We were going to introduce you to Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag with a "proper", joined-up preview, written in coherent sentences with many an allusion to classical literature - but then helpful old Uncle Internet leaked a release date, trailer and screenshots ahead of schedule, which caused helpful old Ubisoft to move the embargo forward by seven whole hours. The "proper" preview is on its way - in the meantime, here are the key things that separate this game from its predecessors.



1. New hero

Black Flag takes place in and around the Caribbean, during the halcyon years of the early 18th century. The elapsing of war between the major colonial powers has left hundreds of privateers (read: government sponsored raiders) floating around in the balmy tropics without anything to do, thus bringing about an explosion in naval piracy. The game's hero, Edward Kenway, is one such pirate. As you may have deduced, he's the father of Assassin's Creed 3's Haytham Kenway, father of grumpy old Connor. When first we bump into him, Kenway's leading an appropriately irresponsible and slapdash life, but at some point in the proceedings he'll make contact with the Assassin brotherhood, and discover that there's more to existence than rum, gold and pr0stitutes. Also, he's blond and is a little bit phwoar, if you catch my drift.

2. New setting

Care of Kenway's ship, the Jackdaw, you'll get to explore a brand new, heavily oceanic map which extends from Havana, the Spanish capital of the Caribbean, through Kingston, seat of English colonial interests in the area, to Nassau, a pirate haven and one of the world's oldest democracies. Black Flag's world is the "most varied world that we've ever created", according to creative director Jean Guesdon, and encompasses the usual huge array of minor distractions.



There are fishing villages, where you'll be able to repair or upgrade your ship and complete side missions, hidden coves which contain rare trading opportunities, coastal forts which appear to serve a similar function to Borgia Towers in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, plantations and warehouses to infiltrate, coconut islands where you may be able to find new crew members, and jungles which proffer "a fresh take on nature with new challenges". You'll also be able to explore underwater, once you've outfitted the Jackdaw with a diving bell, investigating shipwrecks for, you guessed it, treasure chests. Oh, and you can go whaling.

3. The ship is the focus

The Jackdaw is basically Assassin's Creed 3's naval mini-game writ very, very large - Guesdon describes the ship as effectively "the second main character of the game". It handles similarly to the Aquila: you steer from the bridge while your crew scurry about the deck, issuing orders with the face buttons and tilting the camera to line up cannon shots. However, where our escapades aboard the Aquila occurred in broken-off sections of the game ring-fenced by loading breaks, here you'll be able to move "seamlessly" (the word "seamless" came up a fair bit in the presentation) between on-foot exploration and naval high jinks.



Want to enter a hostile township without calling attention to yourself? Simply park the Jackdaw round the head of the bay, leap over the side and stroll innocently out of the surf. You can also let go of the wheel while on-board and walk around the deck, either to soak up some of that Free-Bootin' Incidental Chatter or to mount a boarding action on a nearby vessel. Abandoning the helm can be crucial during melee battles, as the longer you let your men slug it out the more of them will be killed, potentially leaving you without the manpower to operate your ship once the fighting's done. It's also possible to lose crewmates during nasty weather, but fortunately, many ports are home to a suicidally willing supply of fresh meat.

Ubisoft says that boarding actions are where we'll appreciate the game's overhauled Anvil Next technology the most. Order your men to grapple and they'll rope in the other ship in a realistic, dynamic manner to create a little sandbox in the middle of the ocean. Exactly how you enter the fray isn't linear, either. You could lead the charge over the side, or swarm up the mast and leap into the enemy's rigging. You could also take a dive, swim right under the other ship and try to hit the enemy from behind.



4. Far Cry is an influence

Different kinds of ship breed different challenges, of course - there are vessels known as "Chargers" that will try to ram you, damaging your ship and obliging a brawl, plus 100-cannon behemoths that will tear you to shreds at range. Fortunately, Kenway has learned a trick or two from Far Cry 3's Jason Brody - he's equipped with a spyglass which allows him to size up the toughness and contents of a ship from afar before engaging in battle.

5. There are new land-based environments too

If you've never managed to acquire sea legs, fear not - a sizeable proportion of Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag takes place on land. Some of the islands are fairly dinky, but the central landmass (which contains Havana) appears large enough to swallow up the likes of Rome or Florence, and screenshots suggest a pleasant range of action-platforming possibilities - jungles with thick over-arching roots, clifftop fortifications, and ancient Mayan temples that call to mind those from Far Cry 3. Guesdon says there are no less than 50 distinct locations to discover in total.

6. New cast and famous historical scenarios

Period celebrity cameos are a staple of the series, and Black Flag's are more than usually fruity. Famous personalities confirmed to appear include Ben Hornigold, the "gentleman pirate", the ruthlessly adept showman Blackbeard (he used to set his hat on fire to intimidate people, reportedly) and the pernicious Charles Vane, who sounds suspiciously like one of the villains. Apparently, there's a chapter where you and an increasingly unhinged Vane are forced to sweat it out on an uncharted island - Lord of the Creeds, anyone? Black Flag will also recreate a number of major events, such as the wreck of the Spanish Armada off the coast of Florida, and a legendary battle in which one pirate took on 42 ships and survived.



7. Altered combat and exploration

Ubisoft's mum on specifics, but we know that the third game's much-vaunted tree-climbing has enjoyed a spell in the garage, in what sounds suspiciously like an admission that it wasn't quite what players were hoping for. In battle, meanwhile, Edward trades Connor's sword and tomahawk combo for a swaggering dual cutlass approach complimented by no less than four flintlock pistols. It looks like more of a case of tweaking than total redefinition, though we're still awaiting news of changes to key features like the countering system.

8. The frame narrative's changed

As you may have deduced from Assassin's Creed 3's ending, Desmond's no longer part of the picture. Players instead fill the shoes of an unnamed Abstergo Entertainment researcher, investigating the secrets of the Kenway bloodline via the Animus. Ubisoft has yet to explain exactly how this will pan out, but it sounds like there's no longer a modern character as such - just a present-day context for your actions in the past.



Source