User blog:EmeraldCorruption/The Assassin-ism of Assassin's Creed IV

Pirates? Assassins? Explosions? No stealth at all...
Well, initially, this is probably the biggest issue with the entire actual connection to the original series. In the series, the existence of stealth has been fading dramatically. Then, we get this information that we are going to be a...pirate? Yeah, well, based off the previous Naval missions, and history, giant boats with 20-something sails and a bunch of cannons is definitely going to stand out, and the fighting isn't going to be hard to miss. Then we see FOUR guns on Edward, and it can be assumed that they aren't going to be quiet. So it can be assumed that the basis of the series is endangered, because stealth seems to be dying.

But wait, that was the initial problem. Based off recent reveals, and some anonymous tips, I was actually really surprised, and my hype for the game went back to what it originally had been for ACIII, which was pretty high, if you didn't know. Anyways, if you don't want spoilers, go away, because reading about ships is already a spoiler. The fact that you would even think to stay for information that hasn't even been technically released is preposterous. If you don't care, and you are curious about the implications of stealth, you should probably stay for part II.

Boarding Ships
Alright, so Ubi talked about how their new Naval system allows for you to do whatever you want to attack, even if you want to be an idiot. This means you can attack like an assassin would, which is to say, you don't even need to ram your monster of a Jackdaw into them and run about guns flailing. Instead, it is technically allowed for you to dive into the water, swim to the enemy, climb up, and kill them silently one by one until they are dead. Then blow them up, because explosions are cool. Realistically, it could start legends of ghosts and such, so think of it that way when you do that.

Also, you could go ahead and make your crew attack while you sneak from above and take out the opposition's commanding officer, like a true assassin. Then there are a bunch of other ways you could potentially take out enemy boats, but there isn't time for that.

Assassinations
Ah, the thing that Ubi hasn't gotten right since the first installment, the actual base of the entire game. Good news, anonymous tips tell me that they finally got the picture, welcome back to the original Assassin experience in that aspect. No more linear stuff, you just go up and it will be similar to the original assassinations, you have all the control. So imagine the Majd Addin assassination scenario. You could go straight up, or from either side, or anything else. In this case, Edward can do all that, but like 10x more with his more modernized tools (in comparison to Altaïr).

Ship Design
Confirmation I have received has let me know now that there will be a bunch of different ships, like massive variety between the sailboats and warships and in-between. Then my tips inform me that there will be other pirates, British ships, Spanish ships, and French ships, that all perform and act differently. How does this information mean anything? Well it implies that there will be a variety in the Jackdaw as well. In case you don't know what I am trying to say, it means that you don't technically need the biggest, baddest, must insane ship ever. You could have something fast and small for quick attacks to get the loot and go, a ghost of the seas. Stealth Pirates. Dun dun dun. Technically saying, I mean.

Combat
Oh, Duel wielding swords, four pistols...uh...yeah. I don't have much for this, besides that we get a silent bow equivalent, the Blow-dart-gun-thing, and two hidden blades. I can say that the chances of assassinating random people without alerting the entire world will be higher than they were for AC3 as well, but no confirmation there. The idea of in-and-out fighting systems will be prevalent though, quick and fast on the move stuff like in AC3, but probably without the entire British Army chasing you like it was in that sense.

Other Pirate Affiliations
Blackbeard (historically) dies two years into the game anyways, so there you go. Other stuff will just naturally be more secret. Meeting with important captains and such won't be smack in the middle of a British Warship, more likely in secret Pirate Places or Assassin Dens. Though, it can be assumed there will be some explosive stuff if an alliance is made, attacking ships together and stuff. Eh. I don't have anything else for that bit.

Weather
Well, rain and stuff will be back, and darkness, and all that. You could be the stalker in the night, who knows? Batman Kenway.

Conclusion
While the ideals of Piracy will still be prevalent and massive in the game, explosive gameplay styles and attacks along with other systems, that doesn't single out Edward as not being a stealth god (Batman as the code-name). Where the ship battles may very well be intense and action-packed, Edward has the capability to be batman in a boarding situation, and even plan out his attack in a quick and stealthy manner. Plus, he is going to be an assassin like Altaïr with the assassinations, something we have been asking for. If this isn't enough, I have a source to see the PAX east closed theatre gameplay, and a guy from Gametrailers that has already seen some. The latter assures me that stealth is real and existent again.