Skull and Bones vs Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag Comparison: A Deep Dive into the Pirate Games

Ubisoft, a leading name in the gaming industry, recently released Skull and Bones on PC and consoles. The game, which is set in the pirate world, has been a subject of controversy among gamers. Some have criticized the game for its lackluster shipboarding mechanics and the absence of swimming, among other things. In contrast, Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag, a game that came out a decade ago, is still remembered fondly by many for its immersive pirate experience. In this article, we will delve deeper into the comparison between these two pirate games and highlight the key differences between them.

First, let’s talk about the shipboarding mechanics. In Skull and Bones, instead of actually boarding an enemy ship, the game shows just a cut-scene for it. This has been a point of criticism for many gamers, who feel that it is a downgrade from the interactive shipboarding mechanics in Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag. In contrast, in Black Flag, players could board enemy ships and engage in hand-to-hand combat, making the experience more immersive and engaging.

Another feature that is missing in Skull and Bones is the ability to swim. While players could swim in Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag, they cannot do so in Skull and Bones. This limitation may be due to gameplay purposes, as in Skull and Bones, players can only leave their ship when they sail to a safe port. This is yet another downgrade from the freedom of movement that players enjoyed in Black Flag.

When it comes to graphics, Skull and Bones looks better than Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag, which is to be expected given the advancements in technology over the past decade. However, it is important to note that Skull and Bones is a “Games as a Service” (GaaS) title, while Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag was a single-player story-driven game. As a result, the focus in Skull and Bones is on the online multiplayer experience, and the graphics are a reflection of that. In contrast, Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag had a greater emphasis on storytelling and immersion, and the graphics were a key component of that experience.

One area where Skull and Bones falls short is in the cut-scenes. In the game, the lip-syncing in the cut-scenes is noticeably lower quality than what was seen in Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag. This is to be expected, as the focus in Skull and Bones is on the online multiplayer experience, and the resources were allocated accordingly. In contrast, in Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag, the cut-scenes were a crucial part of the storytelling experience, and the resources were dedicated to making them as high-quality as possible.

Another area where Skull and Bones has been criticized is its exploitation of gamers with its “Games as a Service” approach. The game took many of the elements of Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag and made them worse, in an attempt to create a GaaS title. This approach has been criticized by some as a cash grab, as Ubisoft seemed to miss what made Black Flag stand out when it came out. In short, Skull and Bones is yet another example of a game that tried to replicate the success of a popular title, but failed to capture the magic that made the original game great.

Despite the criticisms, it is important to note that Skull and Bones still suffers from the MAGPIE error code that plagued its Closed Beta and Open Beta builds. As such, it has not been possible to benchmark the game’s performance. However, Ubisoft is offering a free trial to everyone, so those who are interested in the game can test it out before making a purchase.

In conclusion, while Skull and Bones and Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag are both pirate games, they offer vastly different experiences. Skull and Bones focuses on the online multiplayer experience and the “Games as a Service” model, while Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag was a single-player story-driven game with a greater emphasis on immersion and freedom of movement. While Skull and Bones may look better graphically, it falls short in other areas, such as shipboarding mechanics and the ability to swim. Ultimately, it is up to each individual gamer to decide which game offers the better pirate experience.

About the Author:
John Papadopoulos is the founder and Editor in Chief at DSOGaming. He is a PC gaming fan and highly supports the modding and indie communities. Before creating DSOGaming, John worked on numerous gaming websites. While he is a die-hard PC gamer, his gaming roots can be found on consoles. John loved – and still does – the 16-bit consoles, and considers SNES to be one of the best consoles. Still, the PC platform won him over consoles. That was mainly due to 3DFX and its iconic dedicated 3D accelerator graphics card, Voodoo 2. John has also written a higher degree thesis on the “The Evolution of PC graphics cards.”

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