[0:00] From new story missions to revised
[0:02] mechanics, here's everything to know
[0:04] about Assassin's Creed Black Flag Reync.
[0:08] Brought to you by Xbox.
[0:10] The story of Reyn is largely the same as
[0:13] the original game. Set in the Caribbean
[0:16] in the early 1700s, Black Flag follows
[0:18] Edward Kenway, a privateeer in the
[0:21] golden age of piracy. Kenway gets caught
[0:24] up in a centuriesl long conflict between
[0:26] the assassins and templars, two opposing
[0:29] groups that v to shape humanity's future
[0:32] when he impersonates a defector of the
[0:34] former to the latter, believing it will
[0:36] lead to fortune. Of course, things don't
[0:39] go according to plan, pushing Kenway
[0:41] down a path that has him running into
[0:43] other famous pirates of the time, such
[0:45] as Charles Vain, Mary Reed, and even
[0:48] Blackbeard himself. In the original
[0:51] game, like most other Assassin's Creeds,
[0:54] Black Flag featured a portion set in the
[0:56] modern day. The first title to not
[0:59] feature Desmond Miles in this segment,
[1:01] the game has players as an undercover
[1:03] assassin infiltrating Abstergo
[1:05] Industries, the Templars's front for its
[1:08] activities in the current era. This
[1:10] portion of the game is being replaced
[1:12] with rifts that Kenway can find
[1:14] throughout the Caribbean, which show
[1:16] alternate what-if scenarios for the
[1:19] story to play out. What exactly these
[1:22] look like, we don't know ahead of
[1:24] launch, but needless to say, the biggest
[1:26] change in the game story from the 2013
[1:29] release to this one is the removal of
[1:31] its modern-day sections. Then there are
[1:34] a few new story missions in Reynct as
[1:36] well. These give some additional
[1:38] backstory and context for members of the
[1:40] crew that players bring on to help man
[1:43] the Jacko, Kenway's ship, as well as
[1:45] missions that flesh out the stories of
[1:47] the game side characters such as
[1:49] Blackbeard and Steed Bonnet.
[1:50] >> And I would profit better by using your
[1:53] organs for chum and your bones for char.
[1:57] The first hint from developer and
[1:59] publisher Ubisoft of Black Flag Reync
[2:02] happened in summer of 2024 when the
[2:05] company's CEO Eve Gumour stated that
[2:07] some Assassin's Creed games were
[2:09] receiving remakes for the new missions
[2:11] and scenes that are being altered and
[2:13] added to the game, the original Black
[2:15] Flag writer Darby McDevit was brought on
[2:18] board with the team looking to explore
[2:20] the theme of greed even more than in the
[2:23] 2013 release. Reync is being developed
[2:26] with the same in-house Anvil engine that
[2:29] powered the most recent Assassin's Creed
[2:31] release, Shadows, which launched in
[2:33] early 2025. The game reportedly includes
[2:36] zero code from the original game and has
[2:39] been rebuilt from the ground up. With
[2:41] this new engine, Reyn will include more
[2:44] highly detailed geometry and character
[2:47] models, more realistic lighting and
[2:49] shadows, and increased draw distances.
[2:52] Loading screens have also been
[2:54] eliminated when anchoring the Jacko in a
[2:56] new location.
[2:58] While Black Flag Reynct will receive a
[3:00] makeover that makes its gameplay more in
[3:03] line with more modern Assassin's Creed
[3:05] games, it is distinctly not going to be
[3:08] including any of the RPG elements from
[3:10] those titles. While in the original,
[3:12] Kenway was able to easily mow through
[3:15] groups of enemies, Resinct's combat is
[3:17] designed to be fast and more tactical,
[3:20] requiring more precise parries that make
[3:22] encounters against only a handful of
[3:25] opponents more intense than in the
[3:27] original game. Recync's parkour and
[3:30] stealth have also been overhauled as
[3:32] well. The former will receive modern
[3:34] enhancements such as directional parkour
[3:37] and ejecting from walls, while the
[3:39] latter allows players to crouch at any
[3:41] time rather than it only kicking in in
[3:44] specific conditions. Also, autofail
[3:47] tailing missions have been completely
[3:49] removed. If players are spotted while
[3:52] having to tail a target, the game will
[3:54] present other opportunities to either
[3:56] retail said target or uncover the
[3:59] necessary information players are after
[4:01] through different means. When taking to
[4:03] the seas, that portion of the game is
[4:05] receiving improvements, too. Players can
[4:08] explore underwater by just jumping off
[4:10] the side of their ship rather than
[4:12] having to use the diving bell in
[4:14] specific locations. and predator
[4:16] encounters are more active real-time
[4:18] interactions than the QTEbased approach
[4:21] of the 2013 release. The Jacko will
[4:24] receive additional customization options
[4:27] and naval combat has been retoled to
[4:30] require players to utilize the ship's
[4:32] various tools more often in order to
[4:34] overcome opposing vessels rather than
[4:36] being able to just spam the broadside
[4:38] cannons.
[4:40] Assassin's Creed Black Flag Reync
[4:42] releases on July 9th, 2026 for PC, PS5,
[4:47] and Xbox Series X and S for $60. The
[4:50] deluxe edition of the game, which
[4:51] retails for $70, includes cosmetics for
[4:54] both Kenway and the Jack Door, as well
[4:56] as unique perks for the pirates,
[4:58] weapons, and trinkets. The $200
[5:01] collector's edition includes all the
[5:03] benefits of the deluxe edition, plus a
[5:05] steelbook and a bunch of other physical
[5:07] goodies, including a statue of Kenway
[5:10] himself. Although, at the time of
[5:11] writing, this edition is sold out.
[5:14] Pre-ordering any version of the game
[5:16] will net players Blackbeard themed
[5:18] cosmetics for Kenway. And that's
[5:20] everything to know about Assassin's
[5:22] Creed Black Flag Reynct. For more on the
[5:24] game, including our eventual review,
[5:27] stay right here on GameSpot.