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ASSASSINS CREED: BLACK FLAG (2013)

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag is a 2013 historical action-adventure open world video game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft.[2 !t is the si"th ma#or installment in the Assassin's Creed series$ a se%uel to 2012&s Assassin's Creed III modern story and a pre%uel to its historical storyline. !t was released worldwide for the 'lay(tation 3 and )bo" 3*0 on +ctober 2,$ 2013.
[- [, [10

.he 'lay(tation / and )bo" +ne versions were also in development$ and both versions

have been announced as a launch title for both consoles. .he 0ii U version was delayed in 1urope until 2ovember 22$ 2013.[* [, 3 Microsoft 0indows version was announced for release on +ctober 2,$ 2013$ but has since been delayed 4a few wee5s$4 [13 and will be released on 2ovember 1,$ 2013 in 2orth 3merica[6 [, [10 and 2ovember 22$ 2013 in 1urope.

Gameplay
.he game will feature three main cities7 8avana$ 9ingston$ and 2assau$ :ahamas$ which reside under (panish$ :ritish and pirate influence$ respectively.[2 .he game will also feature 60 other &uni%ue& locations to e"plore$ with a *0;/0 balance between land and naval e"ploration.[/ Assassin's Creed IV will have a more open world feel$ with missions similar to those found in Assassin's Creed$ as well as fewer restrictions for the player. .he 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 e"plore until the game was well into its first act. [2 [1/ [16 [1* .he player will encounter #ungles$ forts$ ruins and small villages and the world is being 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. [/ [12 !n addition$ the hunting system has been retained from Assassin's Creed III$ allowing the player to hunt on land$ and fish in the water.[/ 3 new aspect in the game is the ship the player will captain$ Jackdaw. .he Jackdaw is upgradeable throughout the game$ as well as having easy access to the ship when needed. [1/ !n addition$ a new underwater component has been added. [2 .he player has access to a spyglass$ allowing the e"amination of distant ships$ along with their cargo and strength. !t can also help determine if an island still has animals to hunt$ treasures to find or high points to

reach for synchroni<ation.[2 3n updated form of the recruit system introduced in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood has returned$[2 allowing 1dward to recruit crew members. 0hile 9enway&s crew will remain loyal to him$ and can be promoted to captain ac%uired ships$ they cannot assist in combat or perform long-range assassinations$ as in previous games. Ubisoft removed this aspect of the brotherhood system$ believing it allowed players to bypass tense and challenging scenarios too easily.[1= !n the present day$ at the 3bstergo 1ntertainment > a subsidiary of 3bstergo !ndustries > offices in Montreal$ ?uebec$ players will engage in modern day pirating through the e"ploring of 3bstergo&s offices$ eavesdropping and hac5ing$ all without combat. 3s well$ various 4hac5ing4 games$ similar to previous cluster and glyph pu<<les$ will be present$ that will uncover secrets about 3bstergo.[1Multiplayer also returned$ with new settings and game modes$ though it is only landbased.

Characters
.he main character of the game is 1dward 9enway @Matt AyanB$[1, a :ritish privateer-turned-pirate and eventual member of the 3ssassin +rder7 father of 8aytham 9enway$ and grandfather of Aatonhnha5CDton$ the two playable characters of Assassin's Creed III. Aeal-life individuals that will be encountered include the pirates 1dward 4:lac5beard4 .hatch[note 1 [20 @Mar5 :onnarB$[1, :en#amin 8ornigold$[2 3nne :onny$[2 Ealico Fac5[2 and Eharles Gane[2 @Aalph !nesonB.[1,

Setting
3s is the case in previous games in the Assassin's Creed series$ the story is divided into two intertwined halves$ with one in the present day$ one in a historical setting$ and the events of each influencing the other. 3lthough the present-day story had previously established that an 3nimus was re%uired to view one&s ancestors memories$ the ending of Assassin's Creed III implies that Hesmond&s genetic memories have now been uploaded on to &the cloud&.[12 3s such$ the player&s character is hired by 3bstergo 1ntertainment to investigate a pivotal character in Hesmond&s ancestry$ the 3ssassin 1dward 9enway.[21 3 notorious pirate and privateer operating during the Iolden 3ge of 'iracy$ 9enway&s story is set in the Earibbean$ and mi"es open-ended ship-based e"ploration with combat and land-based adventures on a number of Earibbean islands$ as well as parts of southern Jlorida.[22 [23 [2/

Plot
(amples ta5en from Hesmond Miles& body in the moments after his death have enabled 3bstergo !ndustries to continue to e"plore his genetic memories using the 3nimus& newfound cloud computing abilities. .he unnamed player character is hired by 3bstergo 1ntertainment to sift through the memories of 1dward 9enway$ an eighteenth-century pirate and the grandfather of Aatonhnha5CDton. +stensibly$ this is to gather material for an 3nimuspowered interactive feature film$ but in reality$ 3bstergo and the .emplars are searching for the +bservatory$ a 'recursor structure that allows the user to see through the eyes of a sub#ect whose blood has been procured. 3s 9enway$ the player must unravel a conspiracy between high-ran5ing .emplars within the :ritish$ (panish and Jrench empires who$ under the guise of cleaning up piracy in the Earibbean$ have used their positions to locate the (age - later identified as :artholomew Aoberts - who is the only man that can lead them to the +bservatory$ which they intend to use to spy on and blac5mail world leaders. 9enway becomes an unwitting player in their plot when he 5ills a rogue 3ssassin and assumes his identity. 8is rec5lessness endangers the entire 3ssassins& +rder$ prompting him to pursue the (age and the conspirators from the KucatLn 'eninsula to 'rMncipe and the 3frican coast. Meanwhile$ a band of notorious pirates - including 1dward 4:lac5beard4 .hatch$ :en#amin 8ornigold and Eharles Gane$ among others - dream of a state where man is free to live beyond the reach of 5ings and rulers. 9enway is instrumental in realising this dream and a free 4'irate Aepublic4 is established in the colony of 2assau. 8owever$ poor governance$ a lac5 of an economy and an outbrea5 of disease bring the colony dangerously close to collapse. 3s the founders become deeply divided over every issue$ 9enway tries to find a solution$ but is too late to stop the .emplars from ta5ing advantage of the situation to consolidate their control over the Earibbean. 1ventually$ 9enway and Aoberts uncover the location of the +bservatory and retrieve the artifact powering it$ but 9enway is betrayed at the last moment. 3fter a brief stint in prison for the crimes of piracy$ 1dward escapes with the aid of 3h .abai$ the 3ssassin Mentor$ and elects to #oin their +rder. Ehasing down Aoberts$ 9enway retrieves the artifact and returns it to the +bservatory$ sealing it away for good. 8e 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 un5nown daughter$ Fennifer (cott. !n the present day$ the player is contacted by Fohn$ 3bstrego 1ntertainment&s information technology manager. Fohn convinces the player that his employer 5nows more

than they are telling him$ and encourages them to investigate in more detail. 8e arranges for the player to access the 3nimus& core$ at which point Funo materialises into an incorporeal form. (he 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. Fohn is unmas5ed as the reincarnated form of the (age and attempts to murder the player to cover up the failed attempt at resurrecting Funo$ but is 5illed by 3bstergo&s security before he can do so. 3s Aoberts$ the (age admits to 9enway that he owes no allegiance to the 3ssassins or the .emplars and instead uses whoever he thin5s represents his best chance of achieving his ends. 0ith the (age dead$ the player is contacted by the 3ssassins as they continue their infiltration of 3bstergo$ but neither side is able to e"plain the (age&s presence or identify his followers.

Release
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag was released worldwide for 'lay(tation 3 and )bo" 3*0 on +ctober 2,$ 2013$[- [, [10 while the 0ii U was released on +ctober 2,$ 2013 in 2orth 3merica$[* [, [10 2ovember 21$ 2013 in 3ustralia$ 2ovember 22$ 2013 in 1urope[6 and 2ovember 2-$ 2013 in Fapan.[11 .he 0ii U version in 1urope was delayed from its original 2ovember 1$ 2013 release date.[6 !t was announced on March 1$ 2013 that the game will also come to the 'lay(tation /$ and on May 21 that it will release on the )bo" +ne. [= :oth versions will be launch titles$ with the 'lay(tation / version releasing on 2ovember 16 and 2ovember 2,$ 2013 in 2orth 3merica and 1urope$ respectively$ [, [10 and 2ovember 22$ 2013 worldwide for )bo" +ne.[, [10 Ubisoft will once again partner with (ony to bring e"clusive content to the 'lay(tation 3 and 'lay(tation / versions of the game$ [32 which will feature the protagonist of Assassin's Creed III: Liberation$ 3veline de IrandprC$ in three missions. .he 3veline content$ which will be written by Liberation writer Fill Murray$ pic5s up after the conclusion of her story in Liberation.[33 .he content is also available on the 'E platform$ through the Uplay Iold 1dition. +n Fune 21$ 2013$ it was announced that the Microsoft 0indows version had been delayed 4a few wee5s4$[13 later revealed to be 2ovember 1,$ 2013 in 2orth 3merica and 2ovember 22$ 2013 in 1urope.[6 Nead designer Fean-(ebastien Hecant e"plained that the delay was caused by the team wor5ing on the 4master version4 first$ ma5ing sure it wor5s and then proceeding to the other versions. Jor Black Flag$ the 'lay(tation 3 and )bo" 3*0 version was the master$ before the team adapted it to the other consoles.[3/

+n +ctober 31$ 2013 Ubisoft announced that Uplay 'assport re%uirement is removed from Assassin's Creed IV and all future games. Uplay 'assport came with new copies of the game and was re%uired for accessing multiplayer and 1dward&s Jleet minigame. +wners of used copies could download Uplay 'assport for a fee before it was made free of charge.[36 [3*

Music
.he score to Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag was composed by 3merican composer :rian .yler$ who also composed the soundtrac5 of the previous Ubisoft title Far Cry 3. .he soundtrac5 was released via digital download on +ctober 1/$ 2013. [3- 3 second soundtrac5 containing a set of 1/ sea shanties was released via digital download on +ctober 2,$ 2013. [3, 3 complete soundtrac5 including the two previous soundtrac5s as well as the multiplayer soundtrac5 composed by Foe 8enson will be released Hecember 2$ 2013