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It's the era of the pirate game, it seems, as Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced approaches and other gems like Windrose and Sea of Thieves continue to make waves – but Ubisoft's remake might just make a bigger splash than the rest.
Or, at least, that's what game director Richard Knight seems to think. When asked recently by GamesRadar+ what not being an RPG does for Assassin's Creed, he explains, "A lot of it comes down to the narrative that we tell with Black Flag. It's always going forward. It's kind of like Edward himself – he's always pushing forward, he's making mistakes, and pushing to the next thing. And it turns into this epic."
That checks out, I suppose.
"You see from the very beginning," continues Knight, getting into the nitty-gritty of what makes the protagonist's story and position stand out, "at first, he's there to make money for his family. He just can't bear the idea of being poor in England. So he's off to get money. And in the very beginning of the game, he literally will kill people for money, and then he'll complain about not getting enough money."
The lead concludes on Edward: "And he's all about money, and that's very interesting because it creates this fundamental tension with the character as he starts to learn these assassin things."
This "interesting" background and setting feed into the "mix" that Knight says Black Flag Resynced boasts – the elements that make it different than other pirate games, such as Skull and Bones, Sea of Thieves, or Windrose.
It's "the assassin game and the pirate game at the same time," put simply. "It's only by doing both of those that you get that unique mixture that forms Edward's story."
As a fan of the 2013 original myself, I can certainly see what Knight means – most other pirate games are online, combat and PvP-heavy experiences, while Black Flag feels like its own sort of title that combines features and factors that make various genres fun.
Here's hoping that, come Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, everyone understands what the director is getting at with the whole "unique mixture" statement – and thankfully, there's not long left to wait until its July 9 release date.
