Being able to dive deep underwater to uncover shipwrecks while avoiding the looming threat of sharks is quite a rush. One new sea element introduced in Assassin’s Creed IV that struck me very positively was the diving functionality. The ship can be customized and upgraded, but the upgrades are tied to you repeatedly sailing and looting the others you run into on the ocean.
The core land-based gameplay provides you options on how to carry out missions and take down targets, but while on the ocean, there is typically only one straightforward way to get the job done. Fighting every ship plays out the same way, and following others only involves steering out of the vision of enemies.
There is nothing wrong with all of these elements as they are fun, however, the depth one would like from such a large portion of the gameplay isn’t present. Sailing around the ocean, engaging in combat, and tailing other ships make up about a quarter of the gameplay in Assassin’s Creed IV. As you unlock more areas, fast travel becomes more and more useful for revisits, but the first trip to a location can take some time, especially on your relatively slow moving ship. Travel becomes a tiresome issue for those looking to blast through the story quickly. This vastness is very welcome, but also hampering to the experience in some ways. The world map involves several large land masses filled with cities, jungles, and beaches all of which are available for you to explore. When I say Edward travels all across the Caribbean, I am not lying. His adventures take him all over the Caribbean, dealing with many people, templars, and assassins alike.
Grandfather to Assassin’s Creed III’s Connor, Edward is the captain of his own ship, out to discover more information about the mysterious “Observatory.” Edward isn’t your standard series protagonist as he operates independently from the assassins while working towards his own goals. This exciting Caribbean story is far wilder than what Assassin’s Creed fans may be used to, thanks to the main character Edward Kenway. With a faceless character, it is harder to care about what goes on in the present day when there is such an exciting story being told in the Caribbean.
While this drives sections full of narrative, the lack of personality can be felt in and out of the Animus sequences. Assassin's Creed IV picks up sometime after the conclusion of ACIII, with Desmond absent, and an unnamed, avatar-less character filling in as your controllable character. Desmond Miles, the present day descendant of all the folks you have played as in past games, was the main protagonist in Assassin’s Creed games up to the conclusion of Assassin’s Creed III.