When I was writing this article, my favorite authorized game was Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag. Whether it is mission design, story, world, or the fusion of these contents, this game has a very sophisticated design. Maybe it doesn't correct some of the flaws from other games (such as the combat system is still very simple), but as I mentioned before, this doesn't affect those amazing game experiences. This game is really "the best Assassin's Creed" and it combines some of the advantages of previous games. But today I want to talk about the story theme of the game and how it is combined with the gameplay.

The core of Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag is a story about finding your foothold in the world. We have a group of characters trying to find where we should go and how we should survive. Of course this group contains the protagonist Edward. At the same time, there are adventure-hungry Stede Bonnet, treasure-hunting Benjamin Hornigold, Blackbeard, who realizes that his life is not his own, and Bartholomew Robertst, who decides to “spend a short life happily” as his motto.

Then there are two factions here, namely the Assassin and the Templar, who have their own beliefs and contradictions. Through interactions with all the characters from different groups, Edward finally recognizes his identity and where he is in the world. This is indeed a very gorgeous and personal story, and the story style is also significantly different from previous games. To be honest, this story resonated with me in many places. Maybe I spent a lot of time like Edward to figure out what I am suitable for and where I am suitable for.

Edward's character arc and heroic journey contain the Aesop fables about the eagle and jackdaw. In the fable, when the jackdaw tried to lift a ram, the shepherd's child asked the father what bird it was, and the father's reply was "This is a jackdaw, but it thinks it is an eagle." And in the game, Edward's efforts to seek greater wealth and ultimately obtain wealth far more than he expected are presenting such content.

This setting is reasonable, but how can this be integrated with the gameplay of Assassin's Creed 4? After all, these are stories, character arcs and themes applied to some of the different types and game styles of games, but these seem particularly suitable for Black Flag. And why is this happening? The answer is that Jackdaw is Edward's ship and home.

At the beginning of the game, players will not own their own ships. Players may be driving some ships, but in some limited or linear sections, most chapters are on land in the beginning of most chapters, i.e. they do not have the ability to get out of there. ThenThe player will be imprisoned and sent away on a ship.

A storm then came, and the player would flee with his future first mate and future crew, who eventually took control of the ship and drove it out of the area surrounded by hurricanes and waves. This not only marks the moment when players get the Jackdaws, but also the moment when the game begins to present the entire world before players.

But even though the player can go anywhere he wants now, he is still not invincible, just as different areas in the Caribbean are starting to become more dangerous and full of enemy ships, fortresses and more with good equipment. So despite the similarity between the main story and the Aesop fable of Jackdaw/Eagle, players are immersed in the game story of turning their ship into Eagle. That is, players will obtain money and resources by completing side missions to upgrade Jackdaw and enter some more dangerous places. In the end, the player will reach the climax of having a legendary ship, which means he will encounter the most difficult enemies in the entire game.

As players continue to dive into Black Flag, they will rely more on their ships, as the game has the so-called Jackdaw economy and structure. And that doesn't just mean that players will only upgrade and use it in sea-based activities, such as boarding a ship, occupying fortresses, hunting whales, exploring wreckage, and more. Without Jackdaw players, you can't even do those land-based activities, because if you want to reach any land-based player, you will need to use Jackdaw. Here, the protagonist and the player's goals are constantly pursuing ways to bring you more wealth, and as a player, you will also strive to pursue wealth that can help you strengthen Jackdaw.

You will do the same when Edward feels depressed. Because you lost the Jackdaw at this time, there is no open world before you. You cannot go anywhere you want to go. You will be confined to a specific location on the map, which may be an island or a town. That is, you have lost your freedom (of course, in a broader sense, there is still freedom in the task itself, so the gameplay is actually not so linear).

So this kind of resonance between players and characters can further connect them and enhance the subjectivity of the story, which can also effectively answer the questions that players think: Is this worth doing? What do you do if it is not worth it? etc.

Maybe these seem to be obvious, but this is not the case. Let's take Assassin's Creed: Mutiny, a game with a very different system than Black Flag. Its protagonist, Shay Cormac, also owns a ship, Morrigan. To be honest, that ship is really nothing compared to the Jackdaw. But for more fairness, let's further compare these two ships.

1.How to get a ship

"Black Flag": Players areThe Jackdaw was obtained while escaping imprisonment and finding ways to escape from natural disasters.

"Morrigan": The player possesses this "Morrigan" by destroying an enemy on a ship that resides here alone in a desolate place.

2. The importance of obtaining ships

"Black Flag": When players obtain Jackdaws, they can explore the entire Caribbean, which also marks the freedom of the characters and players.

"Renior": Because the player obtained the ship in the initial mission, the player did not know what would happen if the ship was gone.

3. Rely on ship navigation

Black Flag: Without Jackdaw, players cannot reach anywhere in the Caribbean.

"Rebellion": "Rebellion" mainly contains three major backgrounds. First of all, New York, where players don’t need ships at all. Then there is the valley, which means that players only need to use ships in some areas, because there are many places here that are connected to land or can be reached by rafts. Therefore, the only area where players need to sail with ships is the North Atlantic Ocean.

4. The importance of economy

Black Flag: The most important source of income for players in the game comes from the sea, that is, using Jackdaw to snatch the royal fleet and warships that escort a lot of money and a lot of resources. There are also some resources from land, which are mainly used to upgrade the Jackdaw.

"Mission": The most important source of income for players in the game comes from land, that is, the revolution can provide players with stable income and a large amount of resources. So even players who do not engage in maritime operations can have stable income.

5. The importance of the story

Black Flag: Jackdaw is an extension of Edward. His personal goals and players' goals are related to Jackdaw. Edward's role development depends on these goals.

"Mission": Shay's goal is to stop the assassin from finding the Precursor Temple. And Morrigan couldn’t help him do that.

I did these comparisons not to criticize The Mutiny (although I always think Morrigan is meaningless in the game), but rather to emphasize the importance of effectively connecting the story and gameplay. We can find many excellent game examples that really do this. For example, "Brothers: Legend of Gemini" effectively connects the game mechanism and story. But if the game is larger, it will be more difficult for developers to create and maintain this connection. That's why I think "Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag" is really a very good open world game.