REVIEW: Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced (PS5 Pro)

Ubisoft has spent the last decade churning out sequels, spin offs and remasters, but Black Flag Resynced marks something different: the studio’s first full, ground up remake of a previous Assassin’s Creed entry.

Given that Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag is still the game most fans point to when asked for their favourite in the series, that’s a bold way to start.

Having completing the main story and a decent chunk of the side content, it’s clear Ubisoft Singapore understood the assignment. This is a faithful, technically excellent rebuild rather than a reinvention, and on Sony’s upgraded hardware it’s arguably the best way to experience Edward Kenway’s story.

Story

The plot hasn’t changed. You’re still Edward Kenway, a Welsh privateer who stumbles into the Assassin and Templar conflict almost by accident while chasing riches and reputation across the Caribbean. What has changed is how that story is delivered.

Four new Rift sequences have been added, offering short, self-contained “what if” scenarios that flesh out the wider Assassin’s Creed mythology without pulling you away from Edward’s adventure for long. They’re entirely optional, which is the right call. Edward remains one of the series’ best protagonists precisely because he doesn’t care about hidden blades or ancient conspiracies.

He wants gold, glory and rum, in roughly that order, and Resynced lets that personality carry the narrative the way it always should have. Supporting characters like Blackbeard, Mary Read and Anne Bonny still land well too, and the remake doesn’t soften Edward’s arc from opportunist to reluctant Assassin, it just tells it with better pacing and stronger performance capture than the original could manage back in 2013.

Gameplay

This is where the remake earns its keep. The core structure of Black Flag is untouched, you’re still sailing the Jackdaw between islands, hunting treasure, boarding enemy ships and sneaking through forts, but almost every system underneath has been rebuilt.

Combat keeps the simpler parry and strike rhythm of the original rather than the health bar heavy loot grind the series drifted into afterwards, while adding tighter animations and more responsive controls.

Naval combat benefits from proper manual aiming on the swivel gun, and ship progression now runs through three recruitable officers with their own questlines rather than a flat resource grind, which makes upgrading the Jackdaw feel earned rather than arbitrary.

It’s still recognisably an Assassin’s Creed game though, and Edward will occasionally leap off a ledge when you wanted him to climb, a quirk the series has never fully shaken.

Movement around the islands and through Nassau’s shanty streets feels considerably better than it has any right to for a game rebuilding a decade old blueprint. Side content has also been reworked rather than simply carried over, with contract missions and fort assaults feeling more purposeful and less like padding this time.

DualSense support is worth flagging too, with haptic feedback during boarding actions and cannon fire adding a layer of physicality the original obviously couldn’t offer.

Visuals

On PS5 Pro, this is genuinely one of the best looking open world games available right now. The console’s upgraded PSSR 2.0 upscaler pushes Performance Mode close to what the standard PS5 and Series X only manage in their Quality settings, delivering ray traced reflections and global illumination at a smooth, largely locked 60fps.

Sunsets, storms and the crystal clear waters around the smaller islands all hold up under scrutiny, and the improved hair simulation and lighting touches add a level of polish the base consoles simply can’t match in the same modes.

Base PS5 and Xbox Series X owners aren’t left out either, their Balanced mode looks excellent in its own right, but the Pro’s ability to hold ray traced water reflections even in its fastest mode is the clearest example yet of what the hardware is actually for.

Conclusion

There’s a real risk with remakes of beloved games. Change too little and the exercise feels pointless, change too much and you alienate the people who loved the thing in the first place. Ubisoft Singapore has threaded that needle well here.

Combat, ship progression and traversal all feel modernised without losing what made Edward Kenway’s story work in 2013, and the four optional Rift sequences add context for series veterans without getting in the way of newcomers.

On PS5 Pro, it’s also simply one of the best looking and best performing games on the platform right now, holding ray traced water reflections at a steady 60fps in a way no other console can match. None of that would matter much if the underlying game wasn’t good, but it is. Whether you’re returning to the Caribbean or setting sail for the first time, Black Flag Resynced is worth your time.

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced Pricing & Availability

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is available now, starting at €54.99 from Smyths for the PS5 or Xbox Series X|S versions, or €59.99 on Steam, the Xbox Store or the PlayStation Store. The title is also included with Ubisoft+ Premium, priced at €17.99 a month.