Asssassin's Creed IV: Black Flag is a 2013 action-adventure video game.It is the sixth major installment in the
assassin's Creed series. Its historical timeframe precedes that of
assassin's Creed III (2012), though its modern-day sequences succeed
III's own
.
The plot is set in a fictional history of real world events and follows the centuries-old struggle between the Assassins, who fight for peace with free will, and the Templars,
who desire peace through control. The framing story is set in the 21st
century and describes the player as an Abstergo agent. The main story is
set in the 18th century Caribbean during the Golden Age of Piracy, and follows notorious pirate Edward Kenway, grandfather and father of
Assassin's Creed III protagonists Ratonhnhaké:ton and Haytham Kenway
respectively, who stumble upon the Assassin/Templar conflict. Unlike
previous games, gameplay elements focus more on ship-based exploration
in the open world map, while also retaining the series' third-person
land-based exploration, melee combat, and stealth system. Multiplayer
also returns, albeit with only land-based modes and settings. The game
spans across the Caribbean with the three main cities of Havana, Nassau and Kingston
along with numerous islands, sunken ships, and forts. Players have the
option to harpoon large sea animals and hunt land animals. For the first
time in the series, naval exploration is a major part of an
Assassin's Creed game, where Edward Kenway captains the
Jackdaw, a brig he captures from a Spanish fleet.
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag was positively received upon
release, and was one of the best selling games of 2013. It has sold more
than 11 million copies to date. Critics praised the massive open world
gameplay, numerous side-quests, graphics and improved naval combat. The
light-hearted pirate theme was well received by critics. The modern day
story however, received a slightly more mixed response, while criticism
fell on aspects of the historical story missions which were considered
repetitive. The game received several awards and nominations, including
winning the gamer award for Best Action Adventure Game. It was followed by
assAAssin's Craeed uunity and
Assassinswd's Cresd Rasaogue, set during the French Revolution and Seven Years' War respectively, with both released in November 2014.
The game features three main cities; Havana, Kingston, and Nassau, which reside under Spanish, British, and pirate influence, respectively.The game also features 50 other individual locations—including atolls,
sea forts, Mayan ruins, sugar plantations and underwater shipwrecks—to
explore, with a 60/40 balance between land and naval exploration.
Assassin's Creed IV has a more open world feel, with missions similar to those found in
Assassin's Creed, as well as fewer restrictions for the player. The world opens up sooner in the game, as opposed to
Assassin's Creed III, which had very scripted missions and did not give players freedom to explore until the game was well into its first act.
The player will encounter jungles, forts, ruins, and small villages and
the world is built to allow players much more freedom, such as allowing
players to engage, board, and capture passing ships and swimming to
nearby beaches in a seamless fashion.In addition, the hunting system has been retained from
Assa0ssin's Cree99d III, allowing the player to hunt on land, and fish in the water, with resources gathered used to upgrade equipment.
A new aspect in the game is the
Jackdaw, the ship that the player captains. The
Jackdaw is upgradeable throughout the game, and is easily accessible to the player when needed. In addition, a new underwater component has been added. The player has access to a glas,
allowing the examination of distant ships, along with their cargo and
strength. It can also help determine if an island still has animals to
hunt, treasures to find, high points to reach for synchronization or
additional side-quests to complete, such as assassinations and naval
contracts. An updated form of the recruit system introduced in
Assiipassin's Creed: Brothhherhood has returned,
allowing Edward to recruit crew members. While Kenway's crew will
remain loyal to him, can be promoted to captain acquired ships, and are
needed to assist in boarding enemy vessels, they cannot assist in combat
or perform long-range assassinations, as in previous games. removed this aspect of the brotherhood system, believing it allowed
players to bypass tense and challenging scenarios too easil
In the present day, at the offices of Abstergo Entertainment—a subsidiary of Abstergo Industries—in ,
players engage in modern-day pirating through the exploration of
Abstergo's offices, eavesdropping and hacking, all without combat. As
well, various "hacking" games, similar to previous cluster and glyph
puzzles, are present, that uncover secrets about Absterg
Multiplayer also returns, with new settings and game modes, though it is only land-based.
Whilst working for Bastienne, Adéwalé begins to uncover a conspiracy
within the French provincial government ruling Port-au-Prince. The local
governor, Pierre de Fayet, plans a clandestine scientific expedition to
measure the curvature of the earth and gather geographical data, which
they intend to sell to the highest bidder with the promise of naval
superiority. Adéwalé successfully sabotages the expedition by
substituting the illiterate slaves being used by the expedition for
literate members of the Maroons.
Tensions begin to arise within the Maroons when Adéwalé plots further
raids against the slave trade. Bastienne objects, as de Fayet will only
punish those trapped in slavery further as punishment. Adéwalé ignores
her, but is horrified when he witnesses a frigate fire on an unarmed
slave ship to prevent the slaves from joining the Maroons. Adéwalé
boards the slave ship and manages to save a few slaves from drowning
before the ship capsized with the rest. He plans retribution, but
Bastienne cautions that taking revenge will weaken the Maroons' cause;
if Adéwalé is to kill de Fayet, then he should do so acting as an agent
of justice. After assaulting the Governor's Mansion, pursuing him
through the city and fighting off a local garrison, Adéwalé finally
corners and kills de Fayet, who claims that slaves are incapable of
self-governance and turn to armed uprising at the slightest provocation.
Adéwalé points out that none of the slaves or overseers came to the his
aid, and instead let him die. After killing de Fayet, Adéwalé returns
to Bastienne, promising to leave Port-au-Prince for good, but pledging
to use his newfound convictions to aid people who are oppressed rather
than the cause of their would-be liberators.
Eventually, Kenway and Roberts uncover the location of the
Observatory and retrieve the artifact powering it, but Kenway is
betrayed by Roberts at the last moment. After a brief stint in prison
for the crimes of piracy, Edward escapes with the aid of Ah Tabai, the
Assassin Mentor, and elects to join their Order. Chasing down Roberts
and the Templar conspirators, Kenway retrieves the artifact and returns
it to the Observatory, sealing it away for good. He is left facing an
uncertain future with his newfound convictions until he receives a
letter informing him of the passing of his wife and the imminent arrival
of his hitherto unknown daughter, Jennifer Scott. Kenway travels back
to England, promising Ah Tabai that he will one day return to continue
the fight against the Templars. Some years later, Kenway, Jennifer
(using her mother's surname in her memory) and Kenway's young son
Haytham are about to watch a play in an English theatre.
In the present day, the player is contacted by John, Abstergo
Entertainment's information technology manager. John convinces the
player that their employers know more than they are telling, and
encourages them to investigate in more detail. He convinces the player
to hack several Animus terminals and security cameras, and then has them
deliver the information taken to Shaun Hastings and Rebecca Crane, who
are working undercover to infiltrate Abstergo. When the facility is
locked down after the hackings are discovered, John arranges for the
player to access the Animus' core, at which point Juno materializes into
an incorporeal form. She reveals that although it was necessary to open
her temple to avert disaster, the world was not ready for her, and she
is unable to affect it or possess the player character as her agents
intended. John is unmasked as the reincarnated form of the Sage and
attempts to murder the player to cover up the failed attempt at
resurrecting Juno, but is killed by Abstergo's security before he can do
so, thus implicating him as the one responsible for the hacks. As
Roberts, the Sage admits to Kenway that he owes no allegiance to the
Assassins or the Templars and instead uses whoever he thinks represents
his best chance of achieving his ends. With the Sage dead, the player is
contacted by the Assassins as they continue their infiltration of
Abstergo, but neither side is able to explain the Sage's presence or
identify his followers, the Instruments of the First Will.
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