Hitman 3

The Hitman series has been home for many decades to one of video game’s most popular assassins: Agent 47. During each new Hitman series, its game engines have changed, origin stories altered, levels expanded, and deaths reimagined. IO Interactive’s new entries into the series continue to follow that trend. While the newest Hitman World of Assassination trilogy has finally come to a wrap with Hitman 3, it’s still the perfect time to jump into the series.

Hitman For All

If you’re not too knowledgeable of the recent Hitman trilogy, let’s do a quick summary. Your Agent 47, a genetically-engineered assassin that has the uncanny ability to hide, blend in, and you guessed it – assassinate his victims by any means possible. With the help of his handler, Diana Burnwood, they are now deep in a worldwide plot to eliminate a shadow-group named Providence. With each of these characters having their own motivations to end Providence, you’re thrusted into the story rather quickly at the beginning of Hitman 3.

This might be a bit jarring or some players who prefer to start from the beginning. The good news is that IO Interactive already thought of this problem. A cool feature of Hitman 3 is the ability to replay the stages from Hitman: Codename 47 and Hitman 2: Silent Assassin within Hitman 3. While you’ll need to own the previous Hitman World of Assassination games or purchase the pass for them first, this is a welcome addition to a game full of content already. Fans of the series can relive their previous playthroughs and new players can catch-up.

Oozing with Detail

With Hitman 3 comes a graphical upgrade to the Glacier engine the game has famously used for decades. While textures and assets look similar to those in Hitman 2, you’ll see a visible improvement in terms of lighting effects. This game does not shy away from that at all, providing beautiful set pieces that make you want to stop and just enjoy the scenery. Light reflects off the water and shiny objects, while shining through a thick forest. On paper, this may not seem like a huge upgrade, but it’s really appreciated when those moments arrive.

Not only will you be able to enjoy the graphical enhancements in the newest part of the trilogy, but in the previous two as well. IO Interactive was able to add these enhancements to each stage, making it even more worthwhile to replay those levels. If you add the already huge replay-ability that comes with each level, then you can quickly start to see why the Hitman series really gives you the bang for your buck. Sound design is as important as it’s ever been in a game before. This is due to the need to know exactly where an action or person is coming from. Omni-directional sounds and its depth are fully realized here, giving you full control over Agent 47’s surrounding during any point in time. If you add the great variety in music (highlighted by the club scene), it’s hard to say anything bad about the sound design of Hitman 3.

The Deadliest, Yet Funniest Assassin Ever

When it comes to gameplay compared to the first two entries of the trilogy, it’s almost exactly the same. Your goal of each stage is to take out specific targets. How you go about taking the targets out depends on your knowledge of the area, people, and tools at your disposal.

As in previous Hitman games, this usually means a lot of trial and error. For example, you’ll sneak into a room and steal the disguise of a guard, then realize you didn’t plan for the second guard coming in from another room. After restarting, you analyze the guard’s patrol areas and then steal the disguise before the other guards are none the wiser.

My favorite part of Hitman 3 is its humor. It’s always been a personality trait of the series, but IO Interactive continues to think of interesting and hilarious ways to end someone's life. Whether it’s pushing them into a heavy piece of machinery in a factory or throwing a banana at their face to stun them, you’ll be sure to find yourself in situations where you can’t help but laugh.

There are a couple of new additions that add some variety to Hitman’s tried and true gameplay. First, you have your camera that acts as both a tool to analyze clues, as well as objects such as locks. For example, I often found myself using this when trying to unlock a window to push a victim out of it. Secondly, there’s the secret entrances that really add to each stage’s replay-ability. If you locate one, it will become available in future playthroughs, giving you a bit more advantages and overall freedom to move about the level.

Pros:

• Beautiful, sprawling stages that are the largest in franchise history
• Top-tier sound design
• Dozens, if not hundreds of ways to complete a stage
• Ability to replay old Hitman games in series with new graphics

Cons:

• Story is a bit rushed, although never really the focus of a Hitman game
• Gunplay is still bit rough around the edges