AC Black Flag Resynced: User Interface

Here are some follow up thoughts on AC Black Flag Resynced.

System: Xbox Series X
TV: HDR enabled TCL 55"
Hours: ~20
-----------------


These are thoughts on Resynced alone; I haven't played the original in over six years.

Taking a moment to jot down thoughts on the game's UI was actually sparked by a post I'm working on regarding the Xbox store UI (which I'll get to at a later date).

I'm isolating the menus, maps, and overall HUD here because they’re starting to stick out like a sore thumb.

  • MENUS AND MAP: The more I play, the more the menu system becomes a nuisance. For some reason, pressing the button doesn't always bring up the map on the first try. Worse, that same button is co-mapped to various "Animus" functions. The map itself feels like a chore, clunky and uncooperative.

    Navigating the pause menu is its own adventure. It takes you to basic character info, but clicking on almost anything sends you down a rabbit hole where hitting "back" doesn't return you to where you were, it dumps you into some other Animus screen. Last night, I somehow got bounced into an unwanted add-on microtransaction page, and I'm still not entirely sure how I got there.

    From what I can tell, there hasn't been much public criticism of the menus and maps, but my six-year-old memory of the original (and my annual playthrough of AC III) recalls a UI that was slick, fast, and matched the aesthetic of the core gameplay. It didn't pull you out of the experience; it felt woven into the fabric of the game rather than tacked on.

  • GAMEPLAY USER INTERFACE: It feels like the UI and menu system were developed in complete isolation from the graphical upgrade. While playing, you get the distinct impression of two different games colliding: a pretty, modern graphical remaster, and a dark-mode Excel spreadsheet for a menu. It’s a cluttered mess, part Witcher 3, part Red Dead Redemption 2, and part random free-to-play PC title. Why they chose flat black indicators is beyond me; while they certainly stand out, they completely clash with the overall visual identity of the game.

Anyway, that’s it. I now understand why you don't see many blog posts dedicated strictly to game UI, it's a bit of a slog to write about. Still, a few elements here were too egregious not to mention. The cluttered interface constantly pulls you out of the experience, undercutting the incredible high points of sailing, exploring, plundering, and diving into the story.

I'll have a review of the game in the near future.

Questions, comments: ljbaby654 at gmail