Gamescom 2013: Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag Pistolier Mode Gameplay

It’s pistols at the ready in the new Pistolier multiplayer mode in Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. Tim Browne, lead multiplayer designer was on hand at gamescom to teach me to be a top assassin on the PlayStation 4 build of the game.

Pistolier mode restricts you to one offensive weapon, a pistol and your hands to fend off any pursuers. The lack of pointy weapons was clearly shown as I failed miserably to stab someone at the start of the game before Tim kindly reminded me to use the pistol.

Just like deathmatch mode in previous Assassin’s Creed games, you are assigned a target to kill while at the same time being someone else’s target. It plays exactly the same, although aiming and firing your pistol is a lot slower than using hidden blades. There are times during the video when I’m being stalked by up to 3 other players. Tim talks about using a shield to temporarily protect you from attacks and you’ll see me retaliate against my would-be assassins with a good, hard slap.

The in-game UI has also been improved to make it a little easier to spot your targets and pursuers as well. Certainly, it helped me both kill my target and fend of another player in quick succession.

You can see the result of having Tim at my side as I go from bumbling fool to top pistol wielding assassin in less than 10 mins.