- "The Hookblade helps you get around fast, surprise guards, and is not too bad in a fight."
- ―Yusuf Tazim.[src]
Yusuf introducing Ezio to the Hookblade
The Hookblade was a modification to the Hidden Blade first adopted by the Assassin Brotherhood in Constantinople, from at least the time of the Ottoman Empire. It consisted of both a curved hook and a regular blade, allowing it to be used for freerunning and during combat.[1]
When he arrived in the city, the Mentor of the Italian Brotherhood, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, was introduced to this advancement by Yusuf Tazim, who instructed the former in its application towards both battle and travel.[1]
Usage
- "Let the Hookblade do the work. Iste boyle! (There you go!) Throw yourself into it."
- ―Yusuf describing the method of using the Hookblade.[src]
Ezio using the Hookblade on a zipline
Used from as early as the 1480s, the Hookblade was designed to make travel quick and easy, specifically through the use of ziplines that were installed throughout Constantinople. From a zipline, an Assassin could also drop down and use the Hookblade in double assassinations on guards below.
The mechanism could be used in several acrobatic movements too, such as for quickly climbing up walls in a similar manner to the climb-leap maneuver, and for extending one's reach during a jump.
It could also be used for flipping over enemies to avoid a fight, a method the Assassins referred to as the "hook and run." However, on using the technique against a Janissary, it led to the Hookblade becoming caught on their armor, slowing the Assassin down slightly.
Yusuf performing a hook and run
When climbing, the Hookblade allowed an Assassin to spring quickly onto a rooftop after grabbing the ledge, rather than spending extra time gaining a foothold and pulling themselves up. Similarly, one did not need a foothold when pulling a targeted guard from a rooftop in ledge assassinations.
Additionally, it could be used with corner chase-breakers, where the swinging support could be used as a trapeze to jump towards an adjacent rooftop, instead of turning around the corner.[1]
Combat
Ezio using the Hookblade in combat
When engaged in battle, an Assassin could use the Hookblade to pull targets in for a close-range attack, or throw an enemy onto the ground with the "hook and throw," a method similar to the hook and run.
In combat itself, the Hookblade could be used in attacks, as well as to counter a weapon. During such instances, one could hook onto an enemy's armor and throw them to the ground, or hook onto an enemy's helmet to snap their neck.
An Assassin could also perform a counter-steal to tear off an enemy's purse with the Hookblade, provoking them further and leaving them open to an easy counterattack.
Following this, the Hookblade could also be used to pull down scaffolds, subsequently slowing down or eliminating pursuers. This was particularly useful when done in conjunction with caltrop bombs.[1]
Trivia
- Early images of Assassin's Creed: Revelations showed Ezio with a Hookblade on his left arm, rather than on his right. In these, the hook was incorporated directly onto the blade, rather than as a separate function.
- In various interviews and print media, Ubisoft Montreal stated that the Hookblade was intended to increase navigation speed by a factor of 30% in Revelations, in comparison to previous installments of the Assassin's Creed series.
- The actual hook of the Hookblade resembled the head of an eagle, a bird frequently associated with the Assassin Order.
- Unlike the Hidden Gun and Poison Blade, the Hookblade was applied alongside Ezio's secondary Hidden Blade, rather than as part of his primary one.
- In the second stage of their Animi Training Program, Abstergo Industries adapted the Animus to allow the program's Animi Avatars to use the Hookblade for freerunning uses.
- When accessed, bomb-crafting stations were unlocked through the use of the Hookblade.
- In Assassin's Creed III and Assassin's Creed III: Liberation, some British and Spanish troops could perform an animation that was similar to the hook and run, which would temporarily disorientate Connor and Aveline.
- The hookblade was considered for Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, but Darby McDevitt, the lead writer for Revelations and Black Flag, objected as he wanted to dispel the stereotype of hook-handed pirates.[2]
Gallery
Reference
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||