More than a fresh coat of paint

Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced is a comprehensive reimagining of the 2013 game, not a simple visual upgrade. Built from scratch on the latest Anvil engine, the same generation behind Assassin's Creed Shadows, it overhauls nearly every system while preserving the pirate fantasy fans cherished. The install size alone tells the story, roughly 65 GB versus about 30 GB for the original.

The changes touch visuals, combat, traversal, and the story itself, making this the definitive way to experience Edward Kenway's adventure.

What has been reworked

The list of upgrades is extensive:

Ray-traced global illumination and reflections, a physically based rendering pipeline, reworked water simulation, an Atmos dynamic weather system, and destructible environmental objects.
Combat overhauls including new visceral takedowns, reworked parrying, quick-fire rope-dart and pistol moves, and a new Demolitionist enemy type.
Naval additions such as new secondary weapons, faction-based enemy ship loadouts, enhanced water physics, new naval officers with special abilities, and a reworked Kenway's Fleet system.
Modernized traversal and stealth with manual jumps, side and back ejects in the style of Shadows, enhanced Eagle Vision, and shadow-based visibility.
Around six hours of new story content, expanded Blackbeard and Stede Bonnet arcs, new Rifts memory sequences, and the return of original Edward actor Matt Ryan for added missions.

Performance and polish

On consoles, Resynced offers a 60 FPS Performance mode, a 30 FPS Fidelity mode, and a 40 FPS Balanced mode for 120Hz displays. The PS5 Pro version adds PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution and extended ray tracing, along with DualSense haptics and adaptive trigger support, making it the showcase edition.

The naval reworks are the most significant for gameplay feel. New secondary weapons, faction-specific enemy loadouts, and enhanced water physics deepen the ship combat that defined the original, while new naval officers add a layer of crew management. The reworked Kenway's Fleet passive-income system modernizes a fan-favorite meta-game.

The modernized parkour and stealth bring Black Flag in line with the series' current design, adding manual jumps and the fluid ejection moves introduced in recent entries. That inevitably changes the feel somewhat, which is part of why some reviewers noted a tension between faithfulness and modernization.

The roughly six hours of new content, including expanded historical-figure arcs and Matt Ryan's return as Edward, give even veterans a reason to return. Ten new sea shanties round out the package. For a remake, Resynced is remarkably thorough, rebuilding a classic while genuinely expanding it.