Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced is finally here, and it's not doing so bad so far – but it's safe to say there's one thing folks aren't too thrilled about in Ubisoft's revamped adventure.
Unsurprisingly, it's the price of the game… and its optional microtransactions. If you have a quick look at Steam, you'll find that the game has "Mostly Positive" reviews so far in English – and "Mixed" overall.
That's not bad, per se, with various fans praising the remake for how faithful it remains to the original and the fact that it's "super fun" to play. Over on the more negative end of things, players also aren't really criticizing performance. Sure, there are a couple of comments on the game's frame rate and the like here and there, but it's mostly all about money. After all, if you add up every optional purchase, you'll get some $84 or so.
As one reads, "Releasing a 70-euro game and on the DAY of the release you slap us with 85 euros worth of DLC packs that are just not cosmetic but give you a gameplay advantage," adding: "I will be refunding!" Interestingly, Ubisoft actually responds to such negative reviews directly.
It's always the same cut-and-paste response, too – at least to reviews regarding Resynced's price and microtransactions.
"We've seen your feedback since launch, and we're reading all of it," writes Ubisoft. "Thank you for caring this much about Black Flag Resynced. We want to be clear on one point: the standard edition is the full, complete experience. Every mission, every island, the full story, and the complete world are all there, with nothing held back."
Ubisoft concludes: "The additional packs are entirely optional extras for players who want them, never a requirement to enjoy or complete the game. We'll keep listening as you play!"
It's certainly an interesting reply – but I'm not sure it's enough to change fans' minds about optional purchases and the like. It does, however, line up with what the developer and publisher has said in the past about microtransactions.
Last year, Ubisoft declared that microtransactions help players "experience more fun" – a controversial statement, to say the least.
It's important to note, though, that in the case of Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, the studio is replying to positive feedback as well. It's not a case of simply sweeping issues under the rug, I'd say. In one such comment, Ubisoft says, "We wanted to thank you for your positive review."
The devs state they've "poured our hearts and souls into that remake, & we are fans of the original game too. So reading some positive reviews matters more to us than you would think."
I'm personally interested in seeing how the game continues to perform, honestly – it's likely we'll witness some patch drops here and there, and perhaps a higher rating on Steam as more fans get into Ubisoft's new remake.
Be sure to check out our Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced review to read our thoughts on the remake, or our list of the best Assassin's Creed games to see how we rank the rest of the series.
