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. Jerry4050
    Jan 13, 2014
    9
    It was an awesome start but a very underwhelming build up at the end, After two patches the game finally looked as good as the next gen games on my PC with the GTX 660 ti but it has frame rate issues in the jungle but outside in the sails it runs okay. I liked Edward more then any of the past assassins creed character but Ubisoft should of just made a stand alone pirate game with the mainIt was an awesome start but a very underwhelming build up at the end, After two patches the game finally looked as good as the next gen games on my PC with the GTX 660 ti but it has frame rate issues in the jungle but outside in the sails it runs okay. I liked Edward more then any of the past assassins creed character but Ubisoft should of just made a stand alone pirate game with the main character then making it as an Assassins creed game. I personally had fun in this game but if you dont care about the story too much, its a blast but I do hate getting out of the Animus part. I just hope they just make a good Pirate game and just forget about the Assassins Creed series altogether.… Expand
  2. RealGameReviews
    Dec 30, 2013
    8
    Play as kenway in this 8-bit action adventure. highly acclaimed game which will thrill you for hours. also there are pirates and who doesn't like pirates. This game is great and i recomend it to you if you read this
  3. Hochbichler
    Mar 20, 2020
    6
    Assassin's Creed IV: Black flag is the sixth major installment of the famous stealth action adventure series. I find the setting of this game is very interesting: the Age of Sail, the pirates, West Indies. The stealth/combat system (on land) gets boring and repetitive very quickly. The sailing side of the game is by far the best part of it, although even here would I welcome more shipAssassin's Creed IV: Black flag is the sixth major installment of the famous stealth action adventure series. I find the setting of this game is very interesting: the Age of Sail, the pirates, West Indies. The stealth/combat system (on land) gets boring and repetitive very quickly. The sailing side of the game is by far the best part of it, although even here would I welcome more ship diversity, more upgrades etc. The sea can also get a bit crowded for my taste at times. Naval battles are a lot of fun as is the whaling minigame (criticised by the PETA thugs, of course). Shanties are a brilliant idea and great collective items, specially in contrast to the useless animus fragments. The graphics is pretty good for 2013 game, but the colours seem a bit dull. The font is quite pleasant. The difficulty of this game can be a problem: objectively it is just too easy. The story is interesting for the first half of the game, then it gets partially ruined by pathos and SJW crap. The part of the game that takes place outside of the animus is interesting, but only to people familiar with the AC world/story. Sadly this game contains plenty of greedy microtransactions and equally plenty of SJW crap. Both single player DLCs are perfect examples of that.

    This is a game with a lot of appeal for me, but several unfortunate decision somewhat ruined the experience for me. Final Verdict: 60 %    … Expand
  4. AModernMyth
    Dec 30, 2021
    10
    I think Black Flag actually might be my favorite AC game, there's just something special about this game. Graphics, music, characters, locations, everything in this game just works wonderfully.
  5. TallGermanGuy
    Nov 29, 2013
    10
    I have played all of the games in this franchise, but this game is by far my favorite. AC3 was a little bit of a let down, but this game is fantastic. Ship combat is extremely fun and the graphics are stunning. I have had absolutely no issues with this game whether it is fps or screen tearing, and people that do should probably update their rigs. 10/10 because i found myself playing forI have played all of the games in this franchise, but this game is by far my favorite. AC3 was a little bit of a let down, but this game is fantastic. Ship combat is extremely fun and the graphics are stunning. I have had absolutely no issues with this game whether it is fps or screen tearing, and people that do should probably update their rigs. 10/10 because i found myself playing for five hours straight without a single minute of boredom. Anyone who has been a fan of the previous games, this is a must have.… Expand
  6. Tenshi-Ryu
    Nov 30, 2013
    8
    I've been playing the game basically non-stop since I bought it and I love it. I haven't come across any game breaking bugs yet and the game run smooth for me on highest settings (i7 3.4GHz, 12GB RAM, GTX 680 4GB RAM). This is how you're supposed to play a pirate game Huge open-world to explore, fight, trade and come up with other mischief. Tough I admit the trade part is pure basic, butI've been playing the game basically non-stop since I bought it and I love it. I haven't come across any game breaking bugs yet and the game run smooth for me on highest settings (i7 3.4GHz, 12GB RAM, GTX 680 4GB RAM). This is how you're supposed to play a pirate game Huge open-world to explore, fight, trade and come up with other mischief. Tough I admit the trade part is pure basic, but that's fine! it's a pirate game after all and no trading game ;).

    The only reason I'm not given 10/10 is because of the multiplayer mode. It's just some generic arena crap PvP/Co-Op. I was hoping for the same open-world style, where you can play with friends in a co-op fleet (or even PvP, for those that care about this I DON'T). As it is the 10 minutes I spent in multiplayer will be it. I'll just player it Single-Player, which is fine with me.    … Expand
  7. Elite_Reviews
    Nov 22, 2020
    9
    This game has all the best Assassin's Creed elements and then some more. Parkour/climbing feels better than ever, graphics are incredible for 2013 game and music is awesome. Black Flag has very likely my favorite soundtrack of whole series. It has huge map and many historical pirate-age figures like Blackbeard. Solid game, would very much recommend!
  8. TheGame_Reviews
    Feb 19, 2022
    10
    This might be one of the best games Ubisoft has ever made. Ship combat, likable characters, huge open world full interesting locations, islands and places to dive. Story is solid, mission designs are fun and main character is really cool. Parkour isn't Unity level (because it came before Unity), but it's still very decent. Music is one of the best in whole AC series. Would recommend.
  9. Kadirov
    Feb 9, 2021
    8
    В своё время зашла, была в ней какая-то романтика. Протагонист имел душу, в отличии от болванчиков в остальных играх серии. Для 2013 года и 4ой итерации серии - хорошо. Поэтому Black Flag - 8/10. Origins - 4/10
  10. d__b
    Dec 24, 2013
    5
    Basic of making next game in the series is improving on previous games. But Ubi managed to get it backward. Even if resulting game is still somewhat decent, it's still step backward in almost all areas.

    Even flag feature of this game sea combat, got wrose than in AC3. Even if combat system got expanded, it's irrelevant since sea fights are so easy now, and storms no longer cause waves    Basic of making next game in the series is improving on previous games. But Ubi managed to get it backward. Even if resulting game is still somewhat decent, it's still step backward in almost all areas.

    Even flag feature of this game sea combat, got wrose than in AC3. Even if combat system got expanded, it's irrelevant since sea fights are so easy now, and storms no longer cause waves big enough to matter(which was best part of sea combat in AC3, in my opinion). Yes, combat is enjoyable, but less so than it was in previous game. Also, "travel speed" at sea despite being "Animus-side speed to make travel fast" still maes most travels between points few minutes of boring screen staring.

    You remember hunting or crafting from AC3? Well, now hunting got reduced to "hunt 2 of each kind of animals, craft one thing per animal, forget about it". Harpooning is new minigame, I'm not so sure if it's good minigame, so in that case it might be good that you only need to do it few times per animal.

    Hideout present since AC2 is here too, it's big, but upgrading it is pretty much irrelevant, only serving as money sink. What's more, none of vanity collectibles actually affect any part of the world. You can upgrade your ship, sure, but it's like buying upgrades to yourself. Whole economy system present since AC2 is gone.
    Brotherhood gave us "your people", and here fleet takes this role, but it's bloody SimCity all again, play with "friends" or anything will take ages to do. Because Ubi couln't find good reason for their piracy-detergent of online requirement, they just turned part of game into "social" game.

    When you think difficulty hit rock bottom, here comes out another AC game to prove you wrong and define new bottom. In some cases, enemies will even ignore you murdering one of them right in front of them. Killing enemies with gun rarely makes anyone react at all. Only good change in that department is whistling now you have to whistle for a while before guard decides to og investigate, making picking them off one by one less reliable.

    Older games used to have optional missions that were one big jumping puzzle. If you strain youself, you might find one or at most two of those in this game. Historical places? Not in this setting. Beuitifull cities? Not in this setting. Huge buildings to climb? Not in this setting. Collectibles? Well, some are hidden. Most of them are at sea and main challenge is to not say "screw it" and not spend hours sailing from point to point to jump ship, swim to island, pick it up from ground, get back to sihp and repeat.

    Characters? Hmph. Your out-of-Animus character is nobody, he does not speak, has no motivation, could not find any mirror so not sure if he even has actual body. He's just getting used by everyone around him, like a tool. As for in-Animus... Ezio started as a rash youth, and grew. Connor started as kid, and grew a lot. Edward starts as badass without clear motivation or character, and remains as such pretty much whole game.

    Story there is no story. There is some pirating "do what we want" story, small Assassin substory, but overall, it's just "do random things and maybe you stumble across something relevant to this or that plot".

    It's PC version, ported from console, so optimization is terrible, and graphic settings are lacking. There is no gamma correction, so everything is so freaking bright that you just can't see some things during the day. But, at least they enabled mouse control so you can actually select tings on map with mouse, instead of moving map around to center relevant icon and select it.

    Overall, it's not bad game, if it was not part of AC series but standalone pirate game, it could be decent 8 or even 9, depending how "assassiny" elements of game would be substituted. But as part of series, it's worst Creed ever released. So far.    … Expand
  11. moidoid
    Nov 30, 2013
    10
    As a veteran of the AC series I am so glad that the mis-step of AC3 has not been repeated. The setting is lush and beautiful to play in and I'm enjoying the gameplay which is in part familiar but with a beefed up emphasis on sailing which I wouldn't have thought I would enjoy but have done. No problems with it running flawlessly for me on an AMD card in hi res for everything looksAs a veteran of the AC series I am so glad that the mis-step of AC3 has not been repeated. The setting is lush and beautiful to play in and I'm enjoying the gameplay which is in part familiar but with a beefed up emphasis on sailing which I wouldn't have thought I would enjoy but have done. No problems with it running flawlessly for me on an AMD card in hi res for everything looks stunning. Halfway through and enjoying it as much as AC2, the best in the series so far.… Expand
  12. fragman
    Nov 28, 2013
    8
    Your satisfaction with AC4 will be depending on what you want from the game. In terms of a successor to games like Brotherhood it may seem a little bit subpar since it isn't on that level story-wise. However the protagonist is an enjoyable character and I like the change regarding the Assassin's order-based main characters. Instead of one more installment of basically the same game itYour satisfaction with AC4 will be depending on what you want from the game. In terms of a successor to games like Brotherhood it may seem a little bit subpar since it isn't on that level story-wise. However the protagonist is an enjoyable character and I like the change regarding the Assassin's order-based main characters. Instead of one more installment of basically the same game it takes quite a different approach while still providing links to previous versions.

    The mix between the classic rooftop hopping from the early days and the nature parkour we know from AC3 gives the game a nice variety. You'll always have something fun to do and in my experience the most enjoyable thing in AC4 is leaving the main story behind every now and then and just go explore, hunt and sail the open seas. It is extremely nice to pull up next to a huge british ship and blasting it to smithereens. And while I really miss some mechanics from earlier games (like calling assassins to your aid), if you look at it as a pirate game it is completely awesome.    … Expand
  13. Subterra
    Dec 29, 2013
    0
    Game runs terribly on pc steer well away from this mess absolute rip off not even a moderatly high end pc can run this game at payable speeds its an absolute disgrace that they are selling the game in its current state dont buy
  14. tedur1
    Dec 2, 2013
    10
    To be honest, I have never played an assassin's creed game before, so if you are a die-hard AC guy, you may disregard my review as I cannot compare it to others in the franchise. I really enjoy first person shooters and I never cared for 3rd person games. However, I have to say that this game really blew me away. The graphics are absolutely top notch and I really enjoy the story. InTo be honest, I have never played an assassin's creed game before, so if you are a die-hard AC guy, you may disregard my review as I cannot compare it to others in the franchise. I really enjoy first person shooters and I never cared for 3rd person games. However, I have to say that this game really blew me away. The graphics are absolutely top notch and I really enjoy the story. In fact, they have put such a great effort into even the most minute details that I am shocked. For example, I speak Spanish as I have lived in Spain and the people in Havana speak with the Spanish dialect as you would expect within the historical context. The sea battles are brilliant and the game is just damn fun to play. I haven't finished it yet, but wow am I enjoying it. It has been a huge surprise and I highly recommend it to everyone, even FPS players. It does contain some similar elements to Far Cry 3, but it is a much better game. I can't tell you the last time, I just enjoyed a game for the scenery; which I often do when sailing in AC4.… Expand
  15. Vixremento
    Dec 2, 2013
    6
    Being a fan of AC2 and brotherhood I'd been rather let down with anything that followed and even with the over-hyped AC3 I got seriously burnt. I then waited...cautiously...for the Black Flag reviews and in general it all seemed to point out that they'd corrected their flaws and gone back a little to their roots. Is it true you ask?
     
      Well yes for some bits and sadly...no for the most    Being a fan of AC2 and brotherhood I'd been rather let down with anything that followed and even with the over-hyped AC3 I got seriously burnt. I then waited...cautiously...for the Black Flag reviews and in general it all seemed to point out that they'd corrected their flaws and gone back a little to their roots. Is it true you ask?
     
     
    Well yes for some bits and sadly...no for the most part. AC2 had you really involved and it made sure that you had to do a little more than just "point and shoot" so to speak. Black Flag comes along and introduces us to some more intensive ship control and ship battles that really do feel pretty good to take part in initially. Soon though you do feel that this "pirate-battle-ship-thing" is a bit flat and it starts to get quite boring pretty quickly so it's sad that it has such a huge focus in the game because it really stops being fun after the first two hours or so.
     
     
    Platforming it's just gone I'm sad to say. Every bit of navigation required now is only made more difficult by figuring out which bit of the map it is that you have to navigate around everything in-between that is just pointing and holding down the shift key to get there (and then sometimes you just can't "disconnect" because you've become a sticky monkey to anything that is not at ground level). It's fun right in the beginning but then you soon start to realise that there is actually no challenge to doing any of it.
     
     
    Combat: Pretty much nothing new here boring and as easy as ever (in fact it felt even easier this time around). Sure, you'll have to dodge a few grenades, counter (feels very much like Batmans counter-moves) and break defenses by using a key press...rather un-rewarding in the end especially when you know that a monkey could pull off the same moves.
     
     
    Once again I'm left rather disappointed (and I haven't even touched on the "future" bits that feel about as fun to play as just watching a clip of someone else play the game...hell even that would have been more fun!) and after having played through the somewhat long and fairly boring story I just didn't feel anything special about this game (I actually had to force myself to keep playing through it and all the time I kept thinking "maybe I should just re-install and play through AC2 or AC:Brotherhood again instead). With promises of an upgrade system similar to Far Cry 3 (sure, it's mostly true but pretty much damn boring and not very much required) and the usual "hunt" for collectables being slapped in there I eventually stopped because the game just become sooo long in the tooth.
     
     
    Ah well I guess I should have realised this after revelations that the game has just been effectively dumbed down to a more simplistic experience that what we were introduced to before in the previous titles...maybe I'm just getting old or maybe I'm just trying to expect too much when consoles dominate so heavily. My conclusion: if you loved AC2/Brotherhood and despised AC3/Revelations then give this one a skip. In the end this one looks pretty and plays fairly nicely with my PC hardware yet in the end it just feels overly simplified and too heavily story-focused without really giving too much of a damn about game-play.    … Expand
  16. Galaroth
    Dec 23, 2013
    10
    The last few Assassin's Creed games hasn't been so satisfying, but THIS one goes straight to the top on the list of awesome games! I really enjoyed this game and find myself still playing after completing the main quest, because i want to keep plundering, fighting and improve my ship. The main story line was extremely good. The entire game itself was incredible, everything in the game justThe last few Assassin's Creed games hasn't been so satisfying, but THIS one goes straight to the top on the list of awesome games! I really enjoyed this game and find myself still playing after completing the main quest, because i want to keep plundering, fighting and improve my ship. The main story line was extremely good. The entire game itself was incredible, everything in the game just makes sense, and is so well done.… Expand
  17. jaydi
    Dec 28, 2013
    9
    If you enjoyed Sid meiers Pirates as well as the AC series, then this game is a piece of heaven for you.

    When I was younger I played Sid meiers pirates and this has all the features of that wonderful title that I spend days off from work to play. Ship upgradeability, a fleet, simple trade, in addition to more management features from previous AC games but this time for ships in your    If you enjoyed Sid meiers Pirates as well as the AC series, then this game is a piece of heaven for you.

    When I was younger I played Sid meiers pirates and this has all the features of that wonderful title that I spend days off from work to play. Ship upgradeability, a fleet, simple trade, in addition to more management features from previous AC games but this time for ships in your fleet. Its pretty cool I wish there was tutorial however for these menus. I have been finding features by accident.

    As they did with Farcry3, ubisoft has created an enormous, atmospheric expanse to sandbox around in while taking bites off the main linear storyline. The ships are wonderfully portrayed, the emerald seas are rolling and unforgiving at times and the ship to ship battles, including boarding and harpooning are well done and intense. I spend most of my time at sea in this game. Knowing the ground based AC game is still always there is really a lot of game for your dollar.

    I give this game a 9 out of 10 it deserves it. Its addictive and fun.    … Expand
  18. 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
  19. RustyJames
    Nov 24, 2013
    1
    Booring! We saw all that stuff in AC3. In my opinion Ubisoft consider PC gamers as a bunch of silly children, again and again. The graphics just a bit better, than in AC3, but with poor tech support of PC, the lags and freezes appears even on the recently upgraded machines. But what is advice by Ubisoft? "HA-HA. Try again and buy the high-end system!". I'm tired of this ****
    But what do    Booring! We saw all that stuff in AC3. In my opinion Ubisoft consider PC gamers as a bunch of silly children, again and again. The graphics just a bit better, than in AC3, but with poor tech support of PC, the lags and freezes appears even on the recently upgraded machines. But what is advice by Ubisoft? "HA-HA. Try again and buy the high-end system!". I'm tired of this ****
    But what do you find at the game? Silly screenplay, as usual, 1-dimensional characters, as usual, a lot of extremely stupid mini-games, as usual. But the most annoying things are the missions, i suppose it's the worst game design in the series. After a couple hours it seems that you play replays type 1: shadowing and chase, type 2: annoying naval battles (the fun leaves after 3-4 battle), type 3: the robbery that appears to massacre.

    I hoped AC4 to be at least open-world game, but it fails, of course just a dead cities (like an exact copy past from AC3), with number of treasures and other "pirate" stuff...

    Music and sound are usual, quite ok, sounds like a lot of money wasted to something similar to "historical" or "original"...Actors are ok, but the dialogues, no doubt, was writen by the children and for the children...

    Controls in PC version are still headache since AC1, the alter-ego tries to irritate you at least 1 time per 2 minutes, especially when you're doing "cool parkour stuff"...

    It's the same situation again on PC, the series still have failed since AC2, which was a real step forward, so what can i say "use your assassin's abilities" and don't waste your time and money as "a fake pirate" in AC3,5.    … Expand
  20. JorisK
    Nov 30, 2013
    8
    When i played this game the first 15 minutes my morale almost hit rock bottom as the game gave me the idea it is simply 'just another assassins creed', but after playing 30 minutes i noticed that was far away from the truth.
    Yes, in general this is 'another' Assassins Creed but the pirating stuff in this game is so massive that you sometimes have the feeling the game doesn't feel like a    When i played this game the first 15 minutes my morale almost hit rock bottom as the game gave me the idea it is simply 'just another assassins creed', but after playing 30 minutes i noticed that was far away from the truth.
    Yes, in general this is 'another' Assassins Creed but the pirating stuff in this game is so massive that you sometimes have the feeling the game doesn't feel like a 'true' Assassins Creed game at all. This game is for 80% all about pirating which makes you simply forget all the Assassins stuff. Even the Abstergo intermezzo's are minimal and that says enough...
    The way Ubi set up the massive sea, the beautifull Carribean islands and scenery, the great sea battles, the huge amount of upgades to both Edward and his ship is just very well done, no doubt about it.
    This whole pirating adds loads of new stuff to the game and when looking back at the history of Assassins Creed, that is just what this game needs. Altough i don't like the fact they are overusing some old stuff from previous versions, this whole new pirating system makes me simply forget all of it.
    Another big plus is that this game is well balanced. As i said before, you need upgrades but the amount of resources it takes (money, wood, metal, etc) forces you to battle, hunt, kill, explore, fight and enter ships alot, causing loads of gameplay. I have been playing this game for loads of hours this past 1,5 week. My ship is still not fully upgraded and i'm still at 50% progression.
    I remember i threw away my AC3: Revelations CD as the game was simply rubbish but Black Flag is simply awsome. I love it and Ubi, well done.    … Expand
  21. Green_spy
    Dec 4, 2013
    10
    Ubisoft took all wrongs from AC3 and made them right.
    AC4 has a much more immersive and intriguing world. The naval combat and exploration are very enjoyable, mission aren't as repetitive and give you MUCH more freedom.
    Edward is also a very interesting character. You see him mature and become a better person. Character development is very good. Overall this game is fun and you will    Ubisoft took all wrongs from AC3 and made them right.
    AC4 has a much more immersive and intriguing world. The naval combat and exploration are very enjoyable, mission aren't as repetitive and give you MUCH more freedom.
    Edward is also a very interesting character. You see him mature and become a better person. Character development is very good.
    Overall this game is fun and you will find yourself spending much more time in it than you probably expected.     … Expand
  22. TwiggyMcSexy
    Dec 4, 2013
    10
    Best Assassins Creed game yet, its a new idea carried out perfectly for the Assassins Creed title. The exploration is endless and starts almost immediately after you start the game. I highly recommend you buy this game if you love Assassins Creed and limitless exploration and activities.
  23. DanielCorfour
    Nov 26, 2013
    6
    Assassin's Creed 4: 90% pirate, 10% assassin. To see a summary of this review scroll to the end.

    Ubisoft went ahead and did the obvious. They took, the best part of Assassin's Creed 3, really the only really good part, and made a game out of it. Literally, they retrofitted the game engine used in the previous title into this a new game, while barely adding or changing anything. This    Assassin's Creed 4: 90% pirate, 10% assassin. To see a summary of this review scroll to the end.

    Ubisoft went ahead and did the obvious. They took, the best part of Assassin's Creed 3, really the only really good part, and made a game out of it. Literally, they retrofitted the game engine used in the previous title into this a new game, while barely adding or changing anything. This whole game felt like an AC 3.1, rather than a new title.. which, I wouldn't have had a problem with, if they would have fixed the problems that plagued AC3, or actually gave us a good, satisfying story, like AC2, but they didn't.

    Assassin's Creed wasn't particularly good when it came to game mechanics, AC1 and 2 were kind of bad actually, instead, it was built by it's amazing storytelling, beautiful setting, and wonderful soundtrack. I still listen to Ezio's Family by Jesper Kyd from AC2. That song brings back a kind of emotions that I rarely feel with games. AC4, however delivers only one of these, the setting. I'm going to start by criticizing the story itself. It's terrible. First off, it has nothing to do with Assassins, they barely make a cameo appearance, both inside and outside the Animus. The whole game revolves around pirates, and that wouldn't be a problem, if it was a good story. And it starts out good, but then it gets riddled with plot holes, poor writing, scenes that don't make sense, and although they stayed away from the obvious parrot cliches, they added a bunch of them story-wise. The story does make a few twists, but most of them you'll see coming a mily away, and most of them don't make sense. There is no main enemy in the game, and most of the things that happen in the game make no sense. And if you were expecting a great ending.. don't.. it is terrible. The only plot-twist you won't see coming in this game is the ending.. they drop it on you out of nowhere, just when you were expecting the game would truly begin, and then they hit you in the face with a poorly done cutscene, and leave you confused.

    Here's a tip, dear Ubisoft. A story, every story, follows 5 basic steps, not necessarily in this order: Exposition, Rising Action, Progression, Climax, Ending. The 4th is completely missing, and the fifth leaves you confused, when it should leave you satisfied.

    Then there are the actual missions in the story. Boring, repetitive and most of them don't make sense. All you do is follow this guy, eavesdrop on that guy. And on rare occasions you kill someone. Missions involving ships can be interesting, but at times they are the same boring "follow that ship" nonsense. In comparison with GTA 5, or Red Dead Redemption, where every mission was unique and intriguing, here they are boring, unimaginative and repetitive. The same goes for side missions. Assassinations, Naval Missions and Templar Hunts. All of them are basically the same. If you did one then you did all, there's no point in continuing. You play through it once, but you won't want to play through it a second time.

    What saves the game is the beautiful and huge open world game, the side activities(not missions) and the naval combat. The setting is really amazing, although some fans of the series will find it irritating that you won't visit cities that much, only a couple times, and they are small with not a lot of things to do, the setting just didn't allow for that. Most of the time you will do what the game is all about: pirating. Naval combat is really fun, and it's been expanded upon a lot.: you can board ships, capture them, steal their cargo and send them to your fleet, you can attack naval forts and capture them. You can use those resources to upgrade your ship and so on. There are also underwater places you can explore, but there are limited, and in comparison with GTAV, where there was an entire open-world you could explore, here there are only ten locations, but it still looks great, and avoiding sharks and medusas is great fun. You can also raid plantations, which are a ton of fun... basically the side activities are really great, and make this game enjoyable, even though the story brings it down.

    In summary, it looks like this game was made just so Ubisoft can make more money off of the ship mechanics in AC3. Combat and land based mechanics are basically the same as the previous game, although they did need changing and improving. The game engine is the same as it was in the third title, with very little improvement, or change, when it, again needed it. And all of this would not be a problem if the game offered a good story, but it doesn't. The story seems like an excuse to sell an adapted version of AC3, and the story is driven by the game mechanics, and not vice versa. Luckily the beautiful setting, graphics and excellent pirate game save the game and prop up the rating to a 6/10. You can't help but feel, if they only spent a little bit more time, and wouldn't pump out a game every year, it could've been an amazing game.    … Expand
  24. Reidlos65
    Nov 24, 2013
    5
    Good game hindered by the Poorest PC optimization ive seen in a few years. Top of the line rigs hitting 45 to maybe 60 if your lucky? Nah don't think so. The game is fun and story is good considering this is outside the trilogy
  25. 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.
  26. Lrv7795
    Nov 25, 2013
    10
    I have been a long-time fan of the Assassin's Creed series. Black Flag does not disappoint. What I look for in a game is how long I can play it until it gets old. I'm over 20 hours in, haven't beaten it, and am still having a blast. The only downside is tailing and eavesdropping missions, and even those include the new style of stealth Ubisoft has incorporated into the game. I love theI have been a long-time fan of the Assassin's Creed series. Black Flag does not disappoint. What I look for in a game is how long I can play it until it gets old. I'm over 20 hours in, haven't beaten it, and am still having a blast. The only downside is tailing and eavesdropping missions, and even those include the new style of stealth Ubisoft has incorporated into the game. I love the stealth system in Dishonored and Farcry 3, and Assassin's Creed IV comes close to the same level of quality. Now for the rest of the game. You will find yourself swinging from ropes and boarding ships with explosions around you, dual swords in hand, slicing up British to your heart's content. The combat has been made noticeably smoother and the same with the naval combat. There is so very little wrong with this game; it amazes me how critics take those small errors and take 20 points off of a game's score.… Expand
  27. andymac20
    Nov 26, 2013
    10
    Better story than the rest of the series better graphics and gameplay overall improvement and graphics are realy realy good played 27 hours not finishes story yet but one of best games played this year surprising with the amount of good games this year
  28. MontyDKoege
    Nov 26, 2013
    9
    Well I'm a long time fan of AC, but have been rather critical of some of the historical settings, which we have been presented.
    Where AC would have gotten a 7 this setting and all the new features has blown me out of the water.

    Best pirate game ever love sailing (instead of that irritating horse and discovering loads of secrets.
    Absolutely great graphics and wonderful ideas.
  29. Krius
    Dec 31, 2013
    10
    Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag is the best part of ALL, 10 out of 10 even with "poor" pfs (i5, GTX690 average: 45fps) I'm sure that after 1st patch game will be optimized in 100%. THE BEST ADVENTURE, PIRATE GAME EVER
  30. Vampire
    Dec 5, 2013
    10
    I have nothing to say cause Ubisoft once again made an awesome game. This game just made me remain speechless. I still wonder how many people gave negative rating. It is a must have game and recommended for all the assassin gamers
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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

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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,
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  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.
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  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]
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