After dull releases and controversies about Ubisoft and its handling of the “Assassin’s Creed” franchise for the past few years, the release of “Black Flag Resynced” was something fans needed and wanted. One of the most beloved games in the series, originally released in 2013, now has improved graphics that are stunning, more modern combat that is fluid and flows nicely, and more activities and character development. With this game, there is much hope for a better take on the development and use of the “Assassin’s Creed” name and Ubisoft’s decisions in the future.

The player is Edward Kenway in the game, a pirate who left his wife and old life behind in England to make a name for himself and search for wealth in the Caribbean Sea so he can come back to her no longer ashamed of his status. While he promised his wife he would be back in one to two years, his time at sea becomes three years, then four, and so on. During his days privateering, he comes across — and kills — an assassin. Among the assassin’s possessions, Edward discovers an odd cube and a letter regarding a meeting in Havana. As Edward impersonates the assassin, he learns of a place called The Observatory, which has the power to track anyone in the world. Edward becomes fixated on finding this place and selling it for a huge sum of wealth.

As the story continues, the player starts to assemble their crew for the Jackdaw, Edward’s iconic ship. The crew includes Adewale, a returning face from the franchise, along with famous pirates such as Blackbeard, Charles Vane, Anne Bonny, and Stede Bonnet. Something that was added in the game is new officers the player can recruit for the Jackdaw that add more skills that can be used in naval combat, along with more stories for players to discover. Yet, like most “Assassin’s Creed” games, it has a weirdness to it. For instance, it still has its charm with its better stealth combat (finally allowing players to crouch) and being more forgiving on certain missions.

The large open world is overall gorgeous and exciting for players to explore, with beautiful sunsets over the sea and the stormy winds and waves. Overall, wildlife adds more liveliness to the Caribbean, with a good amount of available exploration. Along with the open sea, there are English and Spanish ships that the player can combat and take for resources. Additionally, the game features forts that allow for a sort of boss fight in the game where the player and their crew must destroy those in the fort to open the map and show points of interest. These points of interest allow Edward to hunt in jungles and islands, explore ancient temples, and even visit places like Havana, Kingston, and Nassau.

With having these places to explore, there are lots of collectibles (with tedious processes to gain said collectibles), such as art pieces for the crew's houses in Inagua. Of course, obtaining the collectibles is all optional, but if players want to experience 100 percent of the game, they are going to have to sink over 20-40 hours. Once players beat one of the beginning portions of the game, there is a pop-up directing them to an online store, which is odd for a single-player game. They just have cosmetics for Edward and his ship, along with a strange but free battle pass for completing challenges and unlocking more cosmetics.

In the end, this is a solid and much-needed step for making a good “Assassin’s Creed” game that has been long overdue. Adding modern graphics and a combat system, along with an already good naval system, allows the player to feel as if this is a new game while exploring a story and arc in the “Assassin’s Creed” franchise. This makes it clear that this may be one of the best, if not the best, pirate and “Assassin’s Creed” games.

The Overall Score: 9/10