really sad...
    Another garbage sequel for a series lost years ago...
  19. Ravage
    Nov 11, 2014
    3
    At first the game look incredible with it's scenery and other elements. But after playing it for a couple of hours, I realised something; this, to be honest, has got to be one of the worst Assassin's Creed games so far. It was constant sailing and stupid pirate **** having nothing to do with the original plot line, and no development was made. It was a complete waste of time, and the firstAt first the game look incredible with it's scenery and other elements. But after playing it for a couple of hours, I realised something; this, to be honest, has got to be one of the worst Assassin's Creed games so far. It was constant sailing and stupid pirate **** having nothing to do with the original plot line, and no development was made. It was a complete waste of time, and the first out of the 6 games I didn't finish. This being said, I don't think I'll be purchasing any more Assassin's Creed games from now on.… Expand
  20. Laifhter
    Dec 30, 2020
    3
    Gra denerwująca. Będąc 2000 m od celu ze zlecenia zabójstwa wszystko jest ok ale jak tylko próbuję okrążyć wyspę na której się znajduję tym samym oddalając się od przypuszczalnego obszaru jego pobytu o jakieś 20 m to gra wywala z komunikatem że cel uciekł bo byłem zbyt daleko.
    Podobnie mało realizmu gdy próbuję postacią podpłynąć do statku wroga. Wyświetla się znaczek że ktoś ze statku ma    Gra denerwująca. Będąc 2000 m od celu ze zlecenia zabójstwa wszystko jest ok ale jak tylko próbuję okrążyć wyspę na której się znajduję tym samym oddalając się od przypuszczalnego obszaru jego pobytu o jakieś 20 m to gra wywala z komunikatem że cel uciekł bo byłem zbyt daleko.
    Podobnie mało realizmu gdy próbuję postacią podpłynąć do statku wroga. Wyświetla się znaczek że ktoś ze statku ma do mnie strzelać mimo że nikt na statku jeszcze nie wie o mojej obecności. Nawet gdy podczas próby podpłynięcia schowam się nagle za skałą aby uniknąć trafienia to i tak dostaje mimo tego że to nawet niemożliwe. Wrogi statek jest w stanie wykryć małego płynącego gracza w wodzie a nie potrafi wykryć mojego dużego statku bo nie znajduję się na jakimś żółtym jebanym polu. Mała postać jest lepiej widoczna niż ogromny statek. Plus kurwa za realizm. Nawet jak jakimś cudem uda mi się podpłynąć moją postacią i zabić całą załogę, to i tak jeśli wrócę na swój statek to załoga przeciwnika nagle się odradza i normalnie jest walka. A jeśli chodzi jeszcze o zlecenia zabójstwa to często jest tak że muszę szukać celu na całej wyspie. Jak mnie zobaczy to zaczyna uciekać biegając po całej wyspie. Wystarczy że stracę go z oczu i już dostaje komunikat o tym że cel uciekł. Nie mógł uciec przecież statkiem bo żaden akurat nie był przycumowany przy wyspie więc jedynie mógł się schować na owej wyspie i musiałbym go szukać na całym jej obszarze, co i tak bym musiał robić nawet gdyby mnie nie wykrył.
    Często jest też tak że w momencie kiedy wcisnę przycisk odpowiadający za poruszanie się np. w prawo i do tego Shift to i tak bohater postanawia wspinać się na przeszkodę przed nim mimo tego że nie kliknąłem klawisza odpowiadającego za taką czynność.
    Przeciwnicy są tak głupi że nie wiedzą gdzie jestem nawet jeśli na ich oczach wejdę do krzaków.
    Jeśli zabiję kogoś będąc w krzakach, tym samym odpali się animacja w której mój bohater chowa ciało do krzaków to potem jeśli wróg nie wejdzie do krzaków to nie zobaczy ciała. Jeżeli jednak postanowię zabić kogoś nie będąc w żadnej kryjówce tylko normalnie stojąc a następnie wrzucę jego ciało do krzaków aby go nie znaleźli, to przeciwnicy i tak zobaczą ciało z jakiś 20 m nawet po ciemku w nocy.    … Expand
  21. Sablcious
    Feb 1, 2014
    2
    Horribly casual, good-looking game. ACIV pretty much typifies what's wrong with the pastime of video gaming today -- über casual, semi-interactive gameplay layered under pretty visuals. Only recommended for gamers who got into the pastime around the time the Nintendo Wii appeared. For anyone else, get your friend(s) to play it while you watch, drunk!
  22. tacomodo
    Nov 24, 2013
    2
    Nothing new to see here, move along. If you've played any of the other asscreeds, you've played this one too. They really should stop milking this dead cow. Graphics actually seem worse than before.
  23. asscreedfanboi
    Nov 20, 2013
    2
    Best part of the game is the theme/setting, which is done very well. Everything else seems pretty stale. Probably would be worth a 6 or 7 if I were on a console, but this is a PC review, and it runs like ass on PC. Poorly optimized would be a compliment in this case, and Ubisoft even came out and said they didn't give a crap. I was sort of amused by the DLC, where you can pay money toBest part of the game is the theme/setting, which is done very well. Everything else seems pretty stale. Probably would be worth a 6 or 7 if I were on a console, but this is a PC review, and it runs like ass on PC. Poorly optimized would be a compliment in this case, and Ubisoft even came out and said they didn't give a crap. I was sort of amused by the DLC, where you can pay money to reveal the locations of activities and other things. At least it wasn't day 1 DLC to get the rest of the game!… Expand
  24. shamon
    Aug 5, 2014
    2
    This is among the worst stupidest games they made in the series....the whole ship battle thing is so stupid and frustrating, trying to aim and control the ship at the same time is a horrible frustrating experience

    and "assassin abilities"?...edward is just some guy who stole the clothes of a real assassin...how does that give him assassins creed abilities?? and how does this make it an    This is among the worst stupidest games they made in the series....the whole ship battle thing is so stupid and frustrating, trying to aim and control the ship at the same time is a horrible frustrating experience

    and "assassin abilities"?...edward is just some guy who stole the clothes of a real assassin...how does that give him assassins creed abilities?? and how does this make it an assassins creed game?...the is the most stupid plot in these series so far it has nothing to do with anything...there's really no point in this game at all.    … Expand
  25. kimikazio
    Jan 5, 2014
    2
    A simple OK game, but not an Assassins Creed Game

    The story starts ok, and then it goes backwards.. Edward isnt even an Assassin, why ubisoft made an assassins creed game with the main character not being an assassin? The first person view and Abstergo as entertainment company made me want to ragequit the game instantly and play AC2 thinking that AC4 was a baaaad nightmare that never    A simple OK game, but not an Assassins Creed Game

    The story starts ok, and then it goes backwards.. Edward isnt even an Assassin, why ubisoft made an assassins creed game with the main character not being an assassin?
    The first person view and Abstergo as entertainment company made me want to ragequit the game instantly and play AC2 thinking that AC4 was a baaaad nightmare that never happened.

    Ac3 was really bad and empty, AC4 is a total Lie. If someone is thinking about buying it, wait till its on Steam sale for 3 bucks, more than that its worthless.

    Definetly, Ubisoft is sick with the call of duty fever, yearly releases and yearly deceptions, i have no more hope on Assassins creed anymore.
    Also started the Aveline DLC on AC4 and after 10 minutes it was totally boring and uninstalled the whole game.

    Assassins creed died with Ezio Auditore. It's not worth to play the 3rd or even this new one.

    AC1 was like: wow it has potential, will look for the future
    AC2 was like: oh my god this is the best series
    AC:B was like: oh my god this is the best series, second part
    AC:R was like: not as good as previous games, but its okay. (they should have explained better what happened with Lucy at the beginning of the game)

    AC3 was like: what am i playing? i have the feeling that im not understanding anything

    AC4 was like: Assassin's Creed R.I.P. 2013    … Expand
  26. officer7161
    Jan 30, 2014
    2
    boycott this franchise please! All assasin's creed has done is just recycle, recycle, recyle. If you compare the characters and maps etc from the previous titles in the franchise, they just take the same stuff and repackage it. I used to be a huge fan of MP of the series, but just got bored after they just repackage the same stuff repeatedly.
    Now I tried out MP in blackflag I can spot    boycott this franchise please! All assasin's creed has done is just recycle, recycle, recyle. If you compare the characters and maps etc from the previous titles in the franchise, they just take the same stuff and repackage it. I used to be a huge fan of MP of the series, but just got bored after they just repackage the same stuff repeatedly.
    Now I tried out MP in blackflag I can spot characters recycled from brotherhood, revelations etc...
    It's just terrible! guys, boycott the franchise so they will actually put some energy into creating new titles instead of recycling old ones!
    don't buy this game if you played previous title/titles!    … Expand
  27. xenzorg
    May 30, 2014
    2
    Same **** every year. And guess what, this year they are making 3 **** games. "Next gen" version, for old consoles (that means that both gonna be on pc) and ****ty watch dogs that is nothing more than ac.
  28. 420guy69
    Mar 21, 2020
    2
    Gave this game a 2 because:
    1. The game is unoptimized for PC, constant tearing, and FPS drop.
    2. The story is fine. It isn't that unique cause the characters you kill, They say something that sound really boring. 3. Stealth is dumbed-down into a point where trailing missions are actually fun than just killing people with your sword. 4. Gameplay is the same, except Ubisoft made it    Gave this game a 2 because:
    1. The game is unoptimized for PC, constant tearing, and FPS drop.
    2. The story is fine. It isn't that unique cause the characters you kill, They say something that sound really boring.
    3. Stealth is dumbed-down into a point where trailing missions are actually fun than just killing people with your sword.
    4. Gameplay is the same, except Ubisoft made it worse. The animators created the worst finishing moves and attacking moves in the history of gaming. Kenway just stabs a British Soldier with the worst sound fx i also heard. Just a stab to the right and a stab to the left. In AC3, there are variety of choices in the game to kill your guy, and amazing animations. It doesn't get me bored unlike in AC4.
    5. Trailing Missions: This is explained by videogamedunkey, where half of the game is just trailing missions, It's generic, and boring. You just follow this dude, kill or tail another guy.
    6. Optional Objectives. This mechanic really annoyed me throughout the AC franchise playthrough, Ubisoft said it is "Optional" so it is up to the player if they want to do it or not. But Ubisoft shames them with a 50% Sync rate. It feels like you are being forced to do the Optional Objectives, and those objectives are really frusturating to the point where you just said: **** you ****ersoft, I'm doing it my way."

    And conclusion:
    The game is really boring and the same, there's nothing unique and it feels generic. Ubisoft didn't add anything new to the game, while the Game Critics sits there and start writing a review for a game that didn't even come out yet. It took me 3 days to beat the game because it just felt boring.    … Expand
  29. bobreviews
    Nov 24, 2013
    1
    Runs like absolute ass. Yet another console port, from ubisoft. Tons of boring sailing. Unnecessary bolted-on additions to the story. Pretty much par for course now from ubisoft.
  30. jon-h86
    Apr 9, 2014
    1
    This game has a great engine(1 point). It would have been a great game if it wasn't so boring. It has very little to offer other than repetitive tasks and one dimensional characters. Truly a horrible waste of resources. Unplayable
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Awards & Rankings

31
#31 Best PC Game of 2013
15
#15 Most Discussed PC Game of 2013
16
#16 Most Shared PC Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
84

Generally favorable reviews - based on 10 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. GameCritics
    Mar 5, 2014
    60
    Ironically enough for a game which centers around the concept of genetic ancestry, however, it continually lets itself down by refusing to break away from its own tired and worn-out heritage,
    Read full review
  2. DarkZero
    Jan 16, 2014
    90
    Fans that were bummed out by Assassin’s Creed III will most likely find Black Flag to be a welcoming return to what they love about the series, with a great story, amazingly crafted world and smart additions to the sailing that make it a refreshing part of the Assassin’s Creed formula.
    Read full review
  3. PC PowerPlay
    Dec 30, 2013
    90
    Makes up for the failings of AC3, delivering a fantastic, engaging open world experience. [Jan 2014, p.78]
See all critic reviews »