This review contains spoilers, click expand to view.
9.5 out of 10 (rounded up to 10).
Adewale was one of the greatest characters in ACIV: Black Flag. Whereas Edward was the lousy scoundrel pirate (even though I still found him likeable), Ade was kind of like the Connor to his Ezio. Not as boring as the former mind you, but with the same heroic qualities and dedication to the Assassin Brotherhood. His turn towards the end of the game from first hand of the Jackdaw to proper assassin was well handled and pointed towards the much anticipated solo add on for the character. Freedom Cry is short and doesn't change the gameplay up as much as it claims, but the fact that you get to play as the first ever African assassin and also get to experience more of the best things about Black Flag make it worth a purchase by any fan or those who just want a smaller AC adventure to try out.
Taking place 15 years after the end of Black Flag, Adewale is now captain of his own ship and is travelling to Haiti to enlist more assassins and to help liberate the people of the islands. However, a deadly storm ends with his ship torn apart and him washed up on the shores of Port-Au-Prince. It's a setting that perfectly leads into building up your assassin once more in a pursuit for justice. As Ade begins to complete his objectives and comes into contact with a Templar woman, he realises that all is not as it seems in this section of the world and that there is a much grander scheme occurring than first thought. The campaign is under 3 and a half hours and consists of about 5 missions, though each one is well designed, comes with its own optional objectives and gives you access to new gear and bonuses. The greatest part about this campaign though, is that it isn't afraid to tackle some rather touchy themes and subjects. Slavery is at the centre of it all, but the game explores the problems of dictatorship and the trials many people have to go through if they are considered "insignificant." It's a little too small in length to fully explore all of this subject matter, though it does do a good job.
The side content on offer isn't hugely diverse and I wish there was slightly more to do post game, but there is a huge amount of collectibles to nab and some great bonuses that come with this such as better weapons and outfits. Hunting returns so you can craft upgrades for Adewale and this includes extra ammo pouches for your new gun the Blunderbuss. Speaking of this new gun, there are a load of new weapons and gadgets, like firecrackers of Adewale's large sugar cane machete. Combat is very similar to that of Black Flag, though these new pieces of equipment add an impressive array of options to an already robust fighting system. The style of Ade is also a whole lot more brutal than Edward's with deadly finishers and some counters that can end in more than a few disemboweled soldiers. Parkour is pretty much the same as it was in previous entries though, with the same animations though the unique geography of the Haiti location makes getting around more enjoyable.
While on the topic of the open world, I just have to say how impressive it is. Black Flag had a great amount of visual diversity and with so many islands and locations it would be easy to run out of ideas for this DLC and just do a copy and paste version. However, Ubisoft has decided to create a completely new location. Port-Au-Prince has forest elements and various farms like the pirate haven of Nassau, yet the slave trade that the city is built upon makes it a unique main city. The other islands you can explore are just as impressive, with some sand based places and a cool cave where all of your operations are headed up. This new world is also full of life and the amount of activities tied to each location is vast.
Along with all of this new side content comes a new challenge based system which determines the weapons you unlock and the upgrades you earn. However, a new slave based system also comes into play and depending on the amount of slaves you liberate (through small random events and some naval encounters), the more gear you could unlock and the greater amount of crew members you could earn. It's rewarding and is a cool gameplay mechanic that removes the crew recruitment of Black Flag. Speaking of crews and in Freedom Cry you get a completely new ship that you must build from the ground up once again- albeit in a smaller time frame and with less options. This condensed progression system is surprisingly rewarding as I normally hate it when DLC resets all of your upgrade progress. However, the new options and the easy way it all plays out makes building up the Experto Crede pretty fun.
Freedom Cry is a polished and highly accomplished add on that brings a new protagonist, setting and bunch of gameplay mechanics, but also keeps the same great form of naval adventure and piracy. It's a nigh on perfect expansion that all fans of Creed should play- and maybe those new to the series as well. Adewale rocks and this proves it!… Expand
