In a review of Assassin’s Creed III , we have suggested that Ubisoft clearly should pay more attention to the maritime theme, because a few travel Connor on board the “L’Aquila” was very impressive. And now, a year later, is Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, entirely devoted to the sea.

Location – the West Indies, and the focus of the very much loved by the public pirates of the Caribbean Sea, bloodthirsty revelers who love rum and female affection, plundering merchant ships get away from the gunfire ships of His Majesty and the leading pre-lost war for freedom.

The protagonist of the game – Kenuey Edward James, an Englishman, who comes from a poor family, he does not look like Altair, Ezio and Connor. Ed is not is a model to follow, he drinks a lot, seek wealth and looking for an easy life. These searches in 1712, led by a young British fleet of His Majesty. Kenuey served in privateers. However, his luck did not smile because the War of the Spanish Succession ends next year, with the signing of the peace treaty of Utrecht, which has put on privateering cross. And what do I do to hunt hundreds of ringing reais and, most importantly, armed to the teeth with the guys? Well, do not look the same from the shore of the passing potbellied and clumsy merchant ships?

Edward, like many others, is beginning a free life, Saint George gives way to the mast of the Jolly Roger in the pockets of the brotherhood of the sea begins to flow zolotishko, and on the island of New Providence in the town of Nassau appears proud and independent pirate republic.

In local taverns you will meet old acquaintances from the tales of pirates: Edward Teach, just let go of his menacing black beard, Ben Hornigolda, Calico Jack, Bart Roberts, and a couple of piracy ladies prefer men’s clothes – Anne Bonny and Mary Read. On the neighboring islands await Kenuey British forts and buried treasure, and in the sea – innumerable English and Spanish gunboats, frigates and sloops.

But what about the Assassins and Templars? Oh, they are, but the fact that Edward’s little interest in their eternal showdown, because first of all he is thinking only of how tightly to stuff your wallet and only because of what he occasionally crossed it with one, then the other – is a mysterious observatory, built Forerunners. The Order is looking for this building, because with the help of the Templars can build their ideal society, fraternity wants to stop them, well, Edward … Ed kept apart, and hopes it can help to earn some money. And a lot has to happen in order to pirate realized that to stay away he will not succeed, and finally made his choice.

Where did the pirates come from, you ask? Who now continues the work of Desmond and generally how things are after a very definite ending the previous part? The game gives you the answers to these questions, periodically bringing us back to the present, where we learn that Abstergo has decided to test himself in a somewhat unfamiliar role and started making computer games, enlisting, among other things, support for Ubisoft. And the company is killing two birds with one stone, as the materials for the game derives from the genetic memory of the person, at the same time continuing to search for useful information to the Knights Templar.

So the main character on this side of reality is a kind of analyst Abstergo Entertainment, sitting in his box at the Montreal office of the company, which explores the memory of seventeen object for the information useful for the development of a new game under the working title “Pirates of the Nightmare.” And he is not having a clue about the Templars and the Assassins, gradually and quite unwillingly gets caught up in a conflict occurs with characters from previous installments and in the process finds out what eventually happened to Desmond.

And yet unnamed analyst sneaking through the corridors of Abstergo Entertainment, hacking computers and gather incriminating files, Edward travel through the Caribbean Sea, each time approaching a little closer to the ancient observatory. A plow in Assassin’s Creed IV is that the world is simply huge. Previously, the developers have stated that it will take about half an hour to cross the Caribbean from end to end. Check the veracity of their statements was not possible because the number of events on the map rolls over.

Keep you out of a course of Kingston, for example, in Havana, determined to go through the story, when the quartermaster notes left on board the great white shark. Well then miss out on this rare occasion to harpoon? Especially given the fact that it can get reagents to create armor and weapons. And now, to board the trophies you see on the horizon, red sails hunter pirates, but your faithful “Jackdaw” is not repaired after an unequal battle with the trio of Spanish brigs. What to do? The answer comes by itself – away overcast sky cut a flash of lightning, then there is a storm and the opportunity to break away from the pursuer. And there, if you’re lucky, you fucking ship gets into a tornado or damaged killer waves, which means you can take it on board the ship. At the same time, and money / goods razzhivemsya and “Galka” mend. And here you are on the go all the sails to meet the storm, and the team at full throat singing shanti (traditional British sea songs, approx. Ed.). After another fifteen minutes you will find yourself on an island, for solving the mystery of the Mayan obelisk, though, remember that there is clearly tied up in search of the treasure, which learned about the location of the innkeeper at the Great Inagua.

The game constantly takes you away from the main storyline, entertaining a treasure hunt, the study of shipwrecks, it clashes with the royal guard, the search for materials to improve the ship, killing or contracts here this island, suddenly appeared on the horizon. What are the secrets he’s hiding? And even for the study is not open every piece of land, uncharted, let instead of huge locations from the previous games are pretty limited space, it does not make the study less exciting.

The combat system has not changed much – all the enemies are the same idiots who, despite their numerical superiority, prefer to watch Edward dealing with a couple of mates. At first it seems that they have become smarter and learned to run to the alarm bells, summoning to the aid of his comrades, but it is only an illusion. The radius of the enemy was still confined to a few meters, most enemies are deaf as traffic jams, do not present any particular risk in the melee and generally forget about the player after a minute or two after a confrontation and return to their seats.

The only lasting innovation – the brass tube with two types of darts. Some instantly put an enemy, others injected it into berserk, causing their attack. Excellent tool for discreet passage of jobs, among other things. You can simply put to sleep custody and quietly sneak into the fort, for example, or simply kill the desired character set on the fact of his own guards. However, the same tube is used in the Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation for the PS Vita, which, by the way, at the beginning of 2014 to re-release in HD for older platforms.

Pseudo-city living is traditional for the series look just wonderful, especially pleased with the population of pro-pirate towns. Women in the market, grabs the gun at attacking Edward British soldiers remain in memory for a long time. And with the visual side of Assassin’s Creed IV will give odds to anyone. However, to describe the incredible beauty is useless, you need to see. Most of all, perhaps, like the changing weather conditions – a sudden storm or incident the morning mist rising slowly in the bay, simply unforgettable.

Like the feel of the sea battle. Control of the ship was better than Assassin’s Creed III, although it is all the same arcade. However, this is his charm, tea does not play in the simulator. And so it should be a fun and epic, and not believable. And just to have fun and epic games are good, in fact, Assassin’s Creed IV – this is probably the best game about pirates today.

Not to mention that the game has changed a composer. This time it’s Brian Tyler who has long music for Hollywood blockbusters. I must say that the task he handled excellently, the soundtrack is to be commended.

As for the multiplayer, the presence of which has always been quite controversial, and it has remained virtually unchanged. Traditionally, several new modes, but in general, most of them habitually reduced to mask the scheme in the crowd, find and kill a given target and at the same time try not to die himself. Periodically with the need to capture points or carry back and forth artifacts flags.

Apparently, the mobile companion app – a new feature, soon we will meet them everywhere. There is an application and Assassin’s Creed IV. In addition to studying maps of open areas and reading texts found, the application provides access to a new mini-game “Fleet Kenuey” which has come to replace the management of squads of assassins. Now you can send merchant ships to different ports, thus earning money and opening collectibles. Naturally, the routes are periodically blocked by enemy ships, so they need to be cleaned from time to time. Fights are rather primitive, but at first amused. However, the most useful feature companion app – it’s the texts found shanti. Open up and sing along with the team!

In Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag developers have managed to please everyone. Fans of the history of confrontation and asasinov Templars got another piece of the global puzzle, and the rest – just a great game with a pirate theme and a huge world open to explore. And what more do you need than a tailwind? Full speed ahead, yarrrrr!

The review is based on the version of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag for the PlayStation 3, all the screenshots used in this paper – the official.

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