The story of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag takes place during the time of the Golden Age of Piracy (1650-1730), an era of legendary pirate activity around the Caribbean, when several pirates and privateers, mainly from Great Britain, Spain and France, would sail to the beautiful islands of the West Indies either in search of fortune and fame, if they were acting on their own account, or following the orders of their governments in cases where they were official "employees" tasked to attack and conquer ships of rivaling countries. Edward Kenway is our hero, the beautiful, charismatic and adventurous young man from Swansea, who got married at the tender age of eighteen to his sweetheart Caroline Scott, but less that two years later, sick of the deprived life that he was forced into, and wishing to provide better living conditions for his wife and himself, he decided to leave his home for a set period of time and become a privateer at the West Indies.

 

Our hero's journey in both the seas and life is fascinating, to say the least. Filled with danger, but also with thrilling, exciting experiences and valuable lessons. He makes new friends, is reunited with past companions, loses beloved people from his life; he also succeeds in becoming rich and gaining notoriety at first, but also eventually fame. In short, he makes an ambitious manifestation at the start of his journey; and everything he wishes for, he achieves it progressively. Of course nothing comes easy, and not without big, painful costs. But first he becomes a pirate captain, with his own brigantine which he calls The Jackdaw; and he returns to Nassau, the island where a group of pirates, previously his comrades during his privateering era, had established their own Republic, which they are now governing themselves having achieved a relative independence, free of all superior power and laws. Historical figures like Laureano de Torres y Ayala, Ed Thatch aka Blackbeard, Benjamin Hornigold, Bartholomew "Black Bart" Roberts, Woodes Rogers, Stede Bonnet and Mary Read play a most important role both in the story and in Edward's development as a character, some of them being quite defining as personalities as far his emotional growth and self-awareness are concerned.

 

 

Edward's story unfolds amidst a gripping narrative; and in the lush and colorful paradise of the Caribbean islands, our golden-haired pirate hero rises as one of the most memorable characters of the Assassin's Creed series and maybe the most perfectly shaped and compelling of all. Evoking the life and legend of real-life pirate Samuel Bellamy, Edward is not simply one more well-designed character; he is a hero of fiction who stays with you, somehow finds his way into your heart and once this happens, he becomes part of your own being. Debonair but also blunt, beautiful and at the same time raw, innocent yet ingenious, unstoppable and fragile, he balances traits that are opposite to each other with the same agility with which he is equally sturdy and graceful. In spite of his weaknesses and imperfections - or, maybe, exactly thanks to them, he is the most inspiring and heart-warming hero of the saga. 

 

 

There is a lot of background when the story begins in medias res, but in the process enough information is being offered so that we get to know our hero soon enough and familiarize with his passionate and captivating character. Edward has all the traits of the Assassins (perception, eagle vision, high intelligence and instinct), but he does not even learn about the Brotherhood until Sequence 4, and he does not become an Assassin until the very end of the game, which renders his story even more powerful, interesting and unique. The references to the series' backstory concerning the First Civilization are minimal, something that helps keep the focus on Edward himself and his own view of everyone and everything around him. More specifically, the Assassins as a unit of interest only essentially come to the foreground during the very brief Sequence 4, which is practically the necessary path that Edward has to follow, guided by Mary, so as to essentially understand that he is a gifted man and has all the traits that could allow him in the Assassin Brotherhood, and similarly in the segment of memory To Suffer Without Dying where Mary, upon dying, urges Edward to help the Assassin cause, which he then considers doing in the follow-up memory Everything Is Permitted. The rest of the story is mainly independent, dealing mostly with Edward's emotional growth and the several stages from which he passes as some kind of unofficial ritual in order to finally find himself and realize that what in fact urged him to abandon his original stagnant life was not so much the promise of riches and fame, but his inner need to break free and live beyond limitations and obligations imposed by society. Edward always aspired to something greater, but in the beginning he did not realize that the privateer's life ahead of him was only a first step towards something much more important than wealth; it was the unique chance that he had to leave behind a predetermined, conventional life that would soon make him an unhappy man. 

 

On a theoretical level, Edward's idea of freedom which was pretty much the same with what the pirates had in mind for Nassau, co-incided with the ideals of the Assassins; something that Edward himself points out to Mary as she analyzes the philosophy of the Brotherhood in memory Overrun and Outnumbered. But in practice, and in their essence, the mechanics behind the Assassin Brotherhood are quite different, not to mention the several gray areas in which sometimes the Assassins tread, marginally identifying with the Templars. When Mary starts explaining the Creed's goals to Edward, the first thing she mentions is that "we kill people", meaning of course the Templars and those seeking to use power for evil purposes. This is something that, in theory, sounds solid and good, but when put to practice it can never remain pure and clean as a way of action, as it involves taking lives. Which is why Edward is so reluctant to join the Assassins, although he is sympathizing with them and their cause and acknowledges that, to a certain extent and as far as their ideals are concerned at least, they are in the right. 

 

As a lead character, Edward is essentially making his own story, either going with the flow or playing by his rules, according to how each situation commands. When he finds himself stranded on the beach of Cape Bonavista, with only the extremely dangerous Duncan Walpole as a surviving companion, he attempts to make a deal with him; when this fails and Duncan threatens to kill him, Edward kills him in self-defense and assumes his identity. Then in Havana, he goes through the brief initiation ceremony that Governor Laureano Torres holds and accepts the Templar ring, curious to see where all this will lead. During the meeting that follows the initiation ceremony, he is informed of the existence of the Observatory, the sacred site that holds a mythical treasure and the location of which is only known to Bartholomew Roberts aka The Sage; and finding the site with the latter's help immediately becomes Edward's ultimate goal. When his identity fraud is revealed and he is found chained in the hold of a prisoner ship, he manages to escape, he steals a Spanish brig and becomes a pirate captain. Edward is an adventurer, taking things as they come but also carving his own path, always alert to seize opportunities and change route if necessary.

 

With no time to lose, he names his newly-acquired brig 'The Jackdaw'; a choice of name that feels - and is - very significant at that point. There are a few very interesting references to the jackdaw throughout the story, culminating in Woodes Rogers' speech during Edward's nightmare in Delirium, in which the now ex-governor narrates Aesop's fable about the jackdaw and the eagle. The Jackdaw and the Eagle as stand-alone entities and symbols represent Edward versus the Assassins: the Eagle being the Assassins' own unique symbol and the Jackdaw standing for Edward, since it is the name of his ship, as well as a bird species much loved in Great Britain, his homeland; in a connection that is very similar to that between Jacob Frye in Assassin's Creed Syndicate and the Rooks - his gang and the actual rooks that are the symbols of London. There is however another parameter which concerns the jackdaw and its connection to Edward. In one of my replays of the game, I noticed how much the features of Benjamin Hornigold, Edward's mentor in piracy and best-friend-turned-worst-enemy, evoke the image of a jackdaw: the way his ebony hair is tied back that resemble the bird's tail, his sideburns that remind the jackdaw's wings, the look and color of his eyes, the shape of his eyebrows and nose, his dark and mysterious personality. 

Benjamin is charismatic, handsome and smart; but he can also be sly and conniving - exactly like the literal jackdaw: a beautiful and intelligent bird which can be very cunning. The real Benjamin Hornigold was an intriguing historical figure, although little is known about his life. If anything, he must have been a man with a brilliant strategic mind and although he did not reach the legendary levels of fame that other pirates did - like, for example, Ed Thatch - he definitely played a major role in establishing the ambitious Republic of Pirates at Nassau, which was his own ideal - and, in the long run, utopian - vision of a land free of kings and strict laws. The motive that urged him to become a pirate in the first place is foggy, as is his later decision to eventually betray his comrades and become a pirate hunter, shifting to the other extreme. What is certain is that he envisioned a paradise of freedom for Nassau, and he got deeply disappointed when this vision eventually failed to succeed, at which point he did not want to have anything to do with it anymore - exactly how it is depicted in the game. Additionally, his rather reserved approach while he was a pirate captain, not resorting to violent acts unless it was absolutely necessary, and his insistence to never attack British ships, resulted in him being down-voted by his lieutenants, losing much of his allure among his sailors, in spite of his skills. The conditions of his death are blurred as well: his ship was caught in a hurricane while on a special mission and he was forced to run it aground on an uncharted reef. Although a few of his men managed to survive and leave the island on a boat, Hornigold himself died on the wreck site under mysterious circumstances. 

Although not openly evident, as we essentially watch the story via Edward's eyes, it is more than hinted throughout the story that Benjamin's relationship with our hero is neither light nor simple. Even though their main interactions are discussions and bantering concerning their common past as privateers and their current situation as pirates, there are subtle (or sometimes not so subtle) layers in their dialogues that indicate a rather strong and complex bond between them that possibly went beyond the limits of friendship and comradeship, although to which extent, remains deliberately lost in the mist. It is notable that when Edward arrives in Nassau in memory Now Hiring, Benjamin makes it very clear in the hearing of everyone and in a rather spicy way that he is extremely happy to see his old friend again, exclaiming "You are a sight for salty eyes", something that is received with reserved but obvious delight by Edward, judging by his subtle but hearty grin. 

In the next series of scenes in memories Prizes and Plunder and Raise The Black Flag, Benjamin has his eyes fixed on Edward and his stare keeps following him wherever he goes; and this is something that he seems to be doing quite consciously in front of others as well. Not really a surprise though; our Edward is such a stunner. Obviously not fully aware of the effect he has on people, something that makes him even more attractive. In another scene, when Ed Thatch does as little as to barely touch Edward friendly on the shoulder, Benjamin rushes to distract him, asking him for a docket so that he will have to take his hand off Edward to give it over. Although the old salty dog Thatch seems to be quite suspicious of what is going on at that point. Also his comment that he prefers "the Spanish stuff" when talking about ships, in the context that Edward's brigantine is Spanish, gets a quite spicy undertone. Benjamin is a smart man, we know it. Smart and cunning, just like the jackdaw.

Making the connection is not that far-fetched; Edward would watch the jackdaws in Swansea as a child and developed a love for them, like he says; then he went off to become a privateer, met Benjamin who reminded him of the jackdaws and the rest is history. Without having seen Benjamin yet, Adéwalé calls the jackdaw "a dark little creature", as if he senses something in the air (which he probably does, in fact). Benjamin is older than Edward by a bit more than a decade (he is in his early thirties at the beginning of the story), but he has a slim, delicate figure and although still a tall man, he is slightly shorter than the statuesque Edward. On a metaphorical, literary level, he matches Adéwalé's description of the jackdaw more than perfectly. There is also one more possibly missable detail that connects Benjamin to the jackdaw: upon learning the name of Edward's newly acquired ship, the pirates have different reactions: while Jim/Mary is completely indifferent and Ed Thatch teases Edward about how he named his ship "after a poxy bird", Benjamin just turns to look at Edward with obvious content. It is a blink-and-you-will-miss-it frame, but if you stay focused on Benjamin and Edward, you can clearly see them looking and smiling at each other right after the name of Edward's ship becomes known to the group.

Next up, another blink-and-you-will-miss-it frame shows Ben leaning back with a calmly triumphant look in his eyes just while the brief discussion about the name of Edward's ship is concluding. It is as if he is meaning to say, of course Edward would name his ship Jackdaw, what else could it be. And it is quite intriguing to consider how exactly Edward could have made the connection between his friend and the bird in the past. Obviously in a way that became known to Benjamin as well, judging from his reactions, either directly or indirectly through conversations or reminiscences during their privateering days. It is more than evident that Edward was open to all kinds of life's experiences anyway, given also his way of life as a pirate.

Benjamin was clearly an inspiration for Edward during their common privateering era; his skills and intelligence played a good part in forming the young man's perception and personality. But equally, it is more than obvious that Edward, who could very easily charm people with his graceful figure, his golden hair and bright blue eyes, his indomitable spirit and storming personality, had caught Benjamin under his own spell, although his raw innocence somehow did not let him realize this fully. Taking the flashbacks with Caroline into consideration, it gradually becomes clear that what Edward really wanted was a life of freedom - exactly what Benjamin envisioned by establishing the Republic of Pirates on Nassau. Benjamin's seemingly playful but on a second level quite serious advice to forget about Caroline and just enjoy life in Nassau, tells more than is obvious at that point. 

 

Things of course do not unfold very pleasantly, as Benjamin begins to reconsider his idea of the utopian Paradise on Nassau, which, in his eyes, starts to show as exactly what it is: a utopia. An illegal state is very hard to maintain, and more so with so limited resources available. He gradually distances himself from the Pirates Republic, attempting to make his comrades realize how vain their dream turned out to be and how badly it is going to end if they keep on that path. As Thatch strongly opposes him and Edward tries to find a solution somewhere in between, since he can clearly see what Benjamin means but at the same time he does not want to give up that dream so easily and partly backs Thatch up, Benjamin begins to seriously consider yielding to the Governor's proposal for a pardon, which means leaving his pirate days behind him. But what he eventually does is switch to the opposite extreme by becoming a pirate hunter, subsequently betraying his old friends by taking on missions to hunt them down, while accepting to become a Templar and aid the West Indies Rite in locating the Observatory. The process is not that simple though, as the route to the sacred site is a secret that only Bartholomew Roberts knows, so both Benjamin and Edward go on a race against time - and later against each other - to find Black Bart, each one for his own purpose.

 

 

After several chapters in which Benjamin is nowhere to be found, he appears again, side by side with the new Governor Woodes Rogers, although at that point his real intentions are not very obvious. Later on, while looking for Bartholomew Roberts, Edward overhears a conversation between Benjamin and the Governor and subsequently one more that his former friend has with Grand Master Laureano Torres and realizes Benjamin's ultimate betrayal. While confronting him about it during their brief and heated dialogue that follows, Edward yells out "pox on you, traitor", obviously a "curse" that was popular at the time due to life's conditions, but it sounds like a targeted choice of words at that point, again connecting Benjamin to the jackdaw, as it goes back to the comment that Thatch made earlier, when he teased Edward for naming his ship after a poxy bird. So Benjamin, being the living incarnation of the jackdaw, has all its fair and good elements when he is on Edward's side, then abruptly acquires all its negative attributes when his betrayal is revealed. But it is notable that his connection to the jackdaw, albeit negative from that moment and on, still remains till the end.

Although on a deeper level Edward and Benjamin had a common ground, it was in the details that their paths somehow diverted from each other. Benjamin's theory of an ideal utopia was too good to be true in literal, practical terms; this, combined with the fact that, in spite of his radical views, he was way less revolutionary in practice, resulted in him backing down from his own dream when things started to get stressing. Edward, on the other hand, had nothing to lose so he went on; and even if he did have things to lose, he was willing to take risks. What he always wanted was to be wealthy and free; and basically be wealthy as to be able to be free. Edward's longing for absolute freedom is also highlighted by how he tends to strip off uniforms and move around with as little covering as possible. This is part of certain activities in the game, but I always felt that it was incorporated also as a more obvious and symbolic indication of Edward's inner need for liberation. In Assassin's Creed Rogue, Haytham comments at some point that Edward had no sense of shame, something that hits as an insult if you just take it lightly, but in fact Edward, as a person, was completely free of social barriers; in which sense what Haytham says is true and, considering also how much he loved Edward, is anything but negative. We know what a master our beloved villain was with words; his fiendish mind would never operate on one level only. 

There is a twist in the main story about Bartholomew Roberts, but it is connected to the Modern Day sequences as well as the background of the Assassin's Creed saga; in Edward's story itself, Black Bart is a dominant character, who turns out to be a significant antagonist and eventually the only villain that Edward has to exterminate who does not belong to the Templar Order. As such, Roberts is essentially a character who serves as an important driving force in the story, being hunted by Edward, the Templars and the Assassins, as he is the only one who knows where the Observatory is. Edward wants to find the Observatory believing it holds mythical amounts of gold, the Templars want it because they know that with its secret they could rule all the governments and the population of the world, and the Assassins want to get to it so as to protect it by sealing it shut. Roberts himself is heading to the sacred place for his own purpose, but knowing that the path leading to it is extremely dangerous, he agrees to allow Edward accompany him there, seemingly because he trusts him enough to do so, but in reality because he senses that Edward, with his intelligence and skills, is the only one capable of overcoming all danger and clearing the path for him. When Roberts embarks on the first journey with Edward, it is just then when our hero starts suspecting what is going on; but still his mind is fogged as he is focused on finding the Observatory. Roberts essentially holds Edward and his crew hostages; just like he has the Portuguese captain whom he captures in Black Bart's Gambit in order to use as bait and camouflage. The only difference is that Edward and his sailors do not have their hands tied or a gun against their temples. 

I have played many games with fantastic narrative but I can hardly think of a more dense and compelling progression set-up than the one that unfolds in sequences 9 and 10 (Muddied Waters and Dead Reckoning) of Black Flag. Set exclusively around Edward, Hornigold and Roberts, the five episodes that comprise the two sequences are a succession of emotionally loaded scenes and fascinating gameplay, in a progression that is raw, mysterious and chilling without any unneeded bells and whistles. Having already lost his soul-mate Thatch in a most dramatic way, and having been betrayed by Benjamin who has meanwhile become a pirate hunter and a Templar, Edward finds himself at the start of Sequence 9 in a state where he still has control over himself but feels emotionally vulnerable. Realizing the actual extent of Benjamin's betrayal in Imagine My Surprise is a severe shock, so he furiously rushes to Africa in Trust Is Earned to find and rescue Roberts before the Templars get to him. Not only because he wants to get to the Observatory, but also in a spite of vengeance against his former friend and his betrayal. He achieves this, but Roberts puts him to the test by demanding he carries out a series of favors starting with Trust Is Earned and moving on to Black Bart's Gambit and Murder and Mayhem. These favors are in fact trials to prove his loyalty, but Edward is not able to clearly see that yet. Or even if he does see it, he stays focused on his, goal, which is reaching the Observatory. Among these trials, is a cunningly veiled mercenarial order to kill Benjamin Hornigold who is also on the hunt for Roberts and the Observatory by command of the Templars. Upon realizing that Benjamin is after both him and Roberts for this specific purpose, Edward goes off to kill him, while Adéwalé attempts to make him see sense. At the start of the hunt for Benjamin, Edward seems determined to kill his friend no matter what, but as the time draws near for their fatal encounter to take place, he is less and less inclined to carry out the painful deed. 

When he does so, he is clearly devastated; and in this state of emotional turmoil, he is the most vulnerable and thus goes on to act without thinking much first, something that would be quite unlike him under normal circumstances; but Roberts, who had calculated everything beforehand and knows that Edward would end up emotionally wrecked and with his morale shattered after killing Benjamin with his own hands, lures him now to the Observatory, knowing that Edward will just follow along, aiming at the mythical prize inside the shrine with his instinct, which would otherwise warn him of the imminent danger, in a numbed state. The title of  Sequence 10 is Dead Reckoning, a nautical term which describes the process of calculating the position that a moving object has at a given time, by using a position that had been determined previously, while considering also its speed and direction and the remaining time until it reaches its destination; in the story's context, it refers to how Roberts manages to entrap Edward by following a series of carefully set steps, based on Edward's previous actions and reactions. Roberts is a cruel, calculating mind; he knows exactly how Edward will react and what will be his subsequent move every time. From the very first second that he saw Edward in Havana, after our hero helped the Templars re-capture Roberts following his attempted escape, until the time when Edward successfully tracked him down in Principe, Black Bart was able to study his temperament every time he had the chance to. Even when things just happened for him without a plan, he was able to direct them in ways that suited him best. 

After Edward falls in the cunning trap that Roberts set for him inside the Observatory, and manages to make it back, at which point our hero's crew has already abandoned him taking also his ship, Black Bart cruelly teases him by saying "Your Jackdaw has flown", a comment that refers to the obvious (his ship that is gone), but also comes right after Edward has killed Benjamin (the human incarnation of the jackdaw) following the order given by Roberts himself. Benjamin was a dangerous enemy for Roberts, and the latter wanted him out of the way; but although Benjamin was a Templar already, Edward might have dealt with him in a less fatal way if the search for the Observatory had not taken such monstrous extents under Black Bart's influence. It is obvious that, in spite of his smartness and intuition, Edward was deceived by Roberts's compelling personality and his way with words, and was unable to read between the lines until it was already too late.  

It's a recurring tragedy in Edward's life, that he is unable to prevent the loss of the people that are important to him: Thatch dies heroically during a battle where Edward is present but is unable to reach him in time as he is too far away and there are too many obstacles between them; Mary succumbs to her illness in jail in front of his eyes and again he cannot offer a helping hand; Stede is captured and hanged, and Edward only finds out while attempting to escape from prison, after accidentally overhearing a group of guards chatting; again he was unable to help his friend because he was not even there. Later in the story, he learns about Caroline's death during his absence. And worst of all, he is forced to kill Benjamin with his own hands - a devastating twist that also hints at how important Benjamin had been in his life and how much he could possibly be able to affect our hero overall. And vice versa, for that matter. Edward can see the honorable part of the creed that the Assassins represent, but he can also see the grey areas and all those elements that are heavily debatable about it. Which is why it takes him so long to finally become an official member of the Brotherhood. Edward may have the merits and gifts of the Assassins but for the most part in his story he is a civilian, and a particularly insightful and perceptive one. In fact he is a bit like Arno Dorian, who may have become an Assassin very soon after learning about his own gifts and abilities, but throughout the course of his first tumultuous years in the Brotherhood he often clashed with his superiors, most often than not disagreeing with their tactics and their rules. 

Both Edward and Arno view free will as the most important axis in their life, at which point we could say that their perception identifies with that of Shay Cormac. Shay as well operated through the path of free will, something that was frowned upon but his fellow Assassins. Like Edward, Shay was able to discern those grey areas that could easily render the decisions and actions of the Assassins questionable. Of course here we have to take into consideration the different approaches that individual Brotherhoods had by default. The British Brotherhood, for example, was way more balanced and just; acted with caution and flexibility although its members had to deal with extremely dangerous and intimidating adversaries. This is something that we can clearly see, judging by how Jacob and Evie approached their missions, as well as by their overall clear-minded and objective judgement. The French Brotherhood was much more strict and unforgiving, even having in its council Assassins that crossed so many permitted lines. The Brotherhood of the Colonies would often resort to nasty extremities in the name of their creed, actions that were not much different from those of the Templars, something that, in a sense, justifies even more Shay's decision to switch sides. 

Edward had the gifts of the Assassins without realizing that they made him special - one more element that he had common with Arno; in a most revealing scene in This Old Cove, he innocently confesses that he felt how all this - the eagle vision, essentially seeing through things, his high perception - was natural, connected to his dreaming, as he had it since he was a child. He would watch nature around him through his eagle vision, believing it was something that happened casually. He interpreted it as some kind of momentary vision, "like moonlight on the ocean". Later in his travels, which were many, he had seen several things; so all these experiences were stored as a few more wonders in the world that he witnessed around him. Yet this is one more indication that he would have never been able to go on living a conventional life, and even if he did, he would suffer and probably would make the people around him suffer too, because it would have been impossible for him to come to terms with an uneventful daily routine. This becomes even more clear during the final segment of Edward's nightmare in Delirium, when he has a brief vision of himself and Caroline on his ship, with Caroline wondering, in tearful anger, how it was not enough for him that he had her - meaning, a loving wife and a nice home. But Edward always felt that he was made for more. He was doomed to die young, but at least he led a fascinating life until then; with many sacrifices, but fascinating nonetheless.

 

There are so many events that mark his path as he goes; he is constantly on a rollercoaster of emotions as he navigates (literally and metaphorically) the turquoise waters and the green islands of the Caribbean; he risks his life many times, even more times he puts his good fortune to the test. The last words of the people that die by his blade seem to affect him much more than he lets on, as he always looks very thoughtful and concerned upon hearing them. Du Casse's "curse" (May the hell that you find be of your own making), Laurens Prins's sarcastic remark that, just like Edward, he was only after a bit of coin, Charles Vane's furious comment that Edward did not have the courage to live with no regrets, the bitter statement made by John Cockram and Josiah Burgess that, unlike them who had found a family in the Templar Order, Edward was left alone, Benjamin's painful warning that if he went on the path he had taken, he would end up alone at the gallows, all seem to vaguely foretell his future one way or another. And when Torres, upon dying, tells him that "You wear your convictions well; they suit you", it is as if he describes Edward's subsequent Assassin status. Witnessing the death of his good friend Ed Thatch leaves a scar that can never be healed. Edward was emotionally attached to Thatch; something that is only hinted at the start, but becomes more and more evident as the plot progresses, and especially during the beach gathering in North Carolina, where Edward is overwhelmed by sorrow knowing that his friend's decision to retire is final, moments before Blackbeard's tragic death. 

 

His silence when Adéwalé asks him about Blackbeard's fate, and his subsequent reply "he drinks Damnation" has me in tears every time. As does the part where, in the end, Anne sings the line from the "Parting Glass" that says "Of all the comrades that e'er I had / They're sorry for my going away" and a bit further down "But since it fell unto my lot / That I should rise and you should not / I gently rise and softly call / Good night and joy be to you all" as Edward had just had a "vision" of all his dead friends sitting around a table, drinking and being merry. Benjamin is also among them, looking back at him with a genuine smile on his face; which basically hints that Edward never truly wanted to kill him, and he still holds in his memories the good times that they shared together. The lines of that deeply emotional song that accompanies the story's final scenes practically describe Edward's nostalgia of the times that passed without return, all that he had gone through with his beloved friends, the good times and the bad times as well; the fact that he was destined to outlive all his comrades and painfully watch them go one way or the other, and he is now alone, raising a glass as a tribute to them and as one last libation.

The final segment of Sequence 10 where Edward, after managing to escape the Observatory, arrives back at the beach, heavily wounded, bleeding and unable to defend himself against Roberts and his mob of angry sailors, when the only prompt that you get there is plainly "survive", is one of the most compelling and numbing scenes of the story. It is when Edward comes to the bitter and painful realization that all was for nothing in the end, as he is almost dead at that point. He suffers a lot more after this, but manages to make it through and emerge partly healed, and with the knowledge that the secrets of the Observatory should remain unknown to the world forever. But this is what the Observatory essentially is, what it stands for: the higher goal, the elusive dream. What keeps us going on, even if we can never reach it. And if we do, is it worth all the struggle, all the pain, all the sacrifices? Is it what we truly expected to find? And how much do we really deserve it in the first place? Edward started off as a young man in search of a grand prize that would set him for life; he saw his one big chance in the hunt for the Observatory, but on the way he made a fortune and gained fame and notoriety alike. The Observatory itself proved to be a forbidden place, something to be kept sealed, unknown to the world. He managed to reach it but it nearly cost him his life, and meanwhile he had lost all the people that he loved and cared for. Considering also his own fate and the tragedy that hit his daughter and his beloved son later, it looks like the Observatory put a curse on him - or maybe it was Black Bart's curse, those words that he spelled like a mantra: A merry life and a short one. That is all. The world owes us nothing more than this.

Uncanny Chemistry, Mysterious Energy

A most unexpected character match made in Heaven happens in Assassin’s Creed Rogue as late as in Sequence 5 (given that the game comprises of just 6 sequences), which is I think one of the story’s biggest highlights, because it brings together and ties with an uncanny chemistry the mysterious protagonist Assassin-turned-Templar Shay Cormac and our most favorite villain, Haytham Kenway. 

When Shay becomes officially a Templar, he participates in an initiation ceremony led by the Grand Master himself and this is where the two of them meet for the first time in person. This is apparently a routine ritual, carried out for every new recruit, but you can tell how Haytham is instantly intrigued by Shay due to his ex-Assassin status, as he subsequently goes on to treat him with a curious and occasionally hilarious mix of respect, caution and a kind of twisted flirting – if deliberately splattering that poor guard’s blood on Shay’s face with his known murderous grace is not that exactly, then I don’t know what it is.

This intriguing chemistry between Haytham and Shay is due partly to the fact that they have a lot of things in common, the most obvious being that both are in a place for which they were not originally destined. For another part, however, it is their personalities that match so perfectly, although their idiosyncrasies do have their differences. Having passed through Assassin training himself, albeit for a brief time and at a very tender age, Haytham watches Shay as a sensational curiosity, undoubtedly thinking how it would have been for himself had he become an Assassin instead of a Templar, and wondering what could have happened in Shay’s life that made him switch sides so dramatically and devote himself to the Templar cause with such passion. Of course with time he had the chance to get to know more details about Shay’s past, possibly noticing common patterns with his in the course of the events. 

Haytham’s path in life had been somehow predetermined, but all was violently changed the night that Edward was murdered. Witnessing his father’s death at such a tender age was a huge shock from which he needed a lot of time to recover, something that gave Birch the chance to corrupt the young boy’s heart. In Birch’s hands, Haytham was a white canvas; and the ruthless man succeeded in giving him an upbringing that would perfectly place him in the highest Templar ranks. Growing up, however, a man with Assassin roots and Templar beliefs, like he describes himself in his journal, Haytham was able to form a mind of his own, in spite of Birch’s inevitable brainwashing, and he could discern the grey areas in the ideology of the Templars, just like Edward before him was able to discern the grey areas in the creed of the Assassins; as well as several points where the two opposite sides overlapped. 

 

By the time that Shay and Haytham are about to cross paths, Haytham had just gone through a most dramatic succession of events, culminating in facing Birch and subsequently killing him with Jenny, thus finally avenging Edward’s murder. Earlier, he had already left behind the – very unlikely anyway – possibility of a more normal life with Ziio, something that he does not regret, however. In her own brief interlude speech in Assassin’s Creed III, Ziio confesses that she doubted if Haytham even loved her; and if he did, it was in his own way, because he always had his eyes set to the future where there was no room for a conventional family life. In spite of how he chose to present himself, Haytham shared Edward’s free spirit and also that tendency to gain experience from everything and everyone that crossed his path. 

A similar free spirit he saw in Ziio, and this was what attracted him, as well as her uncorrupted heart; but most of all he was led by his own curiosity to see how it would feel like to live free of strict rules of any kind, in a possible attempt to somehow relive Edward’s constant longing for absolute freedom. Haytham was never inherently evil; Ziio, a woman with great instinct and insight, fell in love with him because she did discern the good in him after all. Not to mention his physical charm, to which noone could resist anyway; he admits himself in his journal that he enjoyed being compared to his father, because Edward was so striking. Haytham is an English rose, like Jacob and Evie, although one with many thorns, and many lethal thorns as well. In the first sequences of Assassin’s Creed III, when he is younger, we can literally see him switching between his more human self and the cruel Templar persona in seconds. Maybe as an instinctive way to protect himself by keeping a distance from everyone around him. That phrase that he says to Ziio, “you showed me great kindness” is revealing and heart-wrenching, if you think about it: the strict upbringing that Birch offered him had definitely been a struggle for Haytham in his childhood and teenage years, especially after all the love and tenderness that he had received from his father. Growing up under Birch’s surveillance made him a cold and ruthless murderer, practically eliminating almost all of his good elements. He is just like Estella, the beautiful and cold-hearted heroine of Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations, who had been trained by Miss Havisham to be a heartless destroyer of men, but she did have some kindness which needed the right trigger to come to the surface. 

 

Shay, for his part, had been an Assassin for all his early youth, but was forced to abandon the Brotherhood after the disastrous events in Lisbon which made him realise that sometimes the decisions and actions of the Assassins do not lead to the best possible outcome and are not always for the common good. His dramatic confrontation with Achilles and his fellow Assassins resulted in him feeling betrayed by the very people that he used to love and care about, and nearly led to his own death. Being orphaned as a child, and in spite of being self-sufficient and resourceful on his own, he was emotionally vulnerable for a good part of his life, and was in need of someone with authority to guide him. His childhood friend Liam first served as an older brother figure, and then Achilles assumed the role of a father figure, offering him a safe haven in his homestead. 

After the tragic events that forced him to escape, hunted by Achilles and his former associates, he found a much stronger and much more emotionally powerful father figure in Colonel George Monro, whose demise took a very heavy toll on Shay. So when he was officially accepted in the Templar Order, he saw in the compelling and brilliant Grand Master the older brother figure that he so much needed in his life. Being young enough to be considered a trusty companion but at the same time intimidating enough to be seen as a symbol of power and order, Haytham became a beacon of balance for Shay, in spite of and contrary to his own marginally unhinged personality.

Carrying his emotionally heavy past as a burden and a constantly open wound, Shay is often overwhelmed by melancholy; but he is charming, trusty and efficient, giving off a mysterious energy that makes him fascinating – it is not random that this is the last thing that Hope says to him before leaving him to die in the poison-filled room. These are elements that Haytham appreciates in a man, especially a Templar under his command. He listens to Shay, respects his decisions, follows his advice without objection, accompanies him on difficult missions. Partly to make sure, at the beginning at least, that Shay will remain loyal to the Templar cause, but also partly because he sees so many elements of himself in Shay. His bloodthirsty side enjoys how Shay mercilessly kills everyone, from random gang members to ex-colleagues, but his more human side is thrilled to have found a partner in crime, close to his age, with a calm, unaffected mind, albeit more compassionate than himself. Being a gifted former Assassin and a promising Templar, Shay is literally the best of both worlds; and he is also experienced enough to treat Haytham with due respect - he is the Grand Master, after all - but without sucking up to him, something that Haytham undoubtedly admires a lot.

What Shay experienced in his early youth was like a distorted version of what Haytham experienced in his childhood: Haytham adored Edward, like Shay looked up to George Monro; Haytham’s father and Shay’s father figure were murdered, and they were both (Haytham as a child and Shay as a young man) left lost and numbed for some time. But while Shay consciously enrolled in the Templar Rite, Haytham was literally forced into it when he had no say in this decision, and there seemed to be no way out of it. He learned to adapt to his new life as the only way to make it through, and even made some good out of it. Unsuspecting about Birch's true nature and the fact that he was the mastermind behind Edward's murder, Haytham was able to make use of the good elements from his new mentor's teachings, although he would always recall what Edward had taught him and treasure all that past knowledge while still learning new things, confident - and rightly so - that Edward would be proud of him for questioning his ideals and carving his own path. This is a confession that he makes in his journal, and an acknowledgement that he prefers to keep to himself, choosing to snap back at the world with a cynicism that is indeed a most prominent part of his temperament, but it is not the only one; his bitter-sounding replies against Adewale's scathing comments during their face-to-face confrontation is maybe the most characteristic instance of this, as he seems to deliberately respond in a provocative way, knowing that he will infuriate his enemy, thus distracting him and making it easier for Shay to kill him.

This cynicism, however, was never part of his interactions with Shay, whom he apparently viewed as a friend and a trusty ally, and obviously admired for his skills. Although we do not have the chance to witness the full blooming of their alliance, it is certain that it lasted for a long time, as we see Shay ultimately retrieving the much sought for precursor box years later after killing Arno's father in Versailles, and was cut abruptly only because of Haytham's untimely death. When their parallel paths crossed for the first time back in New York, it was in a conjuncture that – we could say poetically – was written in the stars. We do not have evidence about how Haytham generally dealt with other recruits, but it is obvious that Shay stood out among the rest with his personality and his qualities, which is why the Grand Master held him in such high esteem; and vice versa, for similar reasons. 

A Rift In Time

One of the biggest improvements in the recent remake of Resident Evil 4 was undoubtedly the evolution of Ashley Graham and her impressive upgrade from an almost two-dimensional figure to a full-shaped character with realistic reactions and human emotions which she expressed in a most natural way. Her interactions with Leon mostly, but also with the other characters, gained now a lot more gravity and importance, as they helped form her personality even more, and establish her as a stand-alone unity who may still depend on Leon for her survival, but she can also have a mind of her own.

Even so, her role in the game remains the same as before: she is still the kidnapped daughter of the USA President, waiting for rescue, locked in the attic of a church somewhere in rural Spain, and then after Leon arrives and frees her, she follows him until they finally make their way back home. More or less, her part in the story unfolds in a similar way as in the original game, without affecting its progress in any different way; and her playable section, albeit a lot more intriguing and challenging than in its past version, still leads to the same end. There is one special part, however, a very brief but extremely significant segment in Separate Ways, where a most interesting transition takes place and it happens with the aid, so to speak, of the most unsuspecting character, which is the leading lady Ada herself.

 

Ashley's appearances in Separate Ways are extremely limited, as we only see her a few times through Ada's eyes, and there is no interaction with her at all during the full course of the story. Almost no interaction at all, in fact. In the original main game as well as in the remake, Ashley only finds out about Ada being around and helping her and Leon close to the end of the game: as Saddler is about to sacrifice her, and an infected Leon has just reached the altar to save her, Ada makes her dramatic appearance, successfully distracting Saddler for a few minutes, so that Leon can have enough time to take Ashley and leave. Then, after they have both gotten rid of their infection, upon arriving at the docks, Ashley sees Ada hanging from the rafter where Saddler has tied her up to lure Leon closer to him. Leon then frees Ada by cutting the rope that was holding her, and goes on to finish Saddler off. Up to this point, the sequence unfolds the same way in Separate Ways as it does in the main game, in both the original and the remake, albeit in Separate Ways we see everything from Ada's perspective. 

There is this instance however, very close to the end, where the transition happens. In the original Separate Ways, as Ada makes her way towards the higher dock where the Special Rocket Launcher is held, just before she reaches that part, she exits out to the place where Ashley has been all this while, waiting on her own in full agony as she watches Leon fighting Saddler. In the original game, the place where Ashley is standing is on lower ground, and as soon as Ada exits out close to that spot, Ashley turns around and looks up, catching a glimpse of her.

We cannot be sure if Ada even notices Ashley, though, as her eyes seem to be fixed on the moving bridges where Leon's fight with Saddler is in its full swing. The distance between Ashley and Ada does not leave room for any interaction, and this is the closest that they can get to each other throughout the adventure.

In the remade Separate Ways, however, the scene unfolds in a different way. As Ada gets closer to the platform with the Special Launcher, she exits out on a rocky area, where Ashley is standing just a few steps away from her, again watching Leon battling Saddler.

She pauses for a few seconds, giving Ashley time to realize that she is not alone and turn towards her.

 And then it happens. Ashley talks to Ada.

And not only that, but they stand still for a moment looking at each other, or rather it is actually Ada who steals a few seconds so as to observe Ashley. 

This is the moment which, I think, marks more than anything else in both the main game and Ada's campaign the transition between the Ashley of the original and the one of the remake, establishing her new version more than anything else in the revamped Resident Evil 4. Although all the characters have evolved more or less, one way or the other, Ashley's upgrade has been so impressive, that it is as if we have a different character in front of us. It is somehow as if the new Ada has been carrying the memories of the original Ada, keeping record of an Ashley that was marginally paper-cut, who only said a few scripted lines and could do almost nothing on her own. In this unexpected tête-à-tête now in the remake, she sees the new Ashley in the flesh just a breath away from her, and as her eyes follow the girl in the next frame, it is as if she is wondering "So you can really talk like a real person, and you do not just scream 'Help me, Leon' all the time anymore." 

We could say that, in this scene, Ada steps out of her set role for a few seconds and becomes an observer, watching how the new Ashley took over the old one in full dynamic. Considering also that Ada is the character who had the least evolution and even saw her role getting a downgrade in the remake, it is as if in this scene she realizes that the story in which she was acting all the while is not the original game anymore, but a new, completely revamped version; a version where the once wooden and even annoying Ashley emerged as a character with actual human traits. Although not exactly an instance of breaking the 4th wall, it still is a brief moment of metagaming, probably unique to the Resident Evil universe. Ada does not address the "audience" - in this context: the players; but she takes on the part of a watcher analyzing the facts from the outside - in this context: the broader environment outside the more precise environment set around Ashley's character in those specific frames.

Seen with the perspective of time, this scene may have not worked in the original; Ashley's character there, albeit important for the plot, was at times invisible: in the sections where she was not around or where she was but not in danger, it felt like she was not existing in the story at all and you could easily forget about her. In the remake, you have to keep an eye on her always when she is with you (a good example is the revamped maze in the castle which now you must navigate with her, unlike the original where Leon was on his own) and have a part of your mind constantly on her when she is elsewhere. In the original game, Ashley was just a bit more substantial than her wooden cutouts in the shooting range games; and playing with her in that brief section in the castle's basement felt more like a chore and less like an adventure, because she lacked those features that would make her stand on her own without Leon around. Except for Leon, she only had a brief interaction with Luis during the Cabin Fight intro, and even her scenes with Salazar or the one where Saddler hypnotizes her were somehow utilitarian. Any further interaction with anyone would have been too much for her scripted persona, and would even not make much sense. Ada realizing in the remake that she has to do with a realistic character now, pretty much sums up Ashley's welcome evolution and her upgraded role in the game's new era.

Ramón Salazar's Unlikely Legacy

When I played Assassin's Creed III a while ago, I was struck by how familiar Haytham Kenway's look and posture was to me, although back then I could not decipher any of his look's details that could lead me to the solution of this unexpected yet so interesting riddle. And how could it be possible, since the character he seems to nod to as far as his iconic outfit is concerned is no other than Ramón Salazar from the original - and now cult classic - Resident Evil 4, who is Haytham's exact opposite in terms of appearance, although they do share common elements when it comes to cunning and evilness. Released in 2012, Assassin's Creed III is a gloomy, deeply pessimistic tale with one of the saddest twists ever; and its protagonist-turned-antagonist Haytham Kenway is undoubtedly the most fascinating and complex villain of the Assassin's Creed Saga. As for Ramón Salazar, the villainous diminutive aristocrat whom we first met in Resident Evil 4 in 2005, he has left his own mark in the Resident Evil series, and the gaming world in general.

Haytham Kenway and Ramón Salazar do not have anything in common as far as their of physical appearance and temperament are concerned; Haytham is tall, good-looking and attractive, with a sharp, cunning mind and an even sharper arsenal, and equally uses his disarming charm, his mental gifts and his literal blades as lethal weapons in any given case. Gifted with high intelligence, intuition, insane physical strength, and all kinds of charisma, he is an unstoppable force of evil who is able to trap everyone around him in his seductive yet lethal web. What makes him so frightening as a villain is the fact that he is a debonair, stunningly handsome man who is always calm and collected and speaks like a nobleman; it is almost impossible to tell, by just looking at him, how merciless he can get and what extents his cruelty can reach.

 

 

Ramón on the other hand, hit by an incurable sickness and later affected by a devastating mutation, is trapped in a sick, diminutive body, doomed to look like an evil child for as long as he is destined to live; and his cleverness, albeit considerable, is consumed in spitting out smartass insults and setting up lethal traps to capture or even eliminate his enemies. His evilness is instantly obvious, but truth is he is incapable of reaching Haytham's level of cruetly because he lacks the self-confidence and physical strength to do so on his own.

 

Regardless, you cannot ignore the paranoia that shines in the eyes of both of them, although for each one it stems from different roots.

But it is their choice of outfits that is strikingly akin. Haytham and Ramón are dressed in a similar style, even wearing hats of the same type. Their preferred colors are also matching, with variations on their accessories and the details. They can be seen sporting blueish purple outfits with several layers and white shirts underneath. Ramón 's outfit is more simple, with rows of embroidered golden roses decorating its edges and part of the back and a yellow vest with what looks like vine motifs over his shirt, while Haytham's is more elaborate, with golden studs, buttons and threads, and he additionally has a red tie-ribbon and a red vest, as well as an impressive dark blue / grey cape which is red on the inside and has a fancy design on the back. They also both love to walk around with their arms behind their backs.

Haytham is always armed and ready to fight, with his Assassin blades, his pistol and sword, and wearing fancy leather brown boots with gaiters of the same color. Ramón does not carry any weapons and he prefers to show off his tiny calves covered with white stockings and wearing his favorite dress slippers.

They both have long hair, tied in queues with red ribbons. A style that was common in Haytham's era (mid-18th century) but not in Salazar's contemporary years. But we know how Ramón likes to dress like a nobleman of the old times.

Haytham Kenway's historical time is placed two centuries before Salazar's (Assassin's Creed III takes place in the mid-18th century, while the story of Resident Evil 4 unfolds in 2004), but his creation as a character follows that of Salazar by a nearly a quindecennium. Ramón may have influenced Haytham with his dressing style, but Haytham made that style grand and left the original bearer miles behind. Noticeably, the outfit that little Haytham is wearing in the epilogue of Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag (2013) where Edward is holding him in his arms at the theater loge, looks even more like Salazar's costume (minus the hat).

It is also worth-noting that there is a striking similarity between Ramón's outfit in the Resident Evil 4 Remake (2023) and the one that Edward Kenway can be seen wearing in the very same epilogue of Black Flag, with all details matching as well: the deep purple colour (it may not be evident from the screenshot, but Edward's jacket is the exact same color as that of the revamped Salazar's), the decorative motifs made of golden thread and the voluminous white cravat. Edward has his golden hair tied back in his classic, trademark style, and Ramón has what looks like a wig set in a similar hairdo.

Just like his son, Edward as well leaves Ramón miles and miles behind with his unmatched style. Then again the Kenways are such a gorgeous bunch, that even if you dress them in rags they will still look dashing. Poor Ramón can never win.