Sometimes the old ways are best.
STORY - 6 High highs, but the additional content slows the tight pacing of the original. While extra content is usually welcome in a remaster, it can derail the narrative when executed poorly. Placing new characters on the deck of the Jackdaw, particularly Lucy, is deeply distracting and smothers the original story. Ubisoft positioned her directly behind Edward Kenway and Adéwalé, where she frequently shouts orders to the crew right after Edward does. This disrupts the camaraderie that naturally builds between Edward, Adé, and the crew before the two go their separate ways. That bond is a core reason the sea shanties land so well: it's a genuine brotherhood in a shared space. Her presence also undercuts the emotional weight Anne Bonny brings when she eventually replaces Adé. Lucy's background (predictable father issues) feels flat, and these expanded crew storylines pull focus from the main narrative. Ultimately, her role fundamentally alters the tone of the original experience. As for the removal of modern day scenes? It makes this version much more of a pirate game than an AC one. A core element of the franchise is time travel. In the early games it added a richness. That is stripped away here.
OBJECTIVES - 10 Chasing down map markers always feels rewarding, and leaping off the ship to explore an island remains endlessly fun. The ship battles are outstanding' a reminder of the peak Ubisoft formula before it devolved into modern bloatware. While tighter objective placement would reduce tedious backtracking across the map, fast travel makes traversal painless once you are halfway through.
IN-GAME ART / DESIGN - 5 While technically superior to the original and visually impressive on its own terms, it misses one crucial element: atmosphere (read more about it HERE). It fails to capture the hot, sandy, humid feel of the 18th-century West Indies. When the original released, I remember picking up as many books on Caribbean pirate history as I could down at Atlantic Beach, NC - I was completely hooked on that feeling. Pinpointing the exact issue is tricky, but much of it comes down to the ocean's color and clarity. Despite extensive display adjustments on both my Xbox and television, the water consistently appeared dark and muddy rather than hitting the crisp, bright teals of the Caribbean. Like the more modern Ubisoft storytelling I mentioned in the Story section, not getting the feel right is a huge miss. I also felt the updated menus and iconography took you out of the game as well. Head on over HERE to read my thoughts on that.
MUSIC AND SOUND - 10 Excellent across the board. The voice acting is wonderful.
GAMEPLAY - 9 It is hard to find a game more enjoyable to play. With 70+ hours logged, the core mechanics carry the experience: sailing, parkour, climbing, and the updated combat system are a blast. While I still have a slight preference for the original chain-kill combat, the revised system works well enough.
EMOTIONAL IMPACT - 5 It simply misses the mark. As noted in the Story section, having Lucy on deck acting as Edward's unwanted echo breaks immersion, as does the altered environmental presentation.
LONGEVITY - 6 Time will tell whether players ultimately prefer this version over the original. My personal preference remains the original release, and I do not see myself replaying this edition.
HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE - 3 Most remasters carry minimal historical significance beyond offering a nostalgic return to a classic world. I would have preferred a true Black Flag 2 or a standalone title centered on figures like Blackbeard and Anne Bonny, who could easily carry a full game.
X-FACTOR - 7 The core gameplay loop remains exceptionally fun. It strikes a rare balance between quiet exploratory moments and intense naval action, allowing the player to act as the director of their own grand pirate adventure. Very few post-Red Dead Redemption 2 games balance player-driven pacing this effectively.
PROMOTIONAL ART AND DESIGN - 3 Extremely lazy presentation. Reusing virtually identical artwork from the original release is a missed opportunity for an industry touchstone. A distinct, premium aesthetic, akin to a Criterion Collection Blu-ray cover, would have been far more fitting.
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OVERALL RATING: 64 / 100
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FINAL THOUGHTS More than anything, this remaster feels like an exercise in dropping an older game into a modern engine. I was excited to dive in over the summer, but as my playtime stretched past 70 hours, the experience bogged down in bloated, padded quests that clash with the original design, resembling the tedious structure of recent Assassin's Creed titles. While you can technically skip the extra content, players shouldn't have to actively filter out padded side missions in a game they paid for.
What kept me going was the sheer quality of the core gameplay loop, from open-sea sailing to harpooning hammerhead sharks. Since I didn't buy a physical copy, this version will likely fade from memory in the coming years. The next time I get the urge to revisit Black Flag, I'll fire up the original on modern hardware instead.