Never played Black Flag ftr... but I thoroughly enjoy the ship mechanics & the ability to play both solo, &/ in a group. Graphics & ship/character customization are great, but would've enjoyed the intended campaign mode promised b4 multiple Ubisoft branches closed during creation of S&B. However, hundreds of minor kinks are continuously being fixed via updates. Ubisoft does seem highly committed to that, which I appreciate.
Would've also been better with open mic lobby conversation, i.e. gta, not just group convo (&only if each plyr turns the setting on, which most don't).
1st Seasonal event is alot of fun & giant ghost ships requiring multiple ships to take down is enjoyable, & btw, pretty simple to find a random lobby plyr to help ya w/that! NPC conversation & lingo is well written. Really enjoy running my own smuggling biz...Heads up for the Negative Nancys, it does require grinding, however, does reward well once the 8s start pouring in! The Giant ~100-200ft sea monsters are reeeeallly cool! Still...i wanna giant squid, octo, starfish, eel, spider etc. to fight... maybe mermen like King Triton or Aquaman??? idk, more than just giant crocs, hippos & sharks. Possibilities are endless, js!! Overall great game with plenty hours of looting & grinding with fair rewards with weekly inventory consistently coming in. Just not too much of a Main Story quest beyond John Scurlock. I'm a campaign type guy 🤷♂️ Otherwise id DEF give 5 stars!!!!! What is there is entertaining & thoroughly enjoyable imo!