User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 2658 Ratings

User score distribution:
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  1. Dec 6, 2013
    8
    I've always been a bit ambivalent about the Assassins Creed series, the PC ports have been pretty bad and I always thought it over ambitious on the PS3 (and I suck at climbing walls). This time the game is rendered as smooth as can be and running through Havana a joy (although I still suck at climbing).

    I'm not a fan of the race to collect the shanties (see suckyness above) and those
    I've always been a bit ambivalent about the Assassins Creed series, the PC ports have been pretty bad and I always thought it over ambitious on the PS3 (and I suck at climbing walls). This time the game is rendered as smooth as can be and running through Havana a joy (although I still suck at climbing).

    I'm not a fan of the race to collect the shanties (see suckyness above) and those missions where you need to tail someone can get tedious but other than that I'm having a blast with the combat and exploration both on land and sea.

    A finely, ahem, executed game on the PS 4
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  2. May 3, 2014
    8
    Finally. After total disaster and fail with AC3 good old AC is back. In many ways best AC until now. When I started to play I thought it will be pure 10/10, but they managed to spoil gameplay with some little things but big enough to partly spoil the game. First of all gfx, gameplay, crafting system is awesome. But there is way too much "follow"/"catch"/"tail" missions which are extremelyFinally. After total disaster and fail with AC3 good old AC is back. In many ways best AC until now. When I started to play I thought it will be pure 10/10, but they managed to spoil gameplay with some little things but big enough to partly spoil the game. First of all gfx, gameplay, crafting system is awesome. But there is way too much "follow"/"catch"/"tail" missions which are extremely dull. To be worst almost every memory have that. Would be better if they put that in side missions or something because this way you cannot avoid bad parts. Second, there is some Abstergo hack missions which are very annoying and pointless. To be worst Abstergo part doesn't improve story in any way. Game is on good way to be perfect. Without that bad parts it would be pure 10! Expand
  3. Dec 14, 2013
    8
    I liked the first one and hated 2, Brotherhood and 3. But wow Black Flag is an awesome adventure. For being a next gen launch title I am really impressed with the graphic. It is about medium high on a gaming pc. The story is fun and the ship battles are great. The overall sound and music is top notch. This is what AC should have always been.
  4. Dec 1, 2013
    8
    I Really enjoyed AC4. Its not a perfect game but it grabs your attention and doesnt let go. For a next gen game it looks georgous. Draw distance and the level of detail on such a large map really shows the developers dedication. The contols are still an issue but its a fun ride so stop reading this review and go grab yourself a copy!
  5. Mar 2, 2016
    8
    The combat & parkour are still awful, just like in the whole series. These guys really beed to playing Dying Light to see how well parkour can be done (albeit from 1st person). Thankfully, the pirate sailing parts are wonderful. And the pirate parts of the plot are nice, and the main character is genuinely likable. But all of the standard Assassin's Creed parts are the worst parts. IThe combat & parkour are still awful, just like in the whole series. These guys really beed to playing Dying Light to see how well parkour can be done (albeit from 1st person). Thankfully, the pirate sailing parts are wonderful. And the pirate parts of the plot are nice, and the main character is genuinely likable. But all of the standard Assassin's Creed parts are the worst parts. I wish they'd just made a non-AC pirate game. Expand
  6. Nov 28, 2013
    8
    AC IV is definitely an improvement from ACIII. ACIII was terrible! I care about Edward and I love the fact that he's not dull. I don't care much for the story, but I love the gameplay, the gameplay definitely makes that up for me. Battling other ships is amazing! I didn't think I would care for it, but I'm glad I was wrong. Guess what? There's actually STEALTH! There was no stealthAC IV is definitely an improvement from ACIII. ACIII was terrible! I care about Edward and I love the fact that he's not dull. I don't care much for the story, but I love the gameplay, the gameplay definitely makes that up for me. Battling other ships is amazing! I didn't think I would care for it, but I'm glad I was wrong. Guess what? There's actually STEALTH! There was no stealth whatsoever in ACIII and I'm glad that Ubisoft was smart enough to put it back in you'll really need it in this game. You're not a killing machine compared to Conner you're an actual ASSASSIN. Now the cons to the game are regenerating health and, again, only one button for free running. I hate regenerating health. I hate having to run away from battle just regain my health back, I prefer to have potions so I can heal right then and there. Free running.....I still don't like the one button, but since this game is nowhere near as buggy as ACIII I can tolerate it. Thank you Ubisoft for fixing most of the problems. Expand
  7. Dec 4, 2013
    8
    Cracking pirating adventure that had me singing along with the shantys and really enjoying the plundering and battling.

    Amazingly good fun, however some gripes as follows: Paying for the "next gen" version sticks in the craw for only next gen foliage after boarding a boat the FMV is always seems to be the same, gets a bit tedious Not every island is accessible, and you cannot
    Cracking pirating adventure that had me singing along with the shantys and really enjoying the plundering and battling.

    Amazingly good fun, however some gripes as follows:

    Paying for the "next gen" version sticks in the craw for only next gen foliage
    after boarding a boat the FMV is always seems to be the same, gets a bit tedious
    Not every island is accessible, and you cannot traverse the whole place feels "enclosed"
    Free running seems to have gone back to the crazy monkey of AC2 where you are running along and suddenly try mounting a wall

    Other than this the game is solid and great fun. Grow your beard, get your other half to make you an eye patch (I love my girl for walking in with mine) and have a rip roaring time!
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  8. Nov 11, 2014
    8
    I did not like assassin creed games in the past seemed so linear and made me not want to play them. However after playing this up to 35% I am really happy that I gave the series another shot and want to spend all my time at sea gaining loot! I really like the graphics in this game, very well done. I like the pirate ship and boating action in this game, being able to dive, spear fish,I did not like assassin creed games in the past seemed so linear and made me not want to play them. However after playing this up to 35% I am really happy that I gave the series another shot and want to spend all my time at sea gaining loot! I really like the graphics in this game, very well done. I like the pirate ship and boating action in this game, being able to dive, spear fish, openly explore the sea is really a good idea and rendered beautifully. I like how on islands, etc. you can make a mini game out of climbing tree branches to achieve your goals. The only down side to the game in my opinion is the wonky movement, that at any minute you can accidently do some movement you really did not want to do. Overall I am happy with this game. Expand
  9. May 22, 2014
    8
    As someone who always find AC is overrated, I am surprised that how much I enjoyed to play this game for at least the first 20 hours. Definitely the best sailing/pirate game I played in the past 10 years. I cannot stop thinking how it can be if they cut the assassin nonsense but focus only on sailing part of the game and add more trading gameplay and a big map. Honestly, the assassin partAs someone who always find AC is overrated, I am surprised that how much I enjoyed to play this game for at least the first 20 hours. Definitely the best sailing/pirate game I played in the past 10 years. I cannot stop thinking how it can be if they cut the assassin nonsense but focus only on sailing part of the game and add more trading gameplay and a big map. Honestly, the assassin part is just boring and weird. The graphic on ps4 is candy. Expand
  10. Dec 17, 2013
    8
    Let me start by saying I've never really been a huge fan of the Assassin's Creed series mainly because the repetition I have experienced. You always know what to expect from an Assassin's Creed game. You will hide, vanish, assassinate, wash, rinse, repeat. I purchased this game because there were limited options of games I wanted for the Playstation 4. With that said, I've reallyLet me start by saying I've never really been a huge fan of the Assassin's Creed series mainly because the repetition I have experienced. You always know what to expect from an Assassin's Creed game. You will hide, vanish, assassinate, wash, rinse, repeat. I purchased this game because there were limited options of games I wanted for the Playstation 4. With that said, I've really enjoyed this game. It really taps into the power of the Playstation 4 and shows it well. The graphics are extremely impressive! Whether it be in a settlement or a deserted island, it appears to be very realistic in many different ways. The way the water moves, storms that you can get caught in, weather changes, it's all very surreal to watch. The combat system is basically the same as the previous version, it works very well. I highly recommend this to any Assassin's Creed fan or if you're looking to play an open world game that shows off the power of the PS4. Expand
  11. Dec 9, 2013
    8
    no Abstergo mumbo jumbo, and a few repetitive missions striped away and this game is a masterpiece as a pirate game on it's own! definitely my favourite from the whole AC franchise.
  12. Jan 11, 2014
    8
    What an amazing games the graphics and gameplay was unique. Although poorly placed checkpoints and a glitch where you can't quit contracts made me unable to play the story line...... I played it 2 times first time i got bored then restarted but then i accepted contract and could not do story line there was no way to cancel contract so i quit.. Sadly most of the best games are not hereWhat an amazing games the graphics and gameplay was unique. Although poorly placed checkpoints and a glitch where you can't quit contracts made me unable to play the story line...... I played it 2 times first time i got bored then restarted but then i accepted contract and could not do story line there was no way to cancel contract so i quit.. Sadly most of the best games are not here yet....

    Maki
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  13. Ed_
    Jun 5, 2014
    8
    The game is fantastic, enjoyable. Despite the new era and the new gameplay Assassin's Creed 4 could continue its ancestors' success. The story is great as always. No bugs and there are no problems with controls. The game worth every penny.

    Can't wait for the new Unity.
  14. Dec 20, 2013
    8
    I was less than overwhelmed with Assassin's Creed III, as my review indicates. Nevertheless, AC IV was my top choice for a PS4 launch title. From the moment I washed up on the game's first island, I instantly found this version more compelling. The new protagonist, Edward Kenway, lives some time before Connor. He's a pirate, rather than an assassin, and a slightly unsavory character. He'sI was less than overwhelmed with Assassin's Creed III, as my review indicates. Nevertheless, AC IV was my top choice for a PS4 launch title. From the moment I washed up on the game's first island, I instantly found this version more compelling. The new protagonist, Edward Kenway, lives some time before Connor. He's a pirate, rather than an assassin, and a slightly unsavory character. He's convinced he can make his fortune, chasing one far-fetching dream after another. He's more interesting than either protagonist from AC3, but more over, the game is just more fun. The scenes are broken down into a number of small locations, and when you get everything in one, it turns gold on your map. Which basically meant I ran around trying to turn as many locations gold as possible. For the first time in a long, long time, I found myself interested in accomplishing everything in game. In the end I didn't, not quite. The game was a bit larger than I would have liked for doing everything, and while I loved the exploration, by the end, I was ready for it to be over.

    Graphics:
    The beautiful Caribbean setting pops, especially on PS4. This is by far the prettiest game in the franchise, making simply running around and climbing stuff fun in a way that hasn't been since about AC 2 (the first one).

    Story:
    Edward Kenway is a protagonist out for himself--selfish and short-sighted. But despite seeing his self-destructive path, I still felt for him. And seeing him slowly grow as a character was a pleasure. The story is mostly fun and free-spirited, but tinged with a hint of regret, as the age of piracy is dying and Edward begins to realize that his style of living does have a cost.

    In the present, a new, unnamed protagonist takes Desmond's place. The new guy or gal--you never know--is working for Abstergo Entertainment, who is making a virtual reality experience for retail from the memories of Desmond ancestors. Of course, that's a cover, but your hero isn't in on the real loop. It's all kind of tongue-in-cheek. Honestly, since the Desmond sections of AC3 were the best part, I found these sections here a bit of a let down. They mainly consist of hacking mini-games, most of which grew tedious long before I uncovered all the secrets.

    Gameplay:
    The overall play experience is similar to AC 3, but refined in almost every way. Gone are annoying lock picking mini games, that made me actually walk past checks in that game. Now, I go out of my way to collect all the treasures--because, hey, pirate treasure! The game places a lot of emphasis on naval battles, but fortunately, the battles themselves, and upgrading your ship, are actually pretty fun.

    In fact, the only tedium I really faced was the real-world hacking mini games, and feeling like a few too many eavesdropping missions cropped up. Don't get me wrong--the occasional eavesdropping or tail-the-guy mission breaks up the gameplay, but it becomes frustrating if you fail and are repeatedly forced to reload. I would have liked it better if, more like AC 1, there were alternatives and the game didn't just reload when things went awry.
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  15. Feb 23, 2014
    8
    A wealth of content and nice colorful graphics and atmosphere (a nice contrast from earlier gen titles on PS3). The game isn't a true next gen game but the load times are relatively short, there's a wealth of content and occasionally there's a feel good sensation of successful play. Upgrades make a true sense of progression and new play toys.

    The downside is clunky controls that will
    A wealth of content and nice colorful graphics and atmosphere (a nice contrast from earlier gen titles on PS3). The game isn't a true next gen game but the load times are relatively short, there's a wealth of content and occasionally there's a feel good sensation of successful play. Upgrades make a true sense of progression and new play toys.

    The downside is clunky controls that will often cause screw-ups. Run and climb are tied to one button and the character will often get stuck breaking momentum and climbing during a chase if they get too near a wall. Combat is reduced to waiting for enemies attack to make a parry-riposte which other enemies will wait for you to finish.

    Characters are likable even if the plot seems meandering. Overall a good game to play while you wait for more dedicated PS4 games.
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  16. Dec 3, 2013
    8
    Probably one of the best Assassin's Creed games since 2, and looks gorgeous on the PS4. Great fun overall, and lots to do. However, while bringing some great new additions on the gameplay side, it still carries many of the flaws of its predecessors.
    Also, in my opinion, Ubisoft should have taken the naval part and made it a new IP, focused on the Pirates mythology, rather than try to
    Probably one of the best Assassin's Creed games since 2, and looks gorgeous on the PS4. Great fun overall, and lots to do. However, while bringing some great new additions on the gameplay side, it still carries many of the flaws of its predecessors.
    Also, in my opinion, Ubisoft should have taken the naval part and made it a new IP, focused on the Pirates mythology, rather than try to force the Assassin's Creed lore into the pirate fantasy.
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  17. Dec 5, 2013
    8
    First off, I must admit I am not much a fan of the Assassin's Creed series. After playing the first game, that I didn't enjoy, I thought I would be done. However I gave Black Flag a try and was very happy with the decision. From the collectibles, the missions, and sailing, there is plenty of content to enjoy that never feels like busy work. There are some things that do get in the way fromFirst off, I must admit I am not much a fan of the Assassin's Creed series. After playing the first game, that I didn't enjoy, I thought I would be done. However I gave Black Flag a try and was very happy with the decision. From the collectibles, the missions, and sailing, there is plenty of content to enjoy that never feels like busy work. There are some things that do get in the way from enjoying the game but those are features from the original game. Accidentally taking the rope up to the crows nest on my ship was too often of an occurrence to forgive it. Missions expectations being delayed until after I failed to complete them was also another hindrance to my enjoyment.

    However those are minor enough still give it an 8/10. The sailing, ship to ship combat, and fighting a rogue wave were so enjoyable that I will play it again just experience the excitement again. Nothing is more satisfying in that game than the moment when you realize that when you set sail for the first time, you are in total control.
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  18. Sep 30, 2014
    8
    A very enjoyable experience with stunning visuals and a vast and beautiful open world and a strong story, Assassin's Creed IV is a game I would recommend to any fan of the franchise or open world games in general.

    It certainly isn't the traditional Assassin's Creed formula, but the change is far from bad.
  19. Dec 23, 2013
    8
    Overall, this game was an okay game. Its average graphics, average combat style, and monotonous ship battles and traveling make the game only mediocre and make it less fun then the other games in the series. Although, Assassins Creed 4 is slightly repetitive, certain weapons and missions make it a lot better. One aspect of the game that I really enjoyed was the new weapons such as theOverall, this game was an okay game. Its average graphics, average combat style, and monotonous ship battles and traveling make the game only mediocre and make it less fun then the other games in the series. Although, Assassins Creed 4 is slightly repetitive, certain weapons and missions make it a lot better. One aspect of the game that I really enjoyed was the new weapons such as the berserk darts which caused people to attack anyone in sight. Another thing I liked was the fact that you and your crew have the ability to take over forts and plunder them. In conclusion I think that this was a good addition to the series, and Ubisoft could expand on this idea in future games to come. Expand
  20. Dec 30, 2013
    8
    Great game. Specifically seeing how to does strain away from the series quite a bit. Though the story sometimes left me confused and outside the animus game play seemed unappealing to me. The ship combat systems is very rewarding and enjoyable. Hunting is not as tedious as in assassins creed 3.
  21. Jan 3, 2014
    8
    Overall, very pleased with AC4, BF. This is a sandwich review. The naval combat was very fun and I enjoyed my pirating activities. The closed combat mechanic was maybe a tad too automated at some times (-0.5). The modern part of the story was useless and I did not enjoy that part (-0.5). I had the uPlay passport activation issue (and still have), so there are a few things that I could notOverall, very pleased with AC4, BF. This is a sandwich review. The naval combat was very fun and I enjoyed my pirating activities. The closed combat mechanic was maybe a tad too automated at some times (-0.5). The modern part of the story was useless and I did not enjoy that part (-0.5). I had the uPlay passport activation issue (and still have), so there are a few things that I could not play with (-1). Ubisoft, get your game together, don't put such thing in future titles. As always in the series I was amazed by the amount of historical work done by Ubisoft to support some characters, architecture styles, languages, etc. Expand
  22. Jan 22, 2014
    8
    Never liked assassins creed untill now, thought I would get it so I had something else to play with my PS4.
    Never new I could have so much fun in a multiplayer match, Thats all I enjoyed from this game, the multiplayer. The story was ok but some of the mission got boring, everyone should try this out if not for the story then the multiplayer
  23. Jan 11, 2014
    8
    Definitely better than AC3 but still has some similar issues of redundancy and too much open world resulting in a lot of empty space. Fast Travel, as was the case with the previous game, is a Godsend because I could not possibly imagine having to sail 10,000m back and forth between destinations. The story is almost an afterthought for me. Probably 9 of the first 10 hours that I spentDefinitely better than AC3 but still has some similar issues of redundancy and too much open world resulting in a lot of empty space. Fast Travel, as was the case with the previous game, is a Godsend because I could not possibly imagine having to sail 10,000m back and forth between destinations. The story is almost an afterthought for me. Probably 9 of the first 10 hours that I spent playing this game were spent doing side missions; capturing ships, synchronizing viewpoints, taking down Naval Forts etc. with minimal time being put into progressing the story. The fact that the game is not linear is definitely a plus, here. You can literally spend hours enjoying quests on the side and not have to advance the storyline. This adds tremendous replay value without even factoring in the multiplayer element.

    I usually play this game in 2 hour increments just to keep the gameplay elements fresh. If you're a marathon player that can sit in front of a TV for hours and hours on end then this game might bore you because it's a lot of the same things being done over and over again with slightly progressing difficulty. However it's one of those games where you will get out of it only as much effort as you put into it. If you spend time upgrading your ship and finding treasure chests for some extra gold, you'll find the boundaries of this game to be almost limitless. Overall Black Flag is a hit in my book, definitely better than last year's version.
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  24. Feb 4, 2014
    8
    A truly impressive amount of content in one game. An interesting story line and a new approach to playing at current time as an Abstergo employee. I won't go into spoilers, so don't worry.

    The fighting style is pretty comparable to all the other AC titles, hit square and triangle over and over, but the animation keeps it interesting. The ability to aim a gun is an absolute revolution
    A truly impressive amount of content in one game. An interesting story line and a new approach to playing at current time as an Abstergo employee. I won't go into spoilers, so don't worry.

    The fighting style is pretty comparable to all the other AC titles, hit square and triangle over and over, but the animation keeps it interesting. The ability to aim a gun is an absolute revolution in this title and a great improvement. Fast-travelling does become somewhat of a nightmare when your trying to get all the assassin and naval contracts and the end of the game, as well as finding all fragments and chests that were loaded into a shotgun and fired at the map.
    I DO NOT like the number of uncharted islands with chests and Animus fragments, they are NOT enjoyable and consume a lot of time. (OK everyone! Let's sail to the 200 small islands individually, jumping off and on your boat each time just to get 300 reales or a fragment! Sound fun?)
    I would have liked a better sailing speed and turning system, something more in depth with actual sailing, but the aiming of cannons, ship weapon variety, and numerous upgrades keep it interesting.
    The storyline is...well, long. I'll admit I love the First Civ references and sailing the Queen Anne and a Man o' War was AMAZING. Unfortunately, they reminded me that i would have preferred being able to choose any ship, not just one. Each could have had an upgrade set, abilities, advantages, disadvantages...oh well.
    I recommend this game for someone who enjoys playing before they finish the story. DO NOT WAIT TO GET COLLECTIBLES AT THE END. It gets boring.

    FEUDAL JAPAN FOR AC5!!
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  25. Feb 9, 2014
    8
    Its fun, for a little bit. And then it gets boring. That is how I see AC4. The story missions barely have any actions. 70% of the time its tailing and eavesdropping, with some scripted chase missions thrown in. The combat is way too easy. But it does have a great world. You can hunt animals, do assassination missions, upgrade you're ship, blow up forts, the list goes on. I just want a moreIts fun, for a little bit. And then it gets boring. That is how I see AC4. The story missions barely have any actions. 70% of the time its tailing and eavesdropping, with some scripted chase missions thrown in. The combat is way too easy. But it does have a great world. You can hunt animals, do assassination missions, upgrade you're ship, blow up forts, the list goes on. I just want a more engaging narrative from the next Assassin's Creed, because this one isn't so great. Expand
  26. Mar 6, 2014
    8
    First off I'm not an Assassin's Creed fanboy, and this was my first title I've played within the series. I bought this because of the massive underwhelming PS4 launch, and I expected this to be a solid game. The graphics were solid and comparable to the highest end of PS3 and the gameplay was definitely enjoyable. The only detractor I see from having this be an amazing game is theFirst off I'm not an Assassin's Creed fanboy, and this was my first title I've played within the series. I bought this because of the massive underwhelming PS4 launch, and I expected this to be a solid game. The graphics were solid and comparable to the highest end of PS3 and the gameplay was definitely enjoyable. The only detractor I see from having this be an amazing game is the storyline, which seems to fizzle at the very end. Expand
  27. Mar 17, 2014
    8
    EXCEPTIONAL - I play AC games primarily for story while visiting multiplayer on occasions. The single player story was interesting enough to make drive me to complete it. The vast world of the game is a big strong point and kept me engaged. I payed full retail price at launch (60 USD) and support my purchase.
  28. Mar 20, 2014
    8
    Having played all of the Assassin's Creed games, I can certainly say this does not disappoint. However, I really miss the ability to upgrade parts of my armor separately; that would have fit this game excellently.
  29. Mar 20, 2014
    8
    This is easily my favorite Assassin's Creed game. After the shockingly massive disappointment of Assassin's Creed III, I was worried that a pirate themed Assassin's Creed was going to relive the past disappointment. While still having some of the mind-numbingly repetitive task types of the entire series, this game is beautiful and fun to play.
  30. May 29, 2014
    8
    The controls were smooth and responsive but the gameplay felt dated and lacklustre. While Kenway is a likeable protagonist, the story is a bit disjointed and forgettable. Never really felt like an assassin, but I do like the pirate theme. I think the graphics and collectibles kept me going in this game.
Metascore
83

Generally favorable reviews - based on 29 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 29
  2. Negative: 0 out of 29
  1. Apr 20, 2014
    90
    The PlayStation 4 version of the game is mechanically the same as the PlayStation 3 version, but the new engine is eye-poppingly awesome.
  2. Ubisoft significantly improved the multiplayer side of things. Also, story takes you places.
  3. Jan 4, 2014
    80
    It’s difficult to imagine Assassin’s Creed ever leaving the sea behind.