Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag New Game - No Upgrades / No Harbourmaster / No General Store (Challenge)

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How I ended up after completing this mental challenge In this playthrough of the gorgeous Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag , I am doing a raw, insanely mental "classic mode" challenge gameplay without any upgrades for Edward or the Jackdaw. I am not buying any ammo either, and don't open any chests, except for when this is required for optional objectives (namely, in "Nothing Is True" and "Diving For Medicines"). For ammo, I loot bodies and also hunt animals so as to have bones available to craft darts. And I use only Edward's default inventory until the end. I do not buy anything either from the Harbourmasters or the General Stores, and strictly use the market the times that are obligatory by the plot itself, specifically: -to buy the first pair of swords in "Lively Havana", which the game requires as part of the story -to get the intermediate hull in "Prizes and Plunder" as the first obligatory upgrade -to buy the inte...
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Tell Me Why Playthrough


Tell Me Why is the latest episodic game by Dontnod, the team that created the Life Is Strange games. This time, the story revolves around two siblings, Alyson and Tyler Ronan, who grew up separated from each other for ten years (from ages 11 to 21) after Tyler was accused of murdering his mother in self-defence. The catch in the story is the fact that Tyler is a transgender boy, something that, back then, seems to have been what caused their mother's supposed attack against him resulting in her murder. When the siblings are reunited and return to their home town in order to sell their family house, they make discoveries that shed new light to the events of the past, and moreover we learn that things did not exactly happen like Alyson and Tyler said.

If you expect something along the lines of the Life Is Strange games, you may find elements that relate to them, but you may also feel slightly disappointed. There is a metaphysical element, but in a very light version, and the story, albeit quite interesting, somehow doesn't take advantage of its dynamic. It is difficult to go into further details without spoiling the plot, but let's just say that a shocking revelation which takes place close to the end, could have been better explored throughout the game, in connection specifically with one of the protagonists. When the game is not so new anymore, I will maybe write a review in my main blog, explaining all this in detail.

Regardless, the game is visually beautiful, particularly touching and emotional, with certain sequences that are guaranteed to bring tears to your eyes and which you will not easily forget. Probably a tiny bit overpriced, but I wouldn't say it is not worth its money. If it was a bit longer and if the developers had made even better use of their character material, it would have been a great game. The thing is that because Dontnod created something as magnificent as Life Is Strange 2, they set the standards to heights that are now very difficult - if not impossible - to reach with their subsequent games.

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