Assassin's Creed 4 'Freedom Cry' review (Xbox One): Familiar waters

Release Date: Out now
Platforms available on: Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Developer: Ubisoft
Publisher: Ubisoft
Genre: Action/Adventure

Perhaps so as not to interfere with the release of January's Assassin's Creed: Liberation HD, Ubisoft has decided that now's the time to launch Black Flag's first single-player story DLC, mere weeks after we set sail on the good ship next-gen.

With barely any time to settle our stomachs from all of that sailing, 'Freedom Cry' once again thrusts players into the tropics, only this time as Edward Kenway's first mate Adewale.

Taking place in a smaller environment and tackling serious issues such as slavery, 'Freedom Cry' has the potential to tell a much tighter and more emotive story.

Thanks to one or two niggling issues, however, it's potential that ultimately feels untapped.

'Freedom Cry' takes place 15 years after the events of Black Flag, although its beginnings are almost identical.

Adewale, now a skilled assassin and the master of his own ship, finds himself washed up on the shores of Port-au-Prince, having barely survived a spectacular storm at sea.

"Too often our primary goals were interrupted by errant guards craving a scrap, or we were spotted because of a lack of cover and sneak function."

After a chance encounter with a slave, Adewale's conscience is pricked and he decides that he can't ignore their plight any longer, choosing to liberate as many captives as he can and start a revolution.

At times it's powerful stuff. Opening shots of slaves lined up at auction and imprisoned in cages, combined with some impressive voice acting, really sells the gravity of the mission at hand.

Much like Black Flag, however, the story feels a little loose and baggy once you start to tackle the game's clunky missions.

Too often our primary goals were interrupted by errant guards craving a scrap, or we were spotted because of a lack of cover and sneak function.

Causing us to fail a mission and start again, these accidental interruptions become a source of great frustration, breaking our attachment with the character and spoiling what is at times a strong and emotionally charged narrative.

Also, one of my biggest complaints about Assassin's Creed 3's 'Tyranny of King Washington' content was that despite the introduction of new, otherworldly powers, the missions were very similar to the ones found in the original game.

This problem is even more pronounced in 'Freedom Cry', which doesn't even benefit from the new combat opportunities provided by spiritual wolf packs and eagle flight.

Instead, the missions are very much as you were, requiring Adewale to eavesdrop, stealthily kill guards and liberate ships.

It feels like a wasted opportunity to experiment with brand new mission types, the best of which could potentially become staples in future Assassin's Creed games.

While we enjoy the game's free-running, naval warfare and blade-based combat, 'Freedom Cry' simply doesn't bring anything new to the table.

It also comes back to the issue of timing. Having spent so many hours exploring islands, killing Templars and engaging enemy ships, 'Freedom Cry' asks you to do it all over again, only this time in a much more confined environment.

"'Freedom Cry' feels like a wasted opportunity to try something new with the franchise and steer it into uncharted waters."

Maybe we would have welcomed the opportunity to revisit the life of the pirate a few months down the line, but now it feels like too much, too soon.

This sense of repetition is also evident in the side quests. Freeing captives unlocks new upgrades, but you'll often find yourself chasing down the same slavers or fighting the same guards when you revisit areas.

Fortunately, Adewale's brutal selection of weapons, which include a machete, blunderbuss and hookshot, makes these encounters more satisfying than ever.

Also, while it shares similarities with the locations from the main campaign, the province of Saint-Domingue is really quite stunning and a joy to explore.

Ultimately, however, 'Freedom Cry' feels like a wasted opportunity to try something new with the franchise and steer it into uncharted waters.

Combat and exploration is still enormously satisfying, and the narrative is powerful, but without enough fresh ideas that it can call its own, 'Freedom Cry' feels like too much, too soon.

3

Gaming: Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag