I’m sure there’re other gamers out there like me who spend hours doing nothing in a video game. Outside of missions, combat, conversations, and collectables. Simply wandering through busy streets or driving down traffic-laced highways. Maybe soaking in the silence of the night and enjoying the peace and quiet. Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced has added another escape to the list. It’s an incredible adventure, especially replaying those exciting missions again, but it sure does offer a chilled out opportunity to get away from everything.
Walking through the streets in Night City; swinging through the skies as Spider-Man; driving through the quiet neighbourhoods of Los Santos; soaking in the scenery of the vastness of wild Tamriel; or riding on horseback through the Wild West. I’ve got many favourite places I choose to exist in, but Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed series has always been high up on that list. My love of history not only helps me to appreciate what the studio has done, but these games allow me to simply exist in these worlds. I’m not sure how many people play games this way, but I love how Ubisoft always get it right.
Not to go too deep, but I’ve dealt with depression for over ten years. Sometimes, as I’m sure many can attest to, it’s hard to pull yourself out. Video games have always been an escape. They’ve always been a way to say goodbye to the real world. Whether it’s thirty minutes or a few hours, games are like therapy. However you choose to play them, that separation from reality has always helped me to calm my mind. One way I make use of video games has been to simply live in a digital world, walking around doing nothing, just being someone else somewhere else.
The last few months has been particularly hard for me to find that escape. I’ve gone back to older games, but what with one thing or another, I’ve struggled to find that liberation I love, and need. Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced came along at the right time, though. With it, I was not only able to revisit a classic but journey in a place filled with such beauty. Ubisoft has done such a wonderful job of making the Caribbean look beautiful. The golden sun on the clear blue sea; the rich fauna on secluded islands; the NPCs who feel as though they’re living and not just scenery.
When I first arrived in Havana, I spent a long time walking its streets. I listened in excess of fifteen minutes to a couple of street musicians. I watched as a drunk guy kept stumbling into people, probably from too much rum. Then there was the tavern. People huddled together, singing in unison. Two other guys playing with a knife, trying not to stab their fingers as the blade fell on the table between each one. I stood by the sea and watched the waves grace the shore. Above all else, though, I just listened. Present in the moment, I soaked in my surroundings and became present.
I’m not saying I don’t love stealth-killing soldiers from rooftops or hidden in tall grass, but AC has always been a way to feel as though I could find calm. The series of Discovery Tours they did for Odyssey, Valhalla, Mirage, and Origins was about as near perfect as it got for me. Not only could I wander around with zero threat, I was able to learn about ancient history. Despite Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced not having this option (yet), I was still able to find such freedom, helping me to step into a point in time and find a connection with it.
Maybe I’m not making perfect sense. Maybe it might sound like I’m rambling. I guess what I’m trying to say is the Assassin’s Creed series has helped me with my mental health, and I’m forever grateful to them. I play these games like they’re meant to be played, but I also enjoy spending time outside of missions, combat, conversations, and collectables. Sailing on the seven seas with my crew and singing shanties, watching whales thrash on the waves, and taking time to just exist in a different era of history does wonders for my mind. Thank you, Ubisoft. I’m forever grateful.
Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is coming to PS5, XBOX, and PC on July 9th.
