The hype for Assassin’s Creed Shadows has been ramping up each day since the beginning of this year, and Ubisoft’s new announcement about the game has made fans more eager for the title’s release. As we already know, Ubisoft is going to add a grappling hook in their latest installment, and it is supposed to be one of the core mechanics in the game.
Other than the grappling hook, Ubisoft could have re-introduced another weapon which was pretty popular during the time of the Ottoman Empire. We are obviously talking about the Hookblade. Let’s delve deeper into how the Hookblade could have made a bigger impact than the grappling hook.
Grappling hooks will change traversal in Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Assassin’s Creed Shadows is the newest title in the Assassin’s Creed series, and it is supposed to be the fourteenth major installment in the whole franchise. The action-adventure RPG will be taking place in feudal Japan, where players can play as two characters, Yasuke and Naoe. The title is introducing some new features in the game, and one of them is the grappling hook.
The grappling hook in the Assassin’s Creed franchise was first introduced in the spin-off Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China, which was released back in 2014. Ubisoft again added something similar to the grappling hook the very next year in their game Assassin’s Creed Syndicate. Despite being implemented before, Ubisoft is keen on letting their fanbase know that the grappling hook is going to change the open world parkour in their upcoming game.
I had the opportunity to interview Assassin’s Creed Shadows Creative Director Jonathan Dumont. Here are some of the key points:
– Now was the right time for Japan because the team really wanted to do it and it was a dream for them.
– Japan needed movement in the natural world… pic.twitter.com/oMkOnoor7u— Genki✨ (@Genki_JPN) March 4, 2025
Although the grappling hook sounds like a treat and a more fun way to traverse the environment, players can’t help but notice that Ghost of Tsushima already has a similar gameplay mechanic incorporated in their title since 2020. Instead of the grappling hook, Ubisoft could’ve added the Hookblade in their newest title, which would’ve been more on par with the Assassin’s Creed series.
The Hookblade was first introduced in Assassin’s Creed Revelations to Ezio when he first arrived in Constantinople. It was one of the best weapons in the entire game, and players could use it in a plethora of manners. The Hookblade was used in combat, where players could pull the legs of their enemies and land an attack, and it could also be used in throwing said enemies on the ground or even evading them, depending on the situation.
But the best aspect of the Hookblade was the traversal, where players can traverse from rooftop to rooftop using their weapon and multiple ziplines that were already installed on the roofs of the city. The blade would make ziplining much easier, and it even introduced a new assassination technique in the game, known as ‘zipline assassination’.
Hookblades are far better than grappling hooks
While the grappling hook is going to be the perfect addition to the environment in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, considering it is taking place in feudal Japan with tall infrastructures being on the rarer side, the Hookblade feels more in line with the identity of the whole franchise. It is not just a hook for traversal or engaging, it is also a hidden blade that players can use to assassinate the game’s adversaries.
Despite the controversy that Assassin’s Creed Shadows faced during its initial announcement, there is a healthy number of people who are very excited for the new title and its new features. Although we are unsure about whether the grappling hook will change the entire traversal system of the game, one thing we are sure of is that the Hookblades are far superior to grappling hooks.
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