HITMAN 3 Review

As a self-proclaimed stealth game connoisseur I have tasted a variety of flavours of sneaky experiences. From the dark and secret corners of Thief, all the way to the spy thriller of Splinter Cell I have had the pleasure of experiencing different stealth games with their little quirks, but no stealth game has quite immersed me in its world and gameplay like IO Interactive’s Hitman. To the uninitiated, Hitman is a stealth franchise that focused on the prolific assassin Agent 47 as he works with the secret organisation the ICA, going from contract to contract to kill evil conspirators. The series has been going strong since 2000 and has garnered quite a reputation for its expansive level design that allows you to kill your enemies in a variety of ways. Whether it's a piano falling on a poor sod or being strangled by a bald man in a chicken costume, the sky’s the limit for how you want to assassinate your target.

HITMAN, HITMAN 2, and now HITMAN 3 are all a part of the World of Assassination trilogy which is a soft reboot of the Hitman franchise after the terrible reception of Hitman Absolution. It’s important to acknowledge the struggle IO Interactive was in when developing the new set of Hitman games. Firstly, HITMAN was released episodically which meant that you could only play one level at launch along with the tutorial. This decision did not work in their favour as many casual fans who wanted to get into the series were turned off by the lack of content. HITMAN 2 was almost not made because originally IO Interactive was funded and supported by Square Enix, but through the release cycle Square Enix pulled funding from the company and they were put on shelf to be bought by another studio. Many fans thought this could be the end, but Warner Bros. ended up becoming the distributor and the series was saved which leads us to the current day with the finale to the trilogy, HITMAN 3. 

If you have played either HITMAN or HITMAN 2 then this game continues the story of Agent 47 and Diane uncovering and attempting to stop Providence from taking over the world. The game has a tighter direction, story wise, and feels more satisfying than the previous two games. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy seeing a slideshow of comic panels telling me the convoluted story of Providence, but it did make me feel detached from the experience. HITMAN 3 has more character moments that I can point to enjoying and the ending was satisfying and poetic, which felt like the end to a classic Hitman title. I also appreciated that they incorporated Diane into one of the last missions which give me a new appreciation for her character. 

Exploring the gorgeous streets of Chongqing

The gameplay is more or less the same with some slight tweaks that make the act of assassinating punks really fun. One of the standout features is the new camera that Agent 47 has which allows you to manipulate specific parts of certain levels. For example, you can use the camera to open up windows, turn on TVs to distract guards, and open up hatches that expand the level design. You can also use the camera to gather intel around the map and it even opens up some unique assassination opportunities. Another welcome feature is the addition of shortcuts. Several levels are inaccessible until you find a way to unlock select doors and ladders with either a crowbar or a key. This mechanic is great because it compliments the replayable nature of Hitman level design and gives a huge incentive to explore every nook and cranny. It also makes every subsequent run easier and allows for some great gameplay opportunities. Besides shortcuts and the camera, the game is more or less a direct expansion on the game design of the previous two HITMAN games. 

There are six new locations to explore and each one is fun to navigate and assassinate except for the last mission which takes place solely on a train in Siberia. The variety of locations is refreshing and each one looks breathtaking. I don’t normally do this, but I would just wander around the maps enjoying the scenario. It’s especially impressive considering the huge amounts of NPCs that can be found on each map. Unfortunately, while I did enjoy the new levels in HITMAN 3, it did feel less impressive than HITMAN 2 which had some of the best levels in Hitman history. Nothing beats playing Miami for the first time, and HITMAN 3 lacks any levels that make the same splash as HITMAN or HITMAN 2. 

What a power couple!

It’s really great to play a game that honours the lore and continuity of the previous games. There are hidden references throughout each level that date back to previous assassinations. You get the sense that every main villain of the game is part of this secret illuminati group. The references aren’t just through dialogue as there are visual references that make the experience even better for lifelong fans of Hitman. The highlight of HITMAN 3 for me was the nightclub in Berlin where you had the choice to assassinate five out of 10 ICA agents. You get a little Intel on each target and it really tests your skills as no one is going to tell you how to kill your targets. There aren’t any story missions on this level either and it makes you feel like a professional assassin that could take on any challenge. 

For some reason each level only has three story missions, while levels in the previous two games had around seven. While I did enjoy the last level from a story perspective it does lack replayability which is supposed to be the strongest aspect of Hitman. It reminded me of the last mission of the first Hitman game where it prioritized being cinematic over the gameplay. There are also escalation missions which are only available for players who bought the deluxe pack, so when you finish the game you have little to no challenge modes to engage yourself with.

Greatest anime betrayal

I had major problems with the HITMAN servers at launch, and even now it will often still kick me to offline mode in the middle of a mission which will make me lose game progress. This is IO Interactive’s third game that utilises online servers, so it’s a bit disappointing to still have these issues three games in. Through all of the technical hiccups there is a solid game in there that still maintains all the qualities that make HITMAN a fun and unique stealth title. A little anemic with content compared to the past two titles, but with a final mission that makes you hopeful for is to come from Agent 47 and the world of assassination