Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced Hands-On: This Is Looking Good

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We recently had a chance to play a portion of Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced. We spent two and a half hours exploring a selected area of the Caribbean, experiencing the remake’s updated graphics on a powerful gaming computer.

Overall, we think this is well worth the wait and lives up to the excitement. Resynced successfully combines the strengths of the original with fresh, welcome improvements.

We’re thrilled to be discussing this, and we’re excited to explore why together!

The Assassin and the Pirate

We found that combat in Black Flag was a bit too simple, prioritizing flashy effects over strategic depth. This was the most noticeable improvement in the preview version of the game. The developers didn’t try to completely overhaul the system, but instead incorporated successful elements from their more recent role-playing games, resulting in a powerful and versatile pirate-Assassin in Edward.

He moves just as quickly as you recall, but the enemies are tougher to knock off balance now. The timing for parrying is stricter in this game compared to Black Flag – you’ll have to work harder to create openings for attacks that used to come easily. When you successfully parry, you’ll get a clear visual signal and a good chance to quickly take down the enemy, then smoothly continue the fight with others, just like before.

The parry system in Resynced is a great example of how the game successfully blends old and new ideas. It keeps Edward’s quick and powerful sword fighting style intact, while also requiring players to carefully watch their opponents and be aware of the action around them.

The game’s new takedown animations look fantastic, and the ability to interact with the environment adds exciting new possibilities that feel true to the character of a pirate like Edward. Everything runs incredibly smoothly thanks to the Anvil Engine, making the action clear, responsive, and a joy to play.

Edward Kenway’s abilities are showcased brilliantly, and combat provides a great way to highlight his aggressive nature. Black Flag did a good job of demonstrating this, and Resynced takes it even further by making skillful fighting essential to the experience.

Look, sometimes rushing in with everything you’ve got just isn’t the smart play, especially with how the new skills work in Resynced. But thankfully, they’ve really let me take control of Edward’s stealth. I don’t just automatically crouch anymore – I have to hit a button to do it, which is awesome. And it actually makes a difference! The closer I am to an enemy, the harder I am to spot when I’m crouching, so it’s a really useful addition to the gameplay.

However, there’s one drawback to the game. The enemy AI hasn’t gotten any better, so the main way to sneak around in Resynced still relies on luring enemies into traps – usually by whistling. Your darts are still really helpful for this, but they haven’t been updated. Just like in the first game, you can use Edward’s rope to pull enemies closer and use special melee attacks to defeat them.

Even so, the new combat system in Resynced really stood out and was the most enjoyable part of our experience.

Let’s Set Sail, Lads!

We’ve been really excited about the potential of naval battles in this game, and it looks like they’re getting even better. We weren’t able to try out all the new features in our early version, including extra uses for our standard weapons and new types of ammunition like Shrapnel Rounds and 8-Pounders.

Even though we were eager to see the ship battles, we didn’t mind that they felt familiar. Taking on enemy ships was a highlight of Black Flag, and it was great to have that back. However, the new combat system and increased enemy numbers do make boarding ships a bit more difficult than before.

There haven’t been major updates on Jackdaw recently, but we’re still excited about the progress. We think the Resynced update has the potential to be a truly excellent pirate experience when its new features are fully integrated into the naval combat system.

This new wagon wheel for shanties is a great addition, making it much easier and faster to reach the songs you love so you can quickly return to enjoying the view from the ship’s deck.

Okay, so let’s talk about what’s new! It’s been almost thirteen years since I last visited the Caribbean, and wow, a lot has changed! I’m really excited to share what I’ve noticed around the islands.

Exploration Has Been Improved

Exploring the game world is really fun. Like the first game, you can use the Diving Bell to go underwater, but it’s much more immersive now with a lot more detail in the underwater environments. It’s also great that you can now place multiple markers on the map – something you couldn’t do in the original game.

The game now features little bits of storytelling – like eavesdropping on conversations – that help you discover secrets and find items for quests. These small, immersive details weren’t in the first game and really enhance the experience, adding a lot more depth to the world.

Previously deserted islands now have shops and characters, making the game world feel more populated and enjoyable. You can still hunt sharks like before, and there are caves to explore for secrets and even take on special missions.

A Tropical Stunner

Let’s be direct: Resynced looks significantly better than the already beautiful ocean setting in Black Flag. You’ll immediately notice the water – the way it realistically reflects light and moves with the waves is captivating. Storms are also much more immersive, with rain realistically hitting the ship’s deck and impacting you on land. The new weather system makes these storms feel even more dangerous and present in Resynced.

Adding a bit of challenge to flying the Jackdaw in stormy weather makes exploring the world feel more realistic. The seas should feel dangerous and react to your actions, just like they always have – maybe even more so. We’ve learned a lot from how Shadows used dynamic weather, and Resynced is a perfect opportunity to put those lessons into practice.

The biggest highlight is definitely the new lighting. Ray tracing adds a beautiful polish to every environment, and it’s really impressive to see. Perhaps it’s because we have such fond memories of Black Flag, but revisiting those familiar locations with these updated visuals brought a huge smile to our faces – it was a wonderful mix of nostalgia and excitement that truly enhanced the experience.

The character designs are excellent, and Edward looks particularly impressive on modern consoles. The game features impressive draw distances and detailed environments, and we expect it to run well on less powerful machines with some adjustments, as well as on the standard PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. However, some areas are too dark, making it hard to see, and this needs to be addressed.

Beyond just looking prettier, the update added a really cool feature – the Jackdaw can now navigate rivers again, just like in older games! I found myself just chilling on the ship, watching the English countryside fly by as I headed for my next objective. Honestly, it works so well, it’s become my go-to way to travel – I love being able to scout ahead and look for treasure and adventure.

An Evolution, Not a Revolution

Even though Resynced seems to be making significant improvements to Black Flag, don’t expect a completely different game. It’s still fundamentally Black Flag, but it offers enough new content to set it apart from the original.

While these improvements make the game feel smoother and more polished, they aren’t revolutionary. Resynced doesn’t take big risks, but it successfully fits in with the look and feel of the latest games in the series.

If you’re a fan of Edward Kenway or were particularly moved by his story, you’ll probably enjoy this. Essentially, Resycned feels like a significantly improved version of the original game, and it doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel. We still have more to explore, and our impressions could change, but so far, it’s looking promising.

We really enjoyed our early experience with the game, and we’re excited to see how the finished product turns out. Right now, Resynced seems like a smart and thoughtful remake that focuses on what makes the game great.

This game was previewed on PC.

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2026-05-21 19:13