after the sad Assassin’s Creed III, Ubisoft is ready to return to greatness with the fourth installment in the killer franchise. One of the fundamental problems with the previous game was that it wasn’t as fun. After extensively playing the game and trying out all of its tricks, it’s safe to say that the assassin’s Creed the franchise is back on its feet.
The first big change is the setting. Just by looking at the box art, you’ll immediately realize that you’re a fearless Han Solo-esque pirate, which is strange considering this game is set before the third installment. Maybe they had trouble finding an interesting setting after the Revolutionary War, or maybe they wanted to emphasize Assassin’s Creed IIIBest Feature: Sea battles.
Either way, the setup works like a charm. The atmosphere here is almost as important as the main character himself, Edward Kenway. This will be the closest you will get to being a rogue pirate in the 18th century. You’ll have the wind carrying your custom pirate ship across the Caribbean, and maybe find yourself in a couple of drunken brawls along the way. The game is packed with accurate time setting pieces. It’s your playground, so go live out your Jack Sparrow fantasies!
You will play as Edward Kenway, a pirate who yearns for something more. Throughout the ten-hour campaign, you’ll find him at odds with his fellow pirates and searching for him to find out more about the group of Assassins. The story is quite entertaining and Mr. Kenway is one of the best video game characters since 2009’s John Marston. red dead redemption.
As you start the single player adventure, you will notice how capable Edward really is. This was the first time in a assassin’s Creed game that you don’t feel powerless at first. Edward is first and foremost a cunning pirate and he can kick some serious butt and luckily the game shows that. One of my favorite additions was the use of Edward’s armory. Not only is he limited to concealed wristbands or even machetes, but he can use a variety of guns. With these flintlock pistols, Edward takes them out and fires them individually. It was extremely fun and satisfying to take down a poor regiment of British and Spanish troops at the same time.
Along with the series’ land game, you’ll also have plenty to do in the ocean. Being a pirate means that you will be in charge of your own ship. You can customize your ship’s appearance and weaponry to your heart’s content. When facing enemies in the open sea, you can paralyze them long enough to tackle them. This was one of my favorite features and it makes you feel like a real pirate.
There is a lot to do besides the main story as well. On board your ship you can dive in deep waters to collect resources, you can also hunt creatures that live in the sea and on land to improve your equipment. The game is also an open world. The map is huge and it’s awesome to land on an island, jump off your ship and continue your mission, wherever that may be.
With the multiplayer mode, there are also many features. It wasn’t anything special, but it’s entertaining enough to keep you busy. They also have a benefits system, similar to obligations which allows you to customize all your features and equipment. This part of the game will not replace your copies of Battlefield, obligations Prayed aura for long. It’s a nice feature but more or less forgettable.
If you’ve already played this game on Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3, should you go out and buy the next-gen versions? Probably not. They didn’t add anything notable to the Xbox One or PlayStation 4 version of the game, aside from sharper visuals like shadows, foaming water, and swaying plant life. I will say, if you skipped the purchase on previous consoles, definitely go out and buy this game now. It’s the most feature-packed single-player experience on Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Just don’t expect to show this game off to your friends or family to demonstrate what the new systems can do graphically.
General, Assassin’s Creed IV it’s a huge improvement over last year’s installment. It adds a more likeable main character, a story that makes sense, and really fun gameplay. There are a few hiccups, like the typical “follow your prey” objectives, smooth multiplayer, and sometimes buggy platforming situations, but nothing that negatively affects your gameplay. With that said, Assassin’s Creed IV is one of your best bets this holiday season.