Thirteen years after Edward Kenway first hoisted the Jolly Roger, Ubisoft has released a ground-up remake of Assassin’s Creed Black Flag. The game, titled Black Flag Resynced, opens with pirate ships in battle and a lush tropical island on a sunny day – a deliberate show of modern graphics after the original's 'muddy era' of darker colours.
The original Black Flag is among the most popular entries in a franchise that has sold an estimated 230 million copies across its iterations. Players control fictional Welsh pirate Edward Kenway in the Caribbean during the 1700s. The remake keeps the setting but brightens the palette: early 18th-century Havana is visibly more vibrant, and diving underwater reveals a fantastic coral landscape that the developers are keen to show off.
“Ubisoft's ground-up remake of Assassin's Creed Black Flag, 13 years on, impresses with bright graphics and axed modern-day sections.”
Andy Farrant, co-editor of the YouTube channel Outside Xbox, told the BBC he was excited to play. 'I firmly believe Black Flag is the best Assassin's Creed game,' he said. Its only downsides, Farrant noted, had been 'the boring modern day bits' – sections in a Montreal office that have been axed in the remake. 'The world and the characters of Black Flag is what made it so appealing,' he added. 'The chance to dip back into that world with some shiny new visuals and more screentime.'
The BBC's Tom Gerken, who has played every Assassin's Creed game, described it as 'a lot brighter' than the original, which suffered from the 'muddy era' of gaming where developers used darker colours for gritty realism. Released right at the tail end of that era, Black Flag was not the most egregious example – but still suffered. Now, with high-end graphics befitting a big-budget 2026 title, the game 'photographs well' as it tries to live up to the original's legacy.
