The “Assassin’s Creed” series became famous for its fun gameplay, diverse locations and memorable characters; however, many fans started to get bored with the same storyline and wanted a major change in the series.

Well, Ubisoft studios heard the complaints of the fans and did their best to respond. This resulted in a completely new environment to play around in and a different cast of characters; however, different does not always mean better. These changes in “Assassin’s Creed IV” would either be a grand success or a crushing defeat for Ubisoft studios.

The game takes place in the Caribbean islands during the time of pirates. And, of course, our main character, Edward Kenway, spends his days as a pirate. When he comes across a rogue assassin’s ship, he kills the man and steals his identity.

As players progress through the game  they gain their own ships and loyal crews. As you could probably notice very early on, you do not really act as a hero in this story. You play a pirate, and your main motivation through the story is getting rich enough to never work again.

That said, as the story progresses, you find out more about Kenway, and he becomes a more reliable character. 

Similar to previous “Assassin’s Creed” games, the gameplay feels almost divided into two parts: the combat section and the platforming section. The combat has been improved from previous games because now if you encounter an enemies, it does not kill them instantly, which makes combat a little harder.

The combat sections, however, are not very difficult, even when multiple enemies attack at once. Platforming feels just as smooth as the other games as characters jump from building to building.

Owning a ship is one of the new features in this game. As a pirate, of course, you will have a cool looking pirate ship, and it feels great to sail around and fight enemy ships. You can even make your crew sing sea shanties as you sail the ocean blue. This becomes a very good thing because most of your time will be spent on the seas and in ship battles.

The main story can be finished in a couple of days if that is all you focus on. But if you want to complete the single player one hundred percent, it would take weeks. You definitely get your money’s worth in the single player, but how does the multiplayer play?

You will almost completely forget about the multiplayer after a few days. In previous games, the focus was on trying to trick your opponent by hiding in the crowd. In this new version you now have to work as a team for the first time, and it really does not feel natural in an Assassin’s Creed game. It would only waste time, and you should just focus on the single-player aspect.

“Assassins Creed IV” ended up as a welcome change in the series. The new location is incredibly fun to play in, even though the main character is not the most likable. The gameplay feels very familiar to previous games, and the changes feel natural.

Even though everything in the single player feels great, the multiplayer feels put on at the last minute and could be improved. I definitely recommend this game to any fans of the series and any newcomers. It deserves a solid nine out of 10.