In harsh, unforgiving ocean waters, there are predators and there are prey. And in Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, Ubisoft wants you to know you’re not at the top of the food chain.
Much like Assassin’s Creed III, Black Flag features an ecosystem filled with all sorts of critters and creatures for protagonist Edward Kenway to hunt. Among those is the fiercest beast of the seven seas, the Great White Shark. While above the sea, the beast can be hunted just like any other…but once Kenway goes underwater, it’s an entirely different story.
In an interview with Examiner, Black Flag director Ashraf Ismail confirmed that players won’t be able to kill sharks while underwater in the game.
“You can meet sharks in two ways,” Ismail said. “There is the harpooning and in the harpooning you’re the aggressor. The player is hunting the shark and it can be very difficult. There are some sequences where players will have to take down a Great White Shark and it’s super difficult to take down. It’s a very aggressive shark, it attacks you and it attacks your boat.”
Once Kenway gets beneath the waves, however, the tables turn.
“For the underwater, we wanted to do the reverse and effectively, Edward is the prey, so you’re out of your element underwater,” Ismail said. “The underwater stuff, we took some liberties with it and decided players need to be much more careful. You’re using stealth to survive.”
There are environmental elements you can use in your fight, Ismail says, but the primary objective is survival. Kenway can drive the beast away, but he can’t kill them so long as he’s submerged.
Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag releases on Oct. 29 for PlayStation 3, Wii U and Xbox 360, followed by a Nov. 15 PlayStation 4 release, Nov. 19 for PC and Nov. 22 for Xbox One.
How does this new info factor into your shark-poaching plans for Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag? Let us know in the comments.