
You can preempt missions to go off on side quests, explore, investigate and loot underwater shipwrecks, or even go hunting and fishing. After that the world opens up-not completely, but pretty close. The first level is a tutorial where you follow a pretty straightforward list of objectives.

Since 1982, PCMag has tested and rated thousands of products to help you make better buying decisions. I sometimes found myself sailing off towards the horizon to watch the sunset (and its flaming red-orange reflection on the rolling sea) or climbing to the top of a church tower and perching silently on top of the cross to watch shadows dance across the walls and sides of buildings in town. And you'll want to explore this beautiful lush world to the fullest. While there are always mission objectives, you can explore wherever you want and do whatever you want-and then go fulfill the mission. While the game isn't as open as Grand Theft Auto V ($23.97 at Walmart) (Opens in a new window), the world is highly unstructured and more expansive.

He's recently arrived in Havana as a privateer, or maybe a pirate it's a little unclear and just a matter of ethics (which are also a little unclear in the world of Assassin's Creed).įreedom is at the heart of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. Neither land nor sea is safe from these rapscallions, and the biggest hellraiser of them all is a young captain named Edward Kenway. The year is 1715 and a lawless pirate republic rules the Caribbean Sea.

