My thoughts on AC4 black flag resynced and the fandom response: the personal essay nobody asked for
Disclaimer: this really will just be a rant about my feelings so if all you have are negative opinions, scroll past this.
So I literally joined the live steam today as soon as I left the office today: AC4 first came out when I was 11 and now I'm 24 and my love for this game has only grown. I literally went from a child watching my older sibling play this game to an adult leaving their corporate job and joining a livestream for the announcement so believe me when I say I love this game.
And to be fair, anyone who has been on my page for more than 2 minutes will know that Charles Vane from this game influenced my taste in men (props to Ralph Ineson for bringing the character to life). The story and characters in this game resonated with me in a lifelong way.
And like lots of other AC fans, I watched this fandom grow and change and morph into something I couldn't recognise with the RPGs and I yearned for a return to the old games.
And then the rumours started. And the more information that came, the more scared I got that this would be some pirate RPG and not the game I fell in love with. And that's what brings us to this week and the lead up to today...
And I have to say: I'm hopeful?
I am a firm believer in the phrase "credit where credit is due":
Do I think we should forgive Ubisoft for their years of RPG slop? No
Do I think every fan of this game needs to be on board with all the changes? No
But here are the facts: this is the same story, they have not put some number system in the combat and most importantly: this is not an RPG. Ubisoft promised it wouldn't be an RPG and they kept it.
This isn't to say that the game is going to be perfect: with any new system, some people will love the changes, some people will hate it. Even with the character designs, I see some people hating Edward's appearance while other's are praising it for looking like the cinematic trailer.
But the way some people are acting like they made Edward a blue haired girl called Karen is ridiculous. Truthfully, even I struggled the first time I saw Edwards redesign. And then I went away and decided to give it a chance. And the more I'm seeing it, the better I'm feeling about it.
And for all the people who don't like it because they are "OG fans"? The real OG fans remember the backlash AC4 got when it first came out: it got called "pirates creed", I remember some people going as far as calling it the death of the franchise. And over time, it became arguably the most beloved game in the franchise alongside the Ezio Trilogy.
Now despite all what I'm saying, the truth will be revealed in July. Maybe this post will age like whisky or maybe it will age like milk but in the wise words of Michael Scott: I am ready to get hurt again.
And now the personal bit: I loved this fandom specifically the AC4 part of the fandom. So many AC writers on tumblr have either left or gone on hiatus and I only hope that this game will at least lead to a revival of fan content: even if it's for the original game out of spite!
Thank you for coming to my ted talk and let me know your thoughts~
I just felt like doing something fun for this one and I felt like Edward would totally be the type to be like “Well, pirates have parrots right? I should get a parrot!”...which...tbh probably isn’t a good idea, taking pet bird into the middle of the ocean on a ship. But thankfully Adéwalé would have shut that shit down real quick. lol
DO NOT USE, TRACE, RE-COLOUR, COPY, OR RE-POST WITHOUT PERMISSION Reblogs are appreciated ❤
