Freedom Cry is an expansion to Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag and a pretty promising one at that. It takes the great framework of Black Flag and tosses us into an additional campaign that has a grim and personal premise. It's a narrative about slavery and liberation. While the premise is solid on paper, the execution leaves a bit to be desired. As a result it hinders the thematic weight and the potential of this expansion.
The reused framework immediately makes Freedom Cry great on a gameplay level. The mission design is solid and a bit more varied than Black Flag. Combat is smooth, though still a bit unpolished and lacking in challenge. The naval gameplay is a bit more streamlined, due to the smaller nature of the expansion, but it still provides a mostly compelling experience. What takes a noticeable hit is the world design. It's absolutely fine for an expansion to not have a large play space or to replicate the size of the base game, but the smaller world of Freedom Cry doesn't really leave much of an impression. It lacks memorable landmarks, points of interest, and just feels a bit shallow. The side content is pretty decent for an expansion of this size, but also leaves a bit to be desired.
The story and overall campaign is good, but I feel like it needed to focus more on fleshing out certain aspects. The horrific nature of slavery and the themes are there and pretty well done, but the story lacks build up and characterization. Certain plot points come and go with not much depth and the characters aren't all that fleshed out, making it a bit hard to emotionally connect with them. Most of the plot also tends to focus on points that don't really add much to the core story or themes. The story also struggles to present a memorable or compelling antagonist. There are just too many missed opportunities in Freedom Cry's story. Missed opportunities that could've given the overall experience more thematic depth and emotional weight. That being said, I don't think the story of Freedom Cry is bad. It's just a bit misguided. It provides a concise narrative with one of Black Flag's most memorable characters, Adewale, where we see him confront his dark past by freeing others from a life he was able to run away from. The dialogue and performances are also really good. It's just that, for the themes it's trying to tackle, it doesn't quite live up to the task and gets a bit distracted along the way.
The atmosphere and soundtrack of Freedom Cry is beautiful, though. With slave ballads and hymns, mixed in with beautiful orchestral production. The mood of Freedom Cry is melancholic, yet hopeful. It really helps to give the world the life and emotion that the main story lacks.
Freedom Cry is a solid expansion that feels a bit lost. It's got some great narrative potential, but could've done with some focused and fleshed out storytelling. The gameplay is solid with the satisfying combat, fun stealth, and naval gameplay of Black Flag. The mission design is diverse enough for a 3 hour campaign, too. Freedom Cry is good if you're looking for more Black Flag content. But if you're looking for a nuanced slavery tale, Freedom Cry isn't going to scratch that itch.
