XB1 Games with Gold Double Bill Review: Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag & So Many Me!

Note: Assassins's Creed IV: Black Flag will expire at the end of July, but So Many Me (the second title) will still be available until the 15th of August if memory serves. Remember you can also download these titles via Xbox.com, so if you don’t own an Xbox One yet you can still grab the games and they will be ready to install when you do.

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

To be honest I never picked up Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag back in the day because I was pretty much spent with playing the series. For example I enjoyed the first two games and then Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood/Assassin's Creed: Revelations, however when I got to the third title I couldn't wait to finish it, simply because I was bored with the same old game mechanics and a lead character that had no charisma like Altaïr or Ezio had.

So without the Games with Gold program I doubt I would have ever bought the fourth game in the series!

Thankfully in Black Flag there is twist to the story, as you play the role of Edward Kenway (a pirate) who after getting ship wrecked on an island in the Caribbean stumbles upon an Assassin and after killing him Edward decides to impersonate the dead Assassin and travel to Havana in order to claim his prize - Edward thinks it will lead him to a wealth of riches!

Yet despite this twist the same game mechanics are underneath, albeit with a prettier setting; graphics are top draw for the most part thanks to the 900P update that was released at the time.

For example even in Edwards impersonating role you can do the same free running and stealth elements, the same combat style, the same climbing up buildings to gain access to vantage points to sync/reveal more side missions and POI’s etc.

As a result I was starting to get a little bored in the opening hours, so much so that I forgot the stealth side altogether and went in with all swords, pistols and smoke bomb gadgets blazing - in order to get to the next mission quickly!

Thankfully it was when I got deeper into the story that I started to change my opinion of Black Flag.  For a start Edward is certainly a more appealing character than Connor was from Assassins Creed 3 and there are some really awesome sequences to be played through; one in which requires you to escape capture and flee from your pursuers on a ship.

The latter (which expands the element from Assassins Creed 3) is what elevates this title as you get to perform some pretty cool ship-to-ship combat. Likewise I found it fun just to sail across the map (which is massive) to discover hidden underwater treasures (opens up later in the story), stop off at ports and find new crew members. There is simply tons to do! In fact as well as being able to use money (from stealing, completing missions or looting chests) to upgrade weapons you can even upgrade your ship as well.

So while Black Flag does have the standard combat and stealth in place, the traversing of the ocean with your ship and crew is what makes the title worth downloading - even a year or so after its release! So get it for free while you can!

Note: There is a multiplayer mode as well, which does have some interesting options such as the Wolf Pack which allows you to do some co-op action or you can create your own game modes. However for me I think the single player is probably worth investing more time in.

So Many Me

So Many Me has been out on other platforms, but this is the first time it has made its way onto the Xbox One.

I did not know what to expect with this game to be honest, but from I could gather you play a small green creature called Filo (who is just looking for food to eat) and without warning he stumbles upon a God-like creature who tasks him to save a world that is threatened by an ancient, malevolent evil! You then see Filo fall into a mystical pool and you discover that this in turn creates special seeds that are then spread out across the world!

Collecting these seeds actually creates a clone of yourself and it’s this clone aspect that forms a major part in the way the game mechanics work and one that elevates the puzzler ten-fold!

By default you traverse the landscape (which is basic to some extent but it has colourful visuals) with simply jumps, but by pressing the controller's X button your clone can transform into a block and this allows you to grab onto it to reach higher levels or drop to lower ground.

It sounds simple, but it actually does engage the brain somewhat, especially if you want to get the three collectibles dotted around the level.

You can see some of this gameplay style in the video below.

Multiple Me's!

Later on in the game you start to gain more and more Me’s to help you complete each level and each meeting is usually showcased in text format to try and add to the story element (or at least explain what is going on). For the most part these exchanges (while funny at times) are just background fodder before you can get back to the fun.

Mind you gaining more Me’s does amp up the puzzle aspect. For example you can leave one Me on a platform switch to activate a lift and then a press of the controller's trigger (or the Y button) will allow you to transport them back to your location so you can re-utilise the clones for other stages - thus it makes you think of ways in which to use them.

At times you need rapid X and trigger button presses to scale down drops or reach ledges. Likewise you eventually gain the ability to transform into a jelly mass, which in-turn, allows your clones to bounce their way - trampoline style - to higher ground.

These elements can be little fiddly to master at first (more so with a dyslexic brain) and the camera angle is also a little awkward to manipulate; as the right thumbstick allows you to pan around, but it snaps back into place after a fashion.

However you eventually learn the ropes and the changes through each level do keep things interesting, especially when you get the ability to transform into a 'Jellosaur' - a mini dinosaur looking creature that can destroy walls.

There are also enemies dotted about the levels that can respawn to cause havoc and your only defence against them is to jump on their heads - with you and your clones. However some enemies are required to complete puzzles! Additionally you get mid-level boss fights, which granted are not that tasking, but again it does mix things up!

Hub and Collecting

After a few levels you eventually reach the central hub which will allow you to quickly jump between stages. However you will need a certain amount of collectibles (earned in each level) first in order to open these stages up. Additionally the collectibles will allow you to dress up your existing Me’s or use them as currency to craft new abilities - these can be activated in the main menu, such as the one that allows you to roll when you jump.

In summary there is certainly a lot to like in the second freebie this month - even though it can get frustrating at times!

To recap, this title will expire on the 15th of August, but Assassins's Creed IV: Black Flag will be removed at the end of this month.