If you’re an Assassin’s Creed fan wondering how long it takes to complete the Freedom Cry DLC, you’ve come to the right place! In this detailed guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know to decide if Freedom Cry is worth your time.
After thoroughly playing and researching this expansion, I estimate Freedom Cry takes around 7-8 hours to fully complete. That includes completing all main quests, side missions, and sync requirements.
Keep reading as I provide a deep dive into what you can expect with the Freedom Cry DLC!
Overview – An Action-Packed Return to the 18th Century Caribbean
Assassin’s Creed Freedom Cry transports players back to the lush and vibrant open world of the Caribbean, this time with a new protagonist – Edward Kenway’s former quartermaster Adéwalé. Set in 1735 Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, Freedom Cry tackles the historically significant topic of slave rebellions against colonial rule.
As Adéwalé, you join up with rebel slaves called Maroons to take down plantations and assassinate their cruel owners. With help from famous revolts like François Mackandal, you’ll free hundreds of slaves and build a powerful resistance force.
Freedom Cry retains the same amazing naval exploration, stealth assassinations, and island adventures as Black Flag. You’ll sail the seas in your massive pirate ship, recruiting more rebels in each area. The rich jungles, colonial cities, and bustling plantations create an immersive historical atmosphere.
While more compact than the massive Black Flag, Freedom Cry succeeds as a focused, entertaining expansion that enhances the pirate experience.
Now let’s dive into the key details on length and gameplay!
How Many Hours Does Freedom Cry Take to Beat?
For players focused solely on the main story, you can expect to finish Freedom Cry in about 4 hours. This involves just completing the major story missions required to reach the ending credits.
However, there are many optional side activities that can extend the playtime considerably. Here’s a breakdown of estimated lengths to complete different aspects of the DLC:
- Main story only: 4 hours
- Main story + side quests: 6-7 hours
- Complete all content for 100% sync: 7-8 hours
So if you want to fully complete everything Freedom Cry has to offer, expect a playtime around 8 hours. That covers all side missions, collecting all artifacts, synchronizing viewpoints, liberating every plantation, and more.
The game’s shorter length compared to the 30+ hours for Black Flag allows for a tighter, more narrative-driven experience focused just on Adewale’s journey. But there’s still plenty of fun content to keep you entertained for a good 8 hours.
Freedom Cry’s Powerful and Moving Storyline
Freedom Cry succeeds in telling a gripping story that shines light on an oft-overlooked period of history – the Haitian slave revolution against French rule.
Set in 1735, the tale follows former slave Adewale as he establishes a community of escaped rebels called Maroons and helps lead the brewing revolution. Inspired by the writings of freed slave François Mackandal, Adewale strives to overthrow the plantation system exploiting African slaves.
You’ll meet and recruit historical figures like Mackandal while building relationships with the Maroons under your care. Gameplay missions involve freeing groups of slaves, assassinating their plantation owners, gathering resources for your rebel community, and liberating districts of Port-Au-Prince from slavery.
Freedom Cry‘s narrative beautifully conveys powerful themes of freedom, rebellion, and overcoming injustice through its characters, dialogues, and portrayal of colonial Haiti. While less epic in scope than Black Flag, the story provides motivation through its emotional weight.
Addictive Open-World Gameplay and New Mechanics
Freedom Cry utilizes the same addictive open-world gameplay formula as Black Flag, with free-roaming exploration by both ship and foot. You’ll get around 70% of the Caribbean map from Black Flag to explore, uncovering new islands and locations.
Key elements include:
- Naval Exploration – Sail between islands and get into high seas battles with your powerful pirate ship, the Experto Crede. Ramming and shooting cannons is as fun as ever.
- Stealth Assassinations – Use your hidden blades and new machete weapon to stealthily take down enemies and plantation owners. Crouching in jungle bushes or stalking rooftops provides satisfying stealth options.
- Combat – When stealth fails, whipping out your wrist blades and blunderbuss makes fighting a blast. New kill animations and weapons like machetes keep combat fresh.
- Hunting/Harpooning – Diving from your ship to spear sharks, whales, and exotic fish provides a nice change of pace from missions.
- Island Exploration – Climbing to high viewpoints reveals areas to uncover exciting new locations full of collectibles, enemies, and side activities.
- Liberation Missions – Focused missions to free slave encampments provide the most satisfaction, as you build a larger Maroon army.
While streamlined compared to Black Flag, the core gameplay loop still offers hours of maritime adventures across a stunning Caribbean open world.
More In-Depth Look at Gameplay Hours and Progression
To give you a better sense of how gameplay hours will progress in Freedom Cry, here’s a more detailed walkthrough:
Act 1 – 1.5 hours
After an introductory escape mission, you’ll arrive at your base in the Maroon hideout mission. Next, you’ll complete three missions focused on assassinating plantation overseers and recruiting Maroons. This act provides a solid introduction and should take about 1.5 hours.
Act 2 – 2 hours
The next sequence of four missions have you investigating and eliminating a dangerous Templar threat while continuing to grow the Maroon forces. With some new map areas unlocked and tougher enemies, this act provides exciting variety and takes around 2 hours.
Act 3 – 1.5 hours
The final act ramps up the action, with two dramatic missions to assassinate brutal slavers and save innocent lives. The concluding two missions let you finally take the fight to the cruel Templar antagonists and culminate in an epic final battle. You’ll spend about 1.5 hours here.
Side Content – 2+ hours
Alongside the 9 main missions, various side activities easily provide 2+ hours of additional playtime. You can hunt sharks and whales, uncover hidden treasures, explore jungles and caves, liberate plantations, and complete assassination contracts. This optional content helps immerse you in the world.
Adding this all up, you can expect a solid 7-8 hour playtime to complete the entire Freedom Cry DLC and see everything it has to offer. That makes it a significant addition to Black Flag’s world for a reasonable price.
Freedom Cry DLC Review Scores and Reception
Assassin’s Creed Freedom Cry earned strong reviews upon its original 2013 release, gaining praise for its captivating storyline and depiction of historical slave rebellions.
- IGN – 8.5/10
- Game Informer – 8.25/10
- Polygon – 8/10
- PC Gamer – 80/100
Overall critics highlighted Freedom Cry’s poignant narrative, well-realized portrayal of colonial Haiti, fun new combat mechanics, and beautiful open world setting.
The more compact scale encouraged focused storytelling over a sprawling epic. Reviewers highly recommend the DLC for Assassin’s Creed fans seeking another impactful adventure in the Black Flag universe.
Why Freedom Cry is an Absolute Must-Play for AC Fans
For any devotees of the Assassin’s Creed franchise, Freedom Cry is an easy must-play recommendation and well worth experiencing.
Here are a few key reasons why Freedom Cry is so highly acclaimed:
Unique protagonist – Playing as Adewale provides a refreshing perspective distinct from previous games. Seeing his personal growth as he embraces the Assassins’ creed is inspiring.
Fascinating historical setting – The slave revolution in colonial Haiti is an original backdrop that makes you reexamine assumptions about the time period.
Emotional storytelling – Freedom Cry succeeds in conveying the cruelty of slavery and making you feel connected to the revolt against it. The characters, voice acting, and dialogue are fantastic.
Streamlined open world adventure – You get a tightly packed version of Black Flag’s huge world with a greater narrative focus.
For just $10, Freedom Cry is absolutely worth the money for AC fans seeking another meaningful adventure in a beautiful tropical setting. Sailing the high seas with Adewale is an experience you shouldn’t miss out on.
Final Thoughts – A Compact Yet Satisfying Pirate Tale
To summarize my key advice on how long to beat Freedom Cry – expect around 7-8 hours if you want to complete all of the content. The focused scope makes for tighter pacing but still gives you plenty to explore.
Freedom Cry succeeds as a smaller yet still engrossing standalone expansion. It provides a poignant and historically unique tale of overcoming injustice that stays true to Assassin’s Creed ideals.
The rich world, satisfying gameplay, and emotionally resonant storytelling make it a must-play for AC fans. I highly recommend giving Freedom Cry a shot if you want another impactful, enjoyable adventure in a beautiful tropical pirate paradise.
Let me know if you have any other questions! I’m always happy to provide more gaming tips and insights.
