Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag is the best game in the series, and one of the finest accomplishments of the generation

87%Game Brain Score

story, gameplay

stability, optimization

86% User Score Based on 31,585 reviews

Critic Score 88%Based on 13 reviews

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Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag is a single player and multiplayer open world role playing game with fantasy, historical and science fiction themes. It was developed by Ubisoft Montreal and was released on November 21, 2013. It received positive reviews from both critics and players.

Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag is a historical open-world game that transports players to the Caribbean in 1715, during the golden age of piracy. In this game, players can experience single-player, co-op, and multi-player modes as they join a lawless republic of pirates and navigate a world full of naval battles, plunder, and adventure. The game's immersive storyline is inspired by real historical events and brings to life the legends of legendary pirates, such as Blackbeard.

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86%

Audience ScoreBased on 31,585 reviews

story3.6k positive mentions

stability613 negative mentions

The story of Edward Kenway is engaging and well-written, featuring a compelling character arc that resonates with players.
The naval combat mechanics are exhilarating and considered some of the best in gaming history, providing a thrilling pirate experience.
The game's atmosphere is immersive, with stunning visuals of the Caribbean, a captivating soundtrack, and a rich sense of adventure.

The mission structure is repetitive, with an abundance of tailing and eavesdropping missions that detract from the overall enjoyment.
The game suffers from significant performance issues and poor optimization, particularly on PC, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
Aggressive monetization practices, including intrusive microtransactions and DRM, have drawn widespread criticism from players.

story
10,245 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
57%
8%
The story of "Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag" is widely praised for its engaging narrative centered around Edward Kenway, a charismatic pirate whose journey from self-serving rogue to a more principled character is compelling. While the main storyline intertwines historical events and figures, many players find the modern-day segments less interesting and disruptive to the overall experience. Additionally, the game is criticized for its repetitive mission structure, particularly the abundance of tailing and eavesdropping missions, which detracts from the enjoyment of the pirate-themed gameplay. Overall, the game is considered a standout entry in the franchise, combining thrilling naval combat with a rich, albeit sometimes uneven, story.
- “Edward’s story is compelling, full of intrigue, freedom, and adventure.”
- “The story is rich, the naval combat is exhilarating, and the open-world exploration is unmatched.”
- “The story is fantastically written, Edward is a compelling main protagonist, the side characters are well-developed, and the environments are lush and bursting with color.”
- “The story is serviceable, though nothing to write home about.”
- “The main story itself feels like it's focused on hitting wide sweeping story beats instead of earning them by spending time with the characters and setting to let us truly invest.”
- “The story is a bit lackluster for an AC game, but the characters are compelling and I did find myself getting attached to most of them and being pulled in as the story progressed.”
gameplay
3,734 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
55%
6%
The gameplay of "Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag" is widely praised for its engaging naval mechanics, which many players find to be the standout feature of the game. While the traditional assassin gameplay remains intact, it often feels secondary to the pirate experience, leading to a mix of excitement and repetition in missions. Overall, players appreciate the seamless transition between land and sea gameplay, though some criticize the clunky stealth mechanics and the presence of tedious tailing missions.
- “Classic Assassin's Creed gameplay meets some of the best ship combat in gaming history.”
- “Chasing Spanish galleons, boarding man-o'-wars, and weathering violent storms is an endlessly rewarding gameplay loop that remains arguably the best in the entire series.”
- “The gameplay is fantastic, and the story has been great so far—at just 3.6 hours in, I'm already hooked.”
- “The gameplay is very repetitive and the difficulty is virtually nonexistent.”
- “The gameplay is a huge improvement over the previous game.”
- “The gameplay is not drastically differing from its predecessors but it is hugely improved upon, and the naval aspect is definitely a breath of fresh air.”
graphics
2,147 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
39%
3%
The graphics of "Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag" are often described as stunning and beautiful, particularly for a game released in 2013, with many players praising the vibrant Caribbean environments and impressive water effects. However, some users note that the graphics can feel dated compared to modern titles, and there are frequent performance issues, including frame rate drops and graphical glitches. Overall, while the visuals are generally well-received, they highlight the need for better optimization, especially on lower-end systems.
- “The graphics are gorgeous, even to this day, with sunsets and storms that make the world feel alive.”
- “The graphics still hold up today and I haven't had this fun playing a game in a long time.”
- “The graphics are stunning and the gameplay is smooth and engaging.”
- “The game is buggy, with constant texture popping, and the graphics have not been updated.”
- “I just think it's got bad camera angles, terrible texture bugs, and unresponsive key input issues, and game crashes from the anti-piracy software that we have no say in.”
- “The graphics are a bit dated, since this released in 2013, but they still hold up pretty well.”
music
808 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
49%
1%
The music in this game is widely praised for its immersive quality, featuring a captivating soundtrack composed by Brian Tyler that enhances the overall experience. Players particularly enjoy the sea shanties sung by the crew while sailing, which add authenticity and charm to the pirate theme. The combination of orchestral scores during battles and ambient tracks during exploration creates a rich auditory atmosphere that many consider one of the best in the Assassin's Creed franchise.
- “The music and ocean sounds make the world feel alive, and the attention to detail is incredible.”
- “The soundtrack enhances this experience, with rousing tracks like 'The High Seas' capturing the golden age of piracy, and haunting pieces like 'In This World or the One Below' reflecting the emotional weight of Edward’s journey.”
- “The soundtrack is phenomenal, perfectly capturing the spirit of the golden age of piracy.”
- “The biggest downturn is the music.”
- “The soundtrack is forgettable.”
- “The music sets the atmosphere well enough, but is bland and unoriginal.”
stability
637 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
1%
96%
The stability of the game has been widely criticized, with numerous players reporting frequent crashes, freezes, and various technical glitches that significantly hinder gameplay. Many users noted that the game is particularly buggy on PC, often requiring extensive troubleshooting to even launch properly, and that issues like texture popping and unresponsive controls are common. While some players found the game enjoyable despite these problems, the overall consensus is that its stability issues detract from the experience, making it difficult to recommend without reservations.
- “No buggy issues like what current AAA games have at launch, just pure fun.”
- “The game is pretty much bug free.”
- “Easily the best looking in the series; runs great on a half-decent PC (AMD 1090T / 8GB RAM / SSD / 2x GTX580).”
- “The game is a broken and buggy mess, and waiting on Ubisoft to drop the remake seems to be the only way to play it at this point.”
- “Game is super buggy: animals bugging out, enemies spawn thin air.”
- “This game is incredibly buggy, unpolished, and downright frustrating to play, especially when they force you into a mission where you must remain undetected and you must not kill anyone.”
optimization
585 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
46%
39%
The optimization of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag has been widely criticized, with many players reporting significant performance issues such as stuttering, frame drops, and crashes, even on high-end systems. While some users have found temporary fixes through community guides, the overall consensus is that the game is poorly optimized for PC, leading to a frustrating experience that detracts from its otherwise engaging gameplay and visuals. Despite its acclaim as one of the best entries in the series, the lack of proper optimization remains a major drawback.
- “On another note, the game does have some performance issues like stutters and fps drops, but these problems can usually be fixed by following an optimization guide.”
- “The remastered console versions look sharper, but PC users get solid performance at higher settings.”
- “They fixed the optimization issues, added achievements, and the game runs very smoothly now.”
- “Poor optimization, multiplayer matchmaking is terrible, and basic features do not work.”
- “The game is essentially unplayable on modern hardware due to stuttering issues.”
- “This game is horrendously optimized for the PC.”
grinding
384 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
1%
15%
84%
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it tedious and repetitive, particularly in relation to ship upgrades and collectible hunting. While some enjoy the naval combat and resource gathering, others feel that the numerous tailing missions and modern-day segments disrupt the pacing and add unnecessary frustration. Overall, players suggest that while the game offers engaging elements, the grinding can detract from the overall experience, often requiring significant time investment for completionists.
- “This game's grind is also not tedious or boring, so in between main missions when you're upgrading, it doesn't make you feel like you want to quit.”
- “Good fun, not tediously long for the most part.”
- “Grind is satisfying, not tedious.”
- “100%ing the game is quite tedious.”
- “The ship battles have to be the best addition brought in to the game, hopefully they'll keep a similar mechanic in other titles, although resource hunting became rather fruitless at certain times and became just a grinding process rather than true pirating.”
- “The main mission is what it's all about, the side missions are too tedious, repetitive and boring.”
atmosphere
247 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
40%
3%
The atmosphere in the game is widely praised for its immersive and vibrant depiction of a pirate world, featuring stunning visuals of the Caribbean, detailed environments, and a captivating soundtrack filled with sea shanties. Players feel a strong sense of adventure as they sail the seas, with the combination of ambient sounds, engaging music, and lively NPC interactions creating a rich and authentic experience. Overall, the game's atmosphere is considered one of its standout features, enhancing both exploration and combat.
- “The world is visually appealing, with ocean waves, tropical islands, and the occasional storm creating a nice atmosphere.”
- “[✔️] ‍☠️ [b]authentic pirate atmosphere:[/b] taverns, pirate crews, bustling settlements, and the open sea all combine to make players feel part of a living, breathing pirate world.”
- “The atmosphere is rich with adventure, rum, sea shanties, and the rebellious spirit against authority.”
- “This happened all the time and basically ruined the atmosphere of the majority of my battles.”
- “The same case when the sensation of the sea, the storm, the elements are transmitted perfectly, millions of man-hours and francs are cracked, but the developers do not understand anything in the atmosphere and immersion.”
- “It sorely lacks atmosphere when compared to games like Dishonored or The Witcher or films like 'Pirates of the Caribbean'.”
emotional
244 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
96%
4%
The emotional aspect of the game is widely praised for its heartfelt storytelling and character development, particularly focusing on Edward Kenway's journey of purpose, identity, and redemption. Players report being deeply moved by the narrative's emotional weight, culminating in a touching and impactful ending that resonates long after the game is completed. The combination of compelling characters, a rich soundtrack, and immersive storytelling creates a powerful emotional experience that many players describe as one of the most memorable in the franchise.
- “The game's greatest strength is its surprisingly heartfelt story.”
- “It’s a story about purpose, identity, redemption, and what we leave behind, all set in one of the most emotionally grounded worlds in the series.”
- “The emotional ending hits hard; it's one of the most heartfelt finales since Ezio hung up his hidden blade.”
- “Genuinely one of the worst games I have ever played, buried beneath the slop of a horrible PC port, the worst writing of any game, and the most boring story missions. Sailing around the open world and upgrading your ship is fun, but why can't you upgrade it further? Why can't you have a selection of different ships to regularly sail around like Sid Meier's Pirates (a literally 20-year-old game)? I hope the scriptwriters were fired and are no longer writing. I literally have no reason to live thanks for a terrible game.”
- “Boring story, repetitive combat.”
- “The boring story and outdated game design included to tell this story brings up my other point, the low-quality gameplay.”
humor
194 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
98%
1%
1%
The humor in the game is widely praised, with players finding it both genuinely funny and enhanced by amusing glitches and bugs that add to the overall experience. The character of Edward Kenway is particularly noted for his charm and wit, making the narrative engaging and entertaining. Many reviewers appreciate the lighthearted tone, especially in contrast to previous entries in the series, and highlight the humorous interactions and dialogue throughout the gameplay.
- “Even the modern-day segments — usually a drag in AC games — are tolerable here, with a weird-but-funny 'Abstergo Entertainment' office tour that plays like a corporate fever dream.”
- “Oh, and let’s not forget the hilarious glitches that pop up now and then—like when you’re trying to stealthily sneak past redcoats, but suddenly your character decides that becoming a dancing chicken seems like the best option.”
- “The overall tone is light and humorous (certainly in comparison to the somber, quest-for-revenge that was AC III), and there’s not a single character amongst the myriad cast of famous-named swashbucklers that doesn’t feel fleshed-out and well characterized.”
- “What's not funny is when you get the first tutorial mission to take down military ships, which is the second ship combat mission ever. You not only find out that instead of level 4 ships, you face level 17 ships, but they also ram you.”
- “Glitches: these are not funny as they are in Unity; they really ruin the game as a whole, not a lot, but still.”
replayability
125 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
54%
9%
The game is widely regarded as highly replayable, with many players praising its diverse side content, multiple story approaches, and engaging mechanics like naval combat. While some reviews note a lack of infinite replayability and mention that it may not sustain long-term play, the overall consensus highlights a wealth of activities and a rich world that encourages repeated playthroughs. Players appreciate the game's depth, making it one of the most replayable titles in the Assassin's Creed series.
- “Diverse side content: hunting legendary animals, uncovering shipwrecks, and completing optional missions add layers of depth and longevity to the game’s replay value.”
- “Despite being released some time ago, it remains a highly replayable title thanks to its wealth of content.”
- “The multiple ways to approach the story and the different outcomes based on player choices also provide some replayability.”
- “One of my favorite games of all time, very low replayability; don't buy it here if you've already played on console or something.”
- “The only flaw with the game itself is there's virtually no replayability & multiplayer sucks; however, the singleplayer's story, graphics, & music alone make Black Flag one of the best games I've ever played.”
- “Once you've played through the missions, side missions, and captured all the forts, there's nothing really interesting to do.”
character development
96 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
45%
5%
Character development in the game is widely praised, particularly for the protagonist Edward Kenway, whose transformation from a self-serving pirate to a more introspective assassin is seen as compelling and well-executed. Many reviewers highlight the depth and realism of character arcs, not only for Edward but also for supporting characters, contributing to a rich narrative experience. However, some critiques mention instances of rushed or abrupt character changes, indicating that while the development is generally strong, it may not be consistent throughout the story.
- “The fact that Edward isn't an assassin from the start, but instead crashes sideways into the whole assassin-templar conflict and finds his own way really makes the story interesting and gives him character development that we as players can witness firsthand.”
- “His journey from a self-serving rogue to a man with a deeper purpose is compelling, with strong writing and character development.”
- “The character development is surprisingly solid, with moments that hit harder than expected for a game about stabbing people on boats.”
- “The often touted character development is very shallow.”
- “The main character, Edward Kenway, has zero personality and the game makes only the most feeble attempt at character development.”
- “However, character development was terrible.”
monetization
45 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
26%
67%
The monetization aspect of the game has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with many players criticizing the aggressive use of microtransactions, intrusive DRM, and excessive in-game advertisements. Users feel that these practices detract from the overall gaming experience, labeling the approach as a cash grab and expressing frustration over the reliance on in-game purchases to progress. Additionally, there are concerns about the impact of these monetization strategies on gameplay quality and player satisfaction.
- “Additionally, the in-game currency system can feel a bit restrictive at times, prompting players to consider microtransactions to expedite progress.”
- “No microtransactions in the single player.”
- “No microtransactions, and some very solid naval combat.”
- “It also has terrible microtransactions and relies on really aggressive, intrusive third-party DRM.”
- “Shameful, Ubisoft is a greedy company. Stay away from this one; it's a waste of money and a cash grab.”
- “Everything I paid for didn’t show up; instead, I just received ads for buying said content, adding insult to injury.”

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88%Critics’ scoreBased on 33 critic reviews

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42h Median play time

91h Average play time

23h Main story

60h Completionist

15-90h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 183 analyzed playthroughs

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Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag is a open world role playing game with fantasy, historical and science fiction themes.

Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag is available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Windows and others.

The main story can be completed in around 23 hours, while the entire game is estimated to take about 60 hours to finish. On average players spend around 91 hours playing Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag.

Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag was released on November 21, 2013.

Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag was developed by Ubisoft Montreal.

Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag has received positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its stability.

Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include Assassin's Creed 2, Assassin's Creed Rogue, Assassin's Creed Origins, Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, Assassin's Creed III and others.

Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag

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