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Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced's big reveal last week generally went down a storm, but ironically, it's the absence of a storm in one particular part of the remake's footage that has some fans concerned about how certain scenes might be handled.
As highlighted by YouTube creator JorRaptor, new footage shows a revamped version of the scene where protagonist Edward Kenway first introduces himself to Adéwalé after stealing the Jackdaw and sailing out of a massive storm. However, there's something a little unusual about the remake's version of this – we can see a bright blue sky instead of a murky gloom, and while there are a couple of clouds in the distance, you certainly wouldn't think that Edward had just made it out of treacherous conditions by the skin of his teeth. Similarly, there's no longer any lightning flashing in the background – it looks like a rather pleasant day to be out on a boat, in fact.
Needless to say, fans have some questions. "What happened to the lighting? The remake completely got rid of the mood and the atmosphere," one writes. Another notes: "The two scenes tell a completely different story just from the lighting alone. One is much more atmospheric and teases a storm ahead."
Now, during Resynced's big reveal showcase, it's explained that the world "reaches a new level of immersion and realism, powered by high-resolution textures, enhanced lighting, strikingly detailed environments, and a new dynamic weather system." The weather changed in the original Black Flag, too, but it seems likely that Ubisoft could be using the Atmos system this time, like in Assassin's Creed Shadows. However, pretty as the new game and its weather might be, it's a little odd if this new dynamic system can change scenes meant to take place during or after very specific conditions.
Other screenshots and footage have shown that Black Flag Resynced is packing plenty of atmosphere and gorgeous lighting at all times of day, but that's not really the point here. "This takes place immediately after and outside of an actual historical hurricane. The weather and time of day are very much predetermined here," one fan argues, defending the original: "'Piss filter, Piss filter' THEY ARE AT THE EDGE OF A HURRICANE." Another adds: "I love how the cutscene that's from a mission where you sail out of a hurricane is just bright and sunny for no reason."
Of course, it's worth noting the big "work-in-progress" disclaimer emblazoned on the new Black Flag Resynced footage – things may well be changed before the game's actual release, although it does seem a tad odd to change something that by all accounts you'd expect to be intrinsic to the scene when marketing the game. With that said, the remake's lead producer has already confirmed that the full game will have plenty of blood in it, despite the reveal showcase being strangely clean, so the weather wouldn't be the only part of the remake to look different at launch, if so.
