Daniel Hill

For a game that has been in development and had multiple reworks for the past 11 years, the game feels like it lacks a soul. Little wonder I became bored of the beta test after a couple of hours. The movement on the small plots of land you are actually permitted to walk on feels clunky, the clothing feels static where it should be flowing and the acting within the cutscenes feels particularly forced. The only redeemable feature this game has revolves around what could quite possibly be the only thing that was truly worked on during those 11 years, and that is the ship combat. I will say that the water seems well worked on, but these is the only thing I can compliment. Even then, the movement of the ships feels too sudden where in reality it should be much more slow-moving. The final straw for my playthrough came in the form of the boarding cutscene, which I can only surmise was a quick addition by the team in the final moments before release, and something they probably forgot about and panicked. For something that has been described as a AAAA game and for anyone wishing for a true pirate experience, I highly recommend players save their money (a ridiculous price tag of £50-£60 depending on platform) and play the predecessor to this 'ghost-ship' of a game, Assassins Creed IV: Black Flag.