Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced limits iconic weapon, fans are not happy

The remake of the beloved assassin pirate game that came out 13 years ago is almost upon us, and Ubisoft has been sharing some details. Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced is a “faithful remake” with some tweaks to make the experience more modern. While most of the changes are being appreciated by fans, a recent update from the developers has garnered disappointed reactions.

A couple of days ago (April 29), the official 'Ubi-AssassinsCreed' account posted on the related subreddit an AMA for the upcoming game. One of the commenters asked about the iconic hidden blade and if it would be available as a selectable weapon, like it was in the original. To the disappointment of many, Creative Director Paul Fu responded, saying it will not. Fu explained:

Dual swords are the main weapons Edward will use in battle. The Hidden Blade is not a selectable weapon, but a fatal, contextual (and BLOODY!) takedown that is available when you break the defense of your opponent!

This makes the Hidden Blade Takedown a critical part of moment-to-moment combat, which was not the case in the original.

This suggests that the hidden blade will only be used during takedown animations and stealth assassinations. In the original, players could fight with just the hidden blades, and there were quite a few finisher animations for it.

One of the commenters pointed out that having only one weapon - dual swords - would get old quickly. Having the same small set of animations playing for finishers would not be ideal. Others have echoed these concerns and asked developers to add hidden blades as a selectable weapon, either before or after launch.

Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced is set for a July 9 release and will be available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.