Like many games released in the late PS3 and Xbox 360 era, Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag had an array of online features that are now either half-broken or completely dead. Thankfully, Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced is doing what every modern remaster for a game from this era should do by cutting off the online requirements from those features – but unfortunately, it's also adding Assassin's Creed Shadows-style online nonsense of its own.
We've already known that Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced would cut the original game's multiplayer, but that's not the only part of the game that was locked to an online connection. Kenway's Fleet would allow you to dispatch ships into battles and missions that play out in real time even while you're not in-game. This feature was also integrated with a mobile app that you could check to see your fleet's progress while you're away from your console.
"Kenway's Fleet is now built into Black Flag Resynced, and can be accessed through either the Hideout or your Captain's Cabin – no phone needed," according to game director Richard Knight, speaking in a Reddit AMA.
Similarly, the original Black Flag also had an array of online events, where you'd need to be connected to the internet in order to, say, hunt a white whale or find a special chest. Your guess is as good as mine as to why this was an online-only feature in the first place, but Knight confirms in another Reddit comment that "events are built into the game this time." Praise be.
"But," he adds, "there is online content in the form of Anomalies (as seen previously in Assassins Creed Shadows)."
Here's where I sigh deeply and pinch the bridge of my nose. I'm sure Knight intends for that to be a positive, but the Anomalies from Shadows have always busted my immersion and reminded me of the things I very much do not like about modern Assassin's Creed. These are tiny little repeatable quests that refresh every few hours, and in Shadows they unlock rewards tied to the battle pass and other things connected to the microtransaction shop.
It's easy to avoid engaging with Anomalies, but it's difficult to ignore them entirely, since they're pretty prominently placed in Shadows' menu to try and keep you engaged with the game's meta-progression and shop systems. And every time they pop-up on screen, it's a reminder of how Ubisoft wants you to keep spending your hours – and your money – in these games over, and over, and over again.
These changes are ultimately a net positive, since they free most of the original Black Flag's meaningful content from behind a server wall. But still, getting that in a monkey's paw exchange for a different kind of online nonsense? It's a hard bargain you're driving here, Ubisoft.
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