With Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, Ubisoft is trying something a little different. While in past games, the AC protagonists have been self-righteous, mostly good men, AC 4's leading man Edward Kenway is a little more unsavory. That isn't to say he wont have redeeming qualities, but in this particular entry players will have every opportunity to partake in some pretty debaucherous activities.

Chief among those is Kenway's use of female companions for less-than-honorable means. Although Kenway has a wife — the mother of Haytham Kenway, and grandmother of Assassin's Creed 3 protagonist Connor Kenway — he still enjoys the life of a pirate, and all that comes with it.

As Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag's lead scriptwriter Darby McDevitt explains, "There is a special women in Edward's life, but there are also other not-so-special women as well." One of these not-so-special women can be seen briefly in the Black Flag announcement trailer helping Edward make a clean getaway after dispatching a target.

It might seem like a move meant to impress fans, but Edward's deft use of female NPCs will actually factor into the gameplay. As with past games, NPC characters can be used in Black Flag to "more effectively achieve your goals."

McDevitt clarifies that players will not be able to select which characters they choose to cavort with — that element will still be scripted — but he does say Black Flag will be "more open and free than ever before." Sounds like Ubisoft is going for something a little more advanced than hiring a few "ladies of the night." McDevitt doesn't go into specifics, so unfortunately we're still left guessing for the most part.

There's still plenty more of Assassin's Creed: Black Flag left to be revealed, but for now Ubisoft is slowly feeding fans a healthy diet of tasty gameplay morsels. We have a pretty clear idea of the hero, the setting, and a few gameplay opportunities, but Ubisoft is trying to keep the main story points a secret.

McDevitt reveals that Kenway's main motivation is riches — as with all great pirates — but where there's the Assassin's Creed logo, players know there will be more than a few surprises.

How would you like to see Ubisoft use the pirate milieu to influence Assassin's Creed 4's gameplay? What about the story? Where would you like to see it go?

Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag releases October 29, 2013 for the PC, PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii U. No release date has been announced for the PS4 and the next Xbox.

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Source: Polygon