Hitman Beta Impressions

I have always been aware of the Hitman series, but never really played them. I remember having a demo for one on the Xbox, the mission set on a snow covered military base, and exploring the different areas for weapons and opportunities. The same with Hitman: Blood Money - I played the demo and enjoyed it, but I never bought it on release. My first Hitman was Absolution: the linear stealth action shooter regarded by fans as the weakest entry.

Hitman, before, was all about sandbox levels and a variety of methods to assassinate your target, whereas Absolution was far more limited. This new Hitman goes back to the old ways, carrying over improvements to the controls and the moment by moment gameplay that were added in that most recent release, such as the Instinct vision (letting you see targets and guards through walls) and the cover system.

An NPC marked with a white dot will see through your disguise

The beta consists of two tutorial levels: one on a yacht, and the other on a military base. But not actually a yacht or a military base; the levels are mock ups constructed in an ICA (International Contract Agency) training facility, and the missions are tests that a young 47 must complete if he’s to become the baldy bad man we all know.

The first time you attempt the yacht mission, you are walked through step-by-step, unable to deviate. A much better introduction to the systems of Hitman than when they’ve attempted before, quickly and simply teaching you about exploring the environment, acquiring disguises, and hiding in plain sight.

After completing that, you are sent back in again, and given free rein. Returning from Absolution are the challenges, that spell out the different assassination methods available. This does detract from the challenge of actually finding them out for yourself, but I believe it will ultimately work in the game's favour by encouraging less adventurous players to return to completed hits and try out the other approaches. Being released in chunks with extensive periods of time between releases, one may start a mission, shoot the target on site, make for the exit, and question the amount of content in the product. This way, that person will see that there is more to the each level than being an environment for a simple hit and run, and extend the time that can be spent with each chapter.

The Opportunity system helps you pull off the more stylish kills

The second mission does not hold your hand. Your target is surrounded by armed guards, and the moment you step foot onto the grounds, you are marked as trespassing. Introduced here is the new Opportunity system, my favourite addition with this game. By eavesdropping on NPCs, you can learn of new objectives. The game will then prompt you when one becomes available, and will mark on the map the steps to completing that Opportunity. For example, on entering the base from the west side (assuming where you start is facing north), you will overhear two guards talking about a safety check due to be performed on a jet in the hangar. By accepting the prompt, objectives in the corner and markers on the screen will guide you through this path - find a disguise, check the notes, sabotage the plane, escort the target, run through the test - all ending with a wonderfully cinematic conclusion involving a screaming bloke, a ceiling, and an ejector seat.

The only way is up, baby

I enjoyed my time with the Hitman beta, with my only negative being the poor performance in regards to the frame rate. It currently ranges from what at times feels like 60 -- a positive -- down to very low numbers when near dense crowds --not so good, especially when looking at the fashion show in the Paris level. Hopefully, with the developer claiming this is a now dated build of the game, this issue has been addressed for the final release.

Even in the beta, there was a large amount of content available that will only continue to grow throughout the next year. Hitman is being released episodically, with the tutorial section present in the beta and the Paris level previously shown at events making up the first episode, arriving in March. In the months following, levels set in Italy, Morocco, and more will be released along with additional content.