• Home
  • Our Books
  • Our Film
  • Games
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Login

Perspectives on all eras of videogames, computers, technology, and pop culture since 2003

Login

Login
Armchair ArcadeArmchair Arcade
Armchair ArcadeArmchair Arcade
  • Home
  • Our Books
  • Our Film
  • Games
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Login

Hunting for Gold: Assassin’s Creed Black Flag

Hunting for Gold: Assassin's Creed Black Flag
Hunting for Gold: Assassin's Creed Black Flag

Hunting for Gold: Assassin’s Creed Black Flag

June 9, 2020 Posted by Jonathan Adams Editorial No Comments

The concept of treasure and treasure hunting has always been a mainstay of video games, and gaming in general. From Mario collecting coins in the 80’s to Nathan Drake going after lost cities and pirate gold in the modern day, treasure hunting will always remain a goal for the collector and adventurer that exists in all of us.

Treasure, money and gold provide a way for the player of a game to track their progress through that game, in the most real sense, but beyond this, it’s just fun for people to roam around, collecting gold, hearing that “ding” that gives instant gratification and keeps them playing.

Pirate treasure is the best, most obvious example. Who hasn’t dreamed of being a pirate, sailing the seven seas, free to do whatever you want? Assassin’s Creed Black Flag showed this idea in one of the best ways in recent years. Whilst all Assassin’s Creed games have some form of loot system and treasures to find, Black Flag shows this in the most realistic way.

Set towards the end of the golden age of piracy, Blackbeard, Black Bart and Anne Bonny all make an appearance. But it is the abundance of treasure that is waiting to be found all around the Caribbean sea where the game really shines. Players have the ability to visit three major cities in the Caribbean, as well as literally hundreds of small islands and locations. There are treasure chests and other collectibles waiting to be found on all of these, and to find all of them takes days, weeks even. In these chests, players find a variable amount of money (Reales) and usually a random piece of treasure, such as a silver candlestick or gold statue. These treasures have no function within the game itself, being converted to Reales immediately upon being found, but they play into the realism of the game, the feeling of looking for and finding treasure.

As well as chests, maps can be found leading to buried treasure. These maps feature a “hand drawn” image of where the treasure is buried, meaning players have to look for these locations themselves, adding to the treasure “hunting” aspect of pirating. There aren’t many other games that have incorporated this idea, and this game is an outstanding example of it.

This being a game about pirates, there are ships to attack in pursuit of treasure. This is where the majority of a players treasure comes from, and it is the most fun to do. From the players ship, another ship appears on the horizon. Looking through a spyglass reveals what treasure the ship holds and roughly how strong it is in comparison to the player. Committing to the attack, real naval strategy is useful to know in order to take down the ships mast. At this point, players can choose to board the ship to claim all of its treasure, or simply sink it, in which case only half of the held treasure is claimed, in the form of cargo boxes rising up from the sinking ship. It’s usually a better, if longer, option to board the ship.

Boarding the ship gives the player a few random objectives, becoming harder with the strength of the ship, from killing a few crew to destroying black powder stores to removing the ships flag. As soon as the boarding starts, the crew of the opposing ship start actively defending themselves and their ship from the player and their crew. This defence of the treasure on the enemy ship makes it all the sweeter to the player when they finally fulfil all objectives given and see what they have won.

In addition to all of this, there are shipwrecks to be found that can be looted for the treasure that they hold. This speaks more to the adventurers, those people who play games as an escape, a way to experience things that they never would in their ordinary life. Avoiding sharks, making sure you don’t go too far from an air pocket, all in pursuit of treasure.

This is merely one example of treasure appearing in video games. You can find a manner of riches, so to speak, in thousands of games. Games such as Rainbow Riches Pick N Mix will give you real monetary riches whilst other video games will give you riches in other ways. For example, players are also able to hunt for treasure in Red Dead Redemption. But in a game purporting to be about assassins, which are definitely there, most of the game, and the most enjoyment from the game, comes from the sense of freedom, the simple joy of sailing around the Caribbean and happening across an island you have never seen before and wondering what will be found on it. And it isn’t that hard to find out, dive off your ship and see. There is a whole world to explore.

Tags: assassin's creed
No Comments
8

About Jonathan Adams

Correspondent for Armchair Arcade.

You also might be interested in

Ubisoft Hits sale - Up to 80% off great game series like Far Cry, Rainbow Six, Assassin's Creed, and more!
Ubisoft Hits sale - Up to 80% off great game series like Far Cry, Rainbow Six, Assassin's Creed, and more!

Ubisoft Hits sale – Up to 80% off great game series like Far Cry, Rainbow Six, Assassin’s Creed, and more!

Aug 2, 2018

The Ubisoft Hits sale just launched in the Humble Store on Thursday,[...]

Pay what you want for The Humble Book Bundle: Gaming Comics by Titan (Assassin's Creed, Warhammer, Dark Souls, etc.)
Pay what you want for The Humble Book Bundle: Gaming Comics by Titan (Assassin's Creed, Warhammer, Dark Souls, etc.)

Pay what you want for The Humble Book Bundle: Gaming Comics by Titan (Assassin’s Creed, Warhammer, Dark Souls, etc.)

Apr 11, 2018

The Humble Book Bundle: Gaming Comics by Titan Here’s the[...]

A fancy vampire playing cards - Generated with AI
Vampires and card games? You bet!

Get this Vampire: The Masquerade RPG and physical card game bundle!

Oct 9, 2023

Bring the dark world of Vampire: The Masquerade to your table with this bundle of digital RPG books and the physical Rivals expandable card game!

Leave a Reply

Your email is safe with us.
Cancel Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Recent Posts

  • Get some of the best VR games and hyped for the UploadVR Showcase!
  • A Complete Vacation Guide for New Parents
  • Save on multiplayer Epic and Steam fun in the Better Together sale for PC, Mac, and Linux!
  • The Outlast Trials: Do You Have the Courage to Try to Survive in a New Co-op Session Horror Movie
  • What Are Online Casinos Business Models and Their Present Opportunities and Challenges
  • Why is Backlink Doctor the best at recovering websites from Google Unnatural Inbound Links Penalty?
  • Start your journey into the world of Hellboy with this massive comic bundle!
  • Best SMGs to use in Counter-Strike 2
  • What Spheres of Entertainment are the Most Profitable?
  • Massive sale on top-rated ECOVACS robot vacuums and mops!

Recent Comments

  • Bill Loguidice on Official Game List for My Arcade Atari Gamestation Pro
  • Joe P on Official Game List for My Arcade Atari Gamestation Pro
  • Bill Loguidice on Official Game List for My Arcade Atari Gamestation Pro
  • Bill Loguidice on Official Game List for My Arcade Atari Gamestation Pro
  • Richard Grounds on Official Game List for My Arcade Atari Gamestation Pro
  • Derek on Official Game List for My Arcade Atari Gamestation Pro
  • Scott Stilphen on Official Game List for My Arcade Atari Gamestation Pro
  • Bill Loguidice on Official Game List for My Arcade Atari Gamestation Pro
  • Patricia on Official Game List for My Arcade Atari Gamestation Pro
  • John Sciacca on Official Game List for My Arcade Atari Gamestation Pro

Archives

Categories

Explore

android (44) apple (35) ar (33) Arcade (149) Atari (62) atgames (172) book (91) books (91) casino (368) esports (39) firmware (43) Flashback (45) gambling (388) home arcade (110) htc (32) htc vive (42) humble bundle (251) humble store (67) ios (36) led (35) legends (40) legends arcade family (46) legends gamer (33) legends pinball (39) legends ultimate (71) Microsoft (38) Nintendo (67) pc gamer (46) pc gaming (42) pinball (42) playstation (50) PS4 (36) retro (34) Sega (32) slots (58) sony (49) steam (127) switch (32) technology (32) update (42) virtual pinball (36) virtual reality (108) vive (34) viveport (42) vr (114)

Affiliates

+ Amazon

The everything store

+ Humble Bundle

Game deals, including name your price bundles

+ Playasia (Play-Asia.com)

Import games and collectibles

+ DJI Store

Amazing drones and related technology

+ Loot Crate

Collectibles, apparel, and gear - $5 discount!

+ Razer

Amazing PC gamer products!

+ Casino HEX

Your Number 1 Guide to Online Gambling in the UK

EwinRacing Flash Series Gaming Chairs

Use Coupon Code ACA at checkout to Save 10% on EwinRacing Gaming Chairs

fullSTEAMahead365 Your total news and information resource for all things Science, Technology, Engineering / Mathematics, Art, and Medicine / Health.

Human Advancement Never Stops.

Key Site Statistics

Posts published: 2,154
Latest publish date: December 6, 2023 @ 2:16 pm
Registered user count: 117,567

Contact Us

If you have a question, would like to provide feedback, or otherwise wish to get in touch with us, use this form.

Send Message

Blog Posts by Date

June 2020
M T W T F S S
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
2930  
« May   Jul »

Social Media and RSS

Support Armchair Arcade

All editorial content © 2003 - 2023 Armchair Arcade, Inc., an Armchair Creative Services, LLC, property. All rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. All trademarks and copyrights are retained by their respective owners. No content is to be removed or reused from the Armchair Arcade Website for commercial purposes without explicit permission from the principal Armchair Arcade staff, or the original trademark or copyright holders. Armchair Arcade, Inc., is not responsible for the content of any external sources or links. Further, endorsement of any external sources or links is neither implied nor suggested.

We thank you for your support and encourage you to contact us for any reason, including, but not limited to, questions, concerns, business endeavors, or praise. Especially praise.

Armchair Creative Services, LLC, may earn compensation for sales from links on posts through affiliate and other programs. Editorial rigor and objectivity standards are strictly adhered to and any compensation has no effect on coverage or opinions.

Prev Next