Why Sea Shanties Captivate in Assassin's Creed Black Flag

Ubisoft Singapore, the studio which handled the Resynced remake of the best Assassin’s Creed by far, knew how important sea shanties are to the game. They recorded a dozen of new ones and even mentioned them in the reveal video. It’s not like Black Flag is a rare game with authentic songs from the era where it’s set, yet its sea shanties are the first thing that comes to mind when I think of it, even if it has plenty of other charms. Why is that?

Do they suit the Caribbean pirate fantasy? Obviously. Do they sound great but not too polished? Absolutely. Do they fill a single-player space with the social aspect of character camaraderie? Rather yes than no. Are they collectibles that are actually worth collecting? Kinda. Is it smart layering of different harmonies? I don’t know, I’m not an expert. Are they dynamic enough to not get boring? Just enough. But I feel the reason they’re so memorable lies somewhere else: it’s a rare example of correctly using liminal video game space, both mechanical and environmental.

Open-world games are naturally filled with activities that make me busy rather than happy, they cry “Freedom!” at me instead of liberating me with the right mood. Sea shanties in Black Flag are the opposite. They let me breeze and meditate as I’m traveling the open sea. Few other things attract my attention and I can feel the freedom instead of pretending to experience it. That’s why so much slamming of the Ubisoft “formula” is excessive and lacks nuance, as Ubisoft games can be some of the best performers and worst offenders at the same time, often in its shortest loops. At least this is what comes to my mind as I’m picking up more marine debris.

I don’t want games to constantly throw “fun” at me. It’s overwhelming. Don’t bother me with hideous question marks. Random NPC approaches feel artificial and are only useful for filling up a counter somewhere deep in the campaign progression menu. You’re already taking enough space, video games! Give me some. I’ll appreciate it!