Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag - Freedom Cry

 PlayStation 4
User Score
6.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 254 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 93 out of 254
  2. Mixed: 113 out of 254
  3. Negative: 48 out of 254

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  1. GamingCouchSpud
    Dec 4, 2021
    9
    Assassin's Creed Freedom Cry is a stand-alone game that was originally a DLC addition for Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag.

    Set between the years of 1735 to 1737, you play as Adewale, a man who was born a slave but later found freedom as a pirate on Edward Kenway’s ship, the Jackdaw. Fast forward 15 years and Adewale is now a trained Assassin, shipwrecked in Saint-Domingue, off the    Assassin's Creed Freedom Cry is a stand-alone game that was originally a DLC addition for Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag.

    Set between the years of 1735 to 1737, you play as Adewale, a man who was born a slave but later found freedom as a pirate on Edward Kenway’s ship, the Jackdaw.

    Fast forward 15 years and Adewale is now a trained Assassin, shipwrecked in Saint-Domingue, off the coast of Haiti, with no weapons and no crew to help him, he has to find a ship in Port-au-Prince, and gather a brand-new crew, so he can free the slaves, and kill those who enslaved them.

    Although a short game at about 3-5 hours, considering this was a DLC addition, that is a fair amount of gameplay you get without having to purchase Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, and enough to give you the taste of the main game, and perhaps help convince you to purchase that.

    The storyline in Freedom Cry is pretty good, as you would expect from any Assassins Creed game, lots of conspiracies to uncover, different gameplay modes including fighting enemies with a ship, the usual on land Assassins Creed activities, as well as deep dialog and cut scenes.

    I am a big Assassin's Creed fan, and I have most of the games, except Assassin's Creed IV, so when the cance came to get Freedom Cry I jumped at it, as to be brutally honest I still have a lot of other Assassin's Creed games to finish, so being able to play a 3 hour game was just about perfect.

    The Good
    Excellent Graphics that you come to expect from any Assassin's Creed game, the high quality of everything in this franchise is something that should be appreciated. The story on this game is great, and the gameplay itself is top notch.

    The Bad
    If you are a fan of the Assassin's Creed Franchise then there is no bad here.

    Overall
    Want a taste of the Assassin's Creed Franchise as a newcomer, then this is a perfect short introduction, experienced in the Franchise and want to play them all, then you cant miss this.

    I score Assassin's Creed Freedom Cry a strong 9/10    … Expand
  2. dajale
    Sep 24, 2017
    8
    I was happy that Assasin's Creed IV: Black Flag was made available as a PSN game. I don't think I would have played it otherwise. The story subject is definitely one that needs a delicate touch. For the most part, Ubisoft did a great job. This is one of the only games I have played that addresses slavery and definitely the history of Haiti. Top marks to the story. Now on to the negativeI was happy that Assasin's Creed IV: Black Flag was made available as a PSN game. I don't think I would have played it otherwise. The story subject is definitely one that needs a delicate touch. For the most part, Ubisoft did a great job. This is one of the only games I have played that addresses slavery and definitely the history of Haiti. Top marks to the story. Now on to the negative side. The gameplay could have been better. The in-game characters should have been more reactive to the activities I take. I believe I could leave a pile of dead bodies in town without anything happening. Seems like that would not have gone down in the real world. There were a lot of opportunities lost to take advantage of the inherent suspense and character reactions in the storyline. It's worth playing I enjoyed it.… Expand
  3. Miquelsv
    Mar 18, 2014
    8
    It have a good history , good protagonist, and you have a shotgun! And they hice you rewards for help slaves
    But it isn't too large and the world isn't very big But i recomend
  4. Nerocz1
    Apr 1, 2018
    8
    A bargain for the price. I even got it for free on PS4+ and was pretty happy about it. Took me around 7 hours to complete. Gameplay is fun.
  5. nnevill
    Dec 16, 2020
    8
    This game is not good and not bad. It's just a spinoff of Black Flag. And this is sort of unnecessary game. I've beat it about 3 weeks ago and remember almost nothing :) But at the same time you must play it if you want to know the full Black Flag story.
  6. atyoukha
    Jun 21, 2023
    8
    Assassins Creed: Freedom Cry holds a special place in my heart as a powerful standalone expansion. The emotionally charged narrative, immersive Caribbean setting, and exhilarating naval combat drew me in completely.
  7. huss2215
    Dec 26, 2013
    7
    Nice addition to the single player although locking you out of main sequences used to extended the game. The add on is still fun but way too short for the story itself. Around 3-4 hours to complete. 7/10.
  8. FallenHero217
    Feb 17, 2014
    7
    Whilst this DLC may be lacking in the amount of time it takes to complete, there's no doubt that Freedom Cry is a very solid DLC. Freeing slaves around the game world gives you personal satisfaction, and the environment detail is as good as it was in the full game, much like the voice acting. I would recommend waiting until the second DLC comes out, and if it stacks up better than FreedomWhilst this DLC may be lacking in the amount of time it takes to complete, there's no doubt that Freedom Cry is a very solid DLC. Freeing slaves around the game world gives you personal satisfaction, and the environment detail is as good as it was in the full game, much like the voice acting. I would recommend waiting until the second DLC comes out, and if it stacks up better than Freedom Cry, purchase the Season pass so that you can get both of them for a cheaper price.… Expand
  9. AccurateReview
    Feb 19, 2014
    7
    Although it may have a great story line, great detail in character, the world is not that big as the main game. As well, you have limited of the options to make. As well, the story is sometimes vague. But it does not lack the adventure and the stealth missions. And there is no "run and stab" missions, which is repeated a lot in the other games. The voice acting is well done. Additionally,Although it may have a great story line, great detail in character, the world is not that big as the main game. As well, you have limited of the options to make. As well, the story is sometimes vague. But it does not lack the adventure and the stealth missions. And there is no "run and stab" missions, which is repeated a lot in the other games. The voice acting is well done. Additionally, whenever I see a slave trying to escape, it makes me want to stop what I am doing and save the slave. This game is well done and it could have been better if the story was well more set and the world was much bigger.… Expand
  10. LongMaySheReign
    Mar 13, 2014
    7
    It is lamentable that Ubisoft, in making one of the first games focusing entirely or intently on the Atlantic slave-trade, decided upon a such a gormless story. While Adewale may be an engaging protagonist he is certainly no Django or Solomon Northup, and literally every other character in 'Freedom Cry' is either inanely stereotypical or insufficiently fleshed out.

    This is especially    It is lamentable that Ubisoft, in making one of the first games focusing entirely or intently on the Atlantic slave-trade, decided upon a such a gormless story. While Adewale may be an engaging protagonist he is certainly no Django or Solomon Northup, and literally every other character in 'Freedom Cry' is either inanely stereotypical or insufficiently fleshed out.

    This is especially disappointing as the game's developers appear to have had everything at their disposal to tell a more captivating and engaging story; perhaps even something that might resemble "Django Unchained: The Video Game" were it ever made.

    The gameplay itself is almost indistinguishable from that seen in 'Black Flag' and the major addition to the player's arsenal -- the 'blunderbluss' -- is utterly, obscenely, unrealistically overpowered. That's not to say that the gameplay is bad or boring, but gamers who have already spent 25 hours on 'Black Flag' will find that the experience is almost indiscernible from the original title.    … Expand
  11. TheNastyDraw
    Jun 29, 2015
    7
    Freedom Cry is a rare game , the type of the game that presents you with a good value for money proposition. It's a standalone DLC story where you take control of Adewale , Edward Kenways second in command in Black Flag and takes you to some remote Carribean Islands you dont get to go to in the main game, and tasks you with freeing slaves and maroons from plantations and ships.

    I got a    Freedom Cry is a rare game , the type of the game that presents you with a good value for money proposition. It's a standalone DLC story where you take control of Adewale , Edward Kenways second in command in Black Flag and takes you to some remote Carribean Islands you dont get to go to in the main game, and tasks you with freeing slaves and maroons from plantations and ships.

    I got a good few hours out of the storyline and enjoyed the refreshing take on the series. I thought the music was great the representation of some of the characters was good and i honestly enjoyed this small story a lot more than some of the bigger "full retail" games in this series. Gameplay wise it is very similar to Black Flag as Adewale gets his own ship to command.

    Conclusion : I think Ubisoft would do well to put more effort into their standalones like Freedom Cry , I really seem to be enjoying the smaller scale Ubisoft games at the moment    … Expand
  12. Uygar
    Aug 30, 2017
    7
    The Freedom Cry downloadable content is set twenty years after the events of Black Flag and follows Adéwalé in his mission as an Assassin. While attempting to intercept Templar activities in the West Indies Sea, Adéwalé is shipwrecked off the coast of Haiti.
  13. KayVen17
    Feb 11, 2019
    7
    Deutsche Review

    Pro: + geile Regen/Sturm-Effekte + sehr guter Soundtrack! + sehr gute deutsche Synchro + die Gesichter der Charaktere sind noch heute detailreich + das Klettern macht wie immer Spaß Contra: - etwas trockener Anfang - AC typisch-schlechte KI der Gegner - AUfgaben wiederholen sich - Ubisoft-Formel - HUD ist zu überladen - Story ist sehr "belanglos" -    Deutsche Review

    Pro:

    + geile Regen/Sturm-Effekte
    + sehr guter Soundtrack!
    + sehr gute deutsche Synchro
    + die Gesichter der Charaktere sind noch heute detailreich
    + das Klettern macht wie immer Spaß

    Contra:

    - etwas trockener Anfang
    - AC typisch-schlechte KI der Gegner
    - AUfgaben wiederholen sich
    - Ubisoft-Formel
    - HUD ist zu überladen
    - Story ist sehr "belanglos"
    - Spiel ist zweimal im Menü abgestürzt
    - manchmal waren Passanten transparent (Grafikfehler)

    Punkte: 66/100    … Expand
  14. TheCornflex
    Feb 1, 2018
    7
    Really short, but as good as Black Flag. There is not really much to do so I prefer Black Flag.
  15. Berik
    Oct 31, 2020
    7
    To my surprise, I'm enjoying Freedom Cry far more than Black Flag. This is the stand-alone expansion to Black Flag, and instead of Kenway you play as Adewale.

    Story: In Black Flag the assassins Creed storyline of Desmond and the pieces of Eden was all but **** on to make a watered down pirate game. The assassins storyline was boring, and Edward was a very politically correct and    To my surprise, I'm enjoying Freedom Cry far more than Black Flag. This is the stand-alone expansion to Black Flag, and instead of Kenway you play as Adewale.

    Story:
    In Black Flag the assassins Creed storyline of Desmond and the pieces of Eden was all but **** on to make a watered down pirate game. The assassins storyline was boring, and Edward was a very politically correct and underwhelming pirate (and character). Those themes are just an afterthought, as the big main theme of Freedom Cry is slavery. And to my surprise this gives satisfaction to the game. Kill slavers, free the slaves and repeat. Now that's what i call justice! It's an enjoyable game loop (on land).

    Gameplay:
    It is the same gameplay as Black Flag, and that was pretty good. As this game is far shorter than Black Flag, the game feels more linear. You can still go out and explore, but there's not much to find. And i think that's to the betterment of the entertainment value. Freeing slaves is your progression meter, and the more slaves you free the more upgrades you unlock. So doing the good thing gets you rewards! Isn't that awesome!? You can also kill whales and sharks still though...

    Graphics:
    Back in 2014 Ubisoft was still competing to deliver good graphics. In 2020 they have abandoned it altogether to sell you time savers and push out as much content as possible, but Freedom Cry does not age badly. It's not that good either though.

    Game loop:
    Kill slavers, free slaves, get rewarded, rince and repeat. On land i find this loop to be very enjoyable. The naval combat is still fun, but i feel like it is secondary to the satisfaction of killing dozens of enemies on land.

    Technical state:
    The game is a little bit more shaky than Black Flag. During a boarding, the reaction time between pressing a button and getting a reaction is still lagging, and the camera is too constricting and moves sluggishly. Other times it isn't showing the proper angle, thus leading to some very cheap deaths by off screen attacks. Adewale sometimes goes Windows 95 on you during a counter animation, which should really terrify those 18th century sailors.

    It is a good game, as its smaller size and new theme feel more satisfying. Unfortunately it also suffers from the same problems as Black Flag. I give it an 7/10.    … Expand
  16. PSGaming
    May 30, 2021
    7
    It was very short experience.Gameplay, graphics and audio are the same.Story is interesting,but not that great.
  17. Alm0
    May 9, 2020
    7
    The gameplay is cool the fighting mechanic is cool too im not bored stil but the story is bad
  18. mikesgold2K
    May 16, 2023
    7
    trochę uboższy Black Flag z naciskiem na problem niewolnictwa i walki z nim. Przyjemnie się gra choć miejscami toporność męczy
  19. BrianDavid94
    Oct 22, 2022
    7
    Quick background on me the reviewer, I tend to like single player games that is heavy on narrative the most. I also play a lot of racing games and use to play multiplayer games in my high school days but now that it's hard for me and my friends to find a good time to link up so now it’s rarer for me to get into a multiplayer game. Up to try any genre of games and sometimes I find somethingQuick background on me the reviewer, I tend to like single player games that is heavy on narrative the most. I also play a lot of racing games and use to play multiplayer games in my high school days but now that it's hard for me and my friends to find a good time to link up so now it’s rarer for me to get into a multiplayer game. Up to try any genre of games and sometimes I find something new that I didn't think I'd like. I own a PC (built by me), Xbox One X, Xbox Series X, PS3, PS4, PS5, and a Switch. I prefer Playstation due to their focus on narrative games. For scoring, I’ll be using the Gameinformer review scale and of course influenced by my personal opinions.

    (7) Average. The game’s feature may work, but are nothing that even causal players haven’t seen before.

    Short stand alone game that was originally planned as Black Flag DLC. It touches on slavery which is nice but I think this topic should be more explored more in a full game in the AC world. its in the AC world but adds nothing to the overall lore of ac. Get this game if you just want more ac content and to continue naval content that Black Flag did very well with but otherwise I would pass especially if you're worn out from Black Flag. There is nothing wrong with the game but there is also nothing to look forward to.    … Expand
  20. dr-kenobi
    Sep 7, 2022
    7
    Nice little DLC to check what happened to Adewale. Not great, not terrible.
  21. Agt_Killionaire
    Jun 14, 2023
    7
    This game is more like a paid trial to the main game. It does not have all the meat to stand successfully on its own. Though if it were not standalone I probably would have never played it. Everything is the same except for a couple of weapons and a liberation system to unlock gear.
    The two new weapons are the machete and the blunderbuss. Throughout my play through I avoided using them.    This game is more like a paid trial to the main game. It does not have all the meat to stand successfully on its own. Though if it were not standalone I probably would have never played it. Everything is the same except for a couple of weapons and a liberation system to unlock gear.
    The two new weapons are the machete and the blunderbuss. Throughout my play through I avoided using them. The better blunderbuss has a wider spread that probably was great for gathering a group of enemies and wiping them away with a quick shot. The machete I had an issue with as I felt it killed in the same amount of hits as a sword but you had to swing it slower.
    I’m sure most people’s favorite aspect of this game is the ship combat. It’s the same as the main game and has one issue I did not enjoy. When you would fire the cannons at a stand still the smoke would rise up and block vision. It is not enough to cause a major issue but slowed ship combat a tiny bit.
    The story is very short with 9 total missions. My least favorite of these comes down to the eavesdropping ones. The story is about Adewale after his story with Edward and his training with the assassins. He is deserted on the island of Haiti and tries to help with the liberation of slaves.    … Expand
  22. FrankCreeper
    Jul 28, 2023
    7
    Its not a bad game but for a stand-alone game....it is very shortly the story its pretty with his protagonist too bad combat system its still the same as his predecessor...for the free roaming...its more repetitive than Black Flag after all this problem is still a good and shortly game
  23. sems1193
    Jan 18, 2014
    6
    It'll serve you good if you're looking out for more of the Assassin's Creed Black Flag formula and for a refreshing topic that is seldom touched upon in video games: slavery, but if you're looking out for an experience that pays off in the end, save your money. The soundtrack is really nice, however. Yes, Freedom Cry is a decent piece of DLC, but it offers nothing to the AC canon besidesIt'll serve you good if you're looking out for more of the Assassin's Creed Black Flag formula and for a refreshing topic that is seldom touched upon in video games: slavery, but if you're looking out for an experience that pays off in the end, save your money. The soundtrack is really nice, however. Yes, Freedom Cry is a decent piece of DLC, but it offers nothing to the AC canon besides providing an insight into Adewale's story. Just don't expect anything mindblowing in the end.… Expand
  24. aGUYtoREMEMBER
    Mar 3, 2014
    6
    It is a good game add-on here is what I think.

    Pros:
    Good story, nice gaphics, great development.

    Cons:
    small, short in length, and just not reaching the hyped potential
  25. SixThreeBC
    Mar 13, 2014
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Eh, I wouldn't say that it was worth $10 to download but it wasn't particularly awful either. The story in itself is standalone, so if you're expecting any loose ends from Black Flag to be tied up here in Freedom Cry you might want to save yourself the trouble. Ade makes a few mentions of Kenway and you do go on a diving mission to visit the wreckage of Jackdaw, but that's about it as far as Black Flag references go. The premise of this DLC is to liberate slaves from oppression, and it does so using gameplay elements identical to those implemented in Black Flag. Ade moves, fights, swims and climbs just as Edward Kenway did as though you are using the same player with a different skin. The Experto Crede sails and battles in an identical manner as the Jackdaw once had. There truly isn't anything new aside from Ade using a Machete and Blunderbuss as his main weapons as opposed to Kenway's Rapier/Pistol combination. You can also throw Firecrackers as a means to distract guards, but there is quite literally only one instance in which they are absolutely essential.

    Black Flag was a good game in my opinion, so with Freedom Cry being so very similar I cannot give it any lower than a 6. As I said, it's a nice 3 hour extension to the main game, but absolutely not worth the monetary investment. If you truly are adamant about the story, I would advise that you watch the cutscenes online. Gameplay-wise Freedom Cry brings nothing new to the table, at all.    … Expand
  26. djjohnsson
    Jul 15, 2014
    6
    What Freedom Cry does well is that it delievers more of Black Flag. Sure Ubisoft could have made a lot better and a lot more with the content but in the purpose of having some more entertaining missions to play out it does well. With the major technical issues however my score drops down to a 6. Until (if ever) Ubisoft fixes the constant freezing I recommend players to get the content asWhat Freedom Cry does well is that it delievers more of Black Flag. Sure Ubisoft could have made a lot better and a lot more with the content but in the purpose of having some more entertaining missions to play out it does well. With the major technical issues however my score drops down to a 6. Until (if ever) Ubisoft fixes the constant freezing I recommend players to get the content as DLC rather than the stand-alone version.… Expand
  27. LatinCritic13
    May 18, 2020
    6
    Set after the events of ACIV, Adewale's story of revenge and freedom cry is way too short to appreciate. At least, it's better than that pointless Aveline's PS4 story exclusive chapter add-on.
  28. EmadF7000
    Oct 14, 2017
    6
    This Game is not bad, but it has so many glitches, every time i kill an enemy his body glitches through the floor.
    This Game costs around 20$ on the PlayStation Store which i say is fair it only took me 15 Hours to complete all the missions and an extra 5 Hours to explore and synchronize each island.
    All of the missions are easy but the part i hate the most is when the mission is locked    This Game is not bad, but it has so many glitches, every time i kill an enemy his body glitches through the floor.
    This Game costs around 20$ on the PlayStation Store which i say is fair it only took me 15 Hours to complete all the missions and an extra 5 Hours to explore and synchronize each island.
    All of the missions are easy but the part i hate the most is when the mission is locked that i have to free a specific number of slaves, sometimes it says 20, sometimes it says 400.
    But i wouldn't lie if i didn't enjoy freeing the slaves and stealing cargo from ship those are the only good thing from this game.
    i would recommend you buying this game, if you are one of those guys who play video games to get to the platinum trophy, will this is one of those games.
    I Hope you buy this game to get all of the trophies because that's the only good thing other than freeing slaves and stealing a ships cargo.    … Expand
  29. morakasper
    Nov 2, 2017
    6
    So when I started the game (DLC) I was actually happy and excited, but at the end of the game it felt like an obligation to me to finish it (I completed everything). The map it’s fine, yeah, but I think that it would be better if it had more side quests ore activities to do. Adéwalé was a more interesting character on the AC IV Black Flag game and in this DLC I feel like it was despised.So when I started the game (DLC) I was actually happy and excited, but at the end of the game it felt like an obligation to me to finish it (I completed everything). The map it’s fine, yeah, but I think that it would be better if it had more side quests ore activities to do. Adéwalé was a more interesting character on the AC IV Black Flag game and in this DLC I feel like it was despised. Yeah the DLC can give you a very reduced idea of what AC compared to other AC expansions, like the Death Kings expansion in AC Unity. The story for me wasn’t very interesting, it has some interesting missions but because of the UI and animation “problems” (that don't feel very flee-flowing) on the DLC the missions weren’t that good. To finish I recommend the game if you want an idea of what AC is or was because with Origins a lot of things have changed. The prize is very fair but I’ll give it a 6/10.… Expand
  30. DzmitryBoston
    Jul 8, 2020
    6
    Not enough for a stand-alone game, just a short addition to the black flag experience. Might be skipped.
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Awards & Rankings

18
#18 Best PS4 Game of 2013
16
#16 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2013
11
#11 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
71

Mixed or average reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11
  1. Game Revolution
    Jan 14, 2014
    80
    Adéwalé has his moments, but the real draw here is in the expansion of free-form gameplay both on land and at sea, meaning Freedom Cry succeeds at what it set out to do.
    Read full review
  2. Cheat Code Central
    Jan 8, 2014
    90
    Despite its issues, both technical and philosophical, I'm giving Freedom Cry a “must play” rating. I think it's an important start in tackling such a difficult and tragic topic via the medium of interactive entertainment.
    Read full review
  3. Hardcore Gamer
    Jan 6, 2014
    80
    Freedom Cry is simply a great addition to an excellent game, offering a story worth experiencing across a setting worth exploring.
    Read full review
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