Remake of ‘Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag’ isn’t perfect, but it’s a good enough excuse to play phenomenal ‘Black Flag’ again

I’m of two minds when it comes to “Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced” — which is kind of ironic considering the “Assassin’s Creed” franchise is all about you reliving the memories of someone else.  

A remake of 2013’s “Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag,” the sixth major entry in the historical fiction-meets-science fiction Ubisoft series, “Resynced” modernizes one of the franchise’s best games, giving it a gorgeous visual overhaul and smoothing out some of its rougher edges. But across my 28 hours of pirating on the open seas and getting involved in an age-old struggle between chaotic liberty and restrictive order, I found myself asking the same question over and over again: Why? 

Not why I kept playing the game, because that’s an easy answer: It’s fun, with a great story anchored in a selfish man’s personal evolution and an enjoyable gameplay loop that keeps you entertained between story beats. But all that was there in the original game, considered one of the best of all time, and most of what “Resynced” adds just feels superfluous — some to the point of worsening the overall game. 

Read the full review at The Seattle Times.

Three rough-water stars out of five.