Assassin's Creed Black Flag Remake vs Original Comparison: 7 Main Differences

Released in 2013, Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag is widely considered one of the best entries in the series. Moving away from the urban stealth and exploration of its predecessors, the game shifts its focus to high-seas exploration across the Caribbean and intense pirate ship combat. The long-awaited remake will be available this summer, on July 9, for PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5, and its announcement last month was not a big surprise - after all, rumors about the project had been circulating for a long time.

The first speculations about a remake of the original game emerged last summer when the voice actor for Edward Kenway, Matt Ryan, let it slip. The CEO of Ubisoft, Yves Guillemot, had also previously hinted at possible remakes of older Assassin's Creed titles. Now that the game has been officially confirmed and some details have been revealed, below, you will discover the 7 key enhancements in Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced compared to the original 2013 release.

Graphics

One of the most significant advancements in Black Flag Resynced is its visual fidelity. The game is powered by the Anvil engine, the same technology utilized in the recently released Assassin's Creed Shadows. This allows the remake to deliver a truly seamless open world, enhanced with realistic global lighting and entirely overhauled high-resolution textures across jungles, urban environments, and character models. Full support for ray tracing and RT global illumination has been confirmed, ensuring that the game's centerpiece—the sea—appears more vibrant and realistic than ever before. The developers promise that weather conditions will now have a significant impact on ship handling within the game world.

Compared to the original game, Black Flag Resynced takes a significant step forward; it is clear that this is not just another remaster but a full-fledged remake on the level of Resident Evil 4. And the graphical upgrade is just the tip of the iceberg.

Story

Regarding the plot details of Assassin's Creed Black Flag: Resynced, the narrative is expected to remain faithful to the original source material. However, Ubisoft has confirmed that the game will include new content intended to expand upon Edward Kenway’s story. For instance, Darby McDevitt, the writer of the original Black Flag who has returned to his role for the remake, confirmed that he has written a new scene featuring Edward and his wife, Caroline. While specific details remain under wraps, it has been noted that the addition will provide greater emotional depth to the experience.

Moreover, characters such as Blackbeard and Stede Bonnet will receive expanded screen time, specifically through new story arcs and missions. While Ubisoft has yet to disclose specific details, it is expected that the remake will feature approximately six hours of additional content. Additionally, Edward Kenway’s crew will expand with three new recruits: Lucy Baldwin, The Padre, and Deadman Smith. Players will be able to uncover their backstories while also unlocking new gameplay mechanics and ship abilities through these characters.

It is encouraging to see that Ubisoft is not merely porting the original narrative to the remake but is also introducing new elements that influence the game's broader story.

Gameplay

The developers went the extra mile; by incorporating updated visuals and narrative tweaks, they ensured that Black Flag Resynced feels like a true remake rather than a simple remaster, packing in entirely new gameplay features.

Particular attention has been given to the combat system, which has been overhauled to emphasize fast-paced action. Enemies have become more intelligent, requiring a unique approach for every encounter; if you rely on the same repetitive tactics, the NPCs will actively adapt to counter them. In short, relying on a single, one-note strategy is no longer a viable path to victory. While the hidden blade cannot be equipped as a primary selectable weapon, it remains available for executing silent takedowns on NPCs.

Parkour has long been a centerpiece of the Assassin's Creed franchise; Black Flag Resynced leverages the fluid movement systems from Shadows and Valhalla as a foundation, further iterating upon them for enhanced responsiveness. Leveraging the capabilities of the Anvil engine, character locomotion is significantly smoother and exhibits a more realistic weight compared to the original release.

Furthermore, the stealth mechanics have undergone a comprehensive overhaul. The community has lauded the removal of one of the original game's most persistent frustrations: eavesdropping missions no longer result in an automatic failure if the player is detected. Furthermore, Eagle Vision has been overhauled, now featuring the ability to tag enemies through walls.

These changes extend beyond the land to impact the high seas as well. Edward Kenway’s ship gains a suite of new customization options, and players can now adopt a cat or a monkey as a loyal companion. Furthermore, diving underwater is now seamless; you are no longer tethered to specific map icons and can submerge at any time.

The developers have also overhauled the game's HUD, adding the option to toggle the interface almost entirely, manually raise or lower Edward's hood at will, utilize a rope dart to pull enemies, and explore a host of other features that significantly elevate the gameplay experience.

Early leaks about Black Flag Resynced also suggested the game would incorporate RPG mechanics from previous franchise entries, but Ubisoft has confirmed this is not the case. Black Flag Resynced does not feature level progression, skill trees, gear rarity, or damage numbers; the experience is entirely focused on a narrative-driven campaign centered on the story of Edward Kenway, adapted and expanded from the original.

Map

The map in Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced may be a case where major architectural overhauls are not the primary focus. We will still be able to visit major cities—Kingston, Havana, and Nassau—as well as traverse the Caribbean, including various islands and nautical zones, but there is a catch.

Leveraging the aforementioned updated Anvil engine, the game map in Black Flag now features higher levels of detail, resulting in more realistic renderings of islands, coastlines, and urban environments. This is not a case of the map scale being increased or expanded with new locations; rather, the environment has been refined to feel denser and more richly detailed.

Furthermore, information suggests that Black Flag Resynced will feature islands previously available in the original game as DLC. This includes the Illustrious Pirates Pack, which offers players the chance to visit three new islands in search of treasure: Black Island, Mystery Island, and Sacrifice Island.

Soundtrack

One aspect that has seen almost no changes in Black Flag Resynced compared to the original title is the soundtrack. While Ubisoft has yet to share specific details, the developers have confirmed that the game will feature new pirate shanties, a welcome addition that is sure to excite players. Additionally, it has been revealed that artist Woodkid will record a new track for the game. Given his iconic contribution to the famous Assassin’s Creed: Revelations trailer—which featured the track 'Iron'—this is fantastic news for fans of the series.

A Modern-Day Story

Perhaps the most significantly altered aspect is the modern-day narrative occurring within the Abstergo office. While the original title allowed the protagonist to traverse the facility, complete various side objectives, and engage in mini-games, these features are entirely absent in the Resynced project.

In their place, Ubisoft has introduced the 'Animus Rifts' model— essentially memory fragments and simulation glitches integrated directly into Edward Kenway’s narrative arc. In the remake, the presence of the Animus is framed as a manifestation of Animus Rifts within the simulation—integral to the protagonist's narrative—rather than as a concurrent modern-day sequence.

Most likely, this approach allowed Ubisoft to focus more on the main game's innovations; they would have needed significantly more time to fully recreate the complete Abstergo office. However, that is the purpose of a remake: to rework many aspects of the game.

DLC and Multiplayer

The original Black Flag featured a robust multiplayer component, including several engaging modes such as Wanted, Deathmatch, Assassinate, Domination, and others. Furthermore, the original release received story-driven DLC, such as Freedom Cry—focusing on Adewale—and the Aveline Pack, which featured the titular protagonist from Assassin's Creed III: Liberation. Ubisoft has confirmed that this content was omitted from Black Flag Resynced to ensure the experience remains focused entirely on Edward Kenway.

Nevertheless, the developers have stated that they do not intend to remove the original game from digital storefronts upon the release of the remake. Consequently, players will always be able to return to the original title should they wish to experience the multiplayer modes or story-driven DLC.

On paper, Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced appears to be a full-scale remake of the 2013 title, poised to significantly outperform the original across all metrics. Given the recent fan dissatisfaction with newer entries in the franchise, there is hope that Black Flag Resynced will restore the developer's reputation and potentially help steer the series back in a favorable direction. Furthermore, it is entirely possible that more remakes of legacy titles are on the horizon, with rumors already circulating that a remake of the original game is currently in early development.

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced will release on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S on July 9.