Hitman GO: Definitive Edition Review

You may be thinking “Didn’t this come out, like, actual years ago?” and you’d be correct - Hitman GO was released on iOS and Android devices in April and June 2014 respectively. Now almost two years later, this Definitive Edition has made its way to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita.

Having been designed as a mobile game, Hitman GO breaks down the stealth action gameplay of your typical Hitman game into distinct pieces and then turns the whole thing into a board game. Back then, this served not only to give Hitman GO its own unique look but also made it far more playable on its original systems. Rather than offering expansive sandboxes to sneak through, you are given a collection of lines and nodes to slowly shuffle along to an exit.

Agent 47, his targets, and their guards are all presented as figures laid out across a series of grid-like dioramas. Playing like a board game, each movement you make is like a turn, and when you move, so too do the guards. You don’t have to worry about hiding behind cover or generally keeping out of sight; you are only spotted if you move into a position directly in front of an enemy. The first guards the game faces you off against are fairly docile, and will stand still until you step in front of them - as you progress, Hitman GO introduces various other types that require a more careful approach, with patrols and snipers quickly causing trouble for careless players.

Elements from other Hitman games are present here and introduced at a steady pace: a token of rocks can be collected to throw a distraction, disguises allow you to step in front of guards of the same colour, a sniper rifle to take out distant targets. Before long, what feels like a simple game quickly becomes more tactical, leaving Hitman GO feeling more like a strategy game. The careful planning required to pull of a successful hit in any other Hitman title is well reflected in the methodical and deliberate movements of Hitman GO.

Each mission has three objectives, and though they never vary from the select list, they invite you to replay for their reward. Completing an objective - no kills, collect the briefcase, X turns or less - earns you one token, which can be spent on unlocking new campaigns (each neatly represented as an actual board game box). Fans of the main games will recognise one or two familiar targets...

As a mobile game, it’s fair to say that most would have been playing Hitman GO in short bursts, either while commuting to work or when taking one of those long sit downs in the toilets to get out of actually working. Not being able to carry a PlayStation 4 and play it on the go is detrimental to its appeal, with extended sessions quickly growing repetitive, but that is where the PlayStation Vita benefits (with this game and just in general, I guess).

The “Definitive” part of this edition is the inclusion of all the bonus levels that were released in updates and improvements to the visuals, though these were only apparent with the PlayStation 4 version personally. The game features Cross-Save between the two Sony platforms but seemingly not Cross-Buy. Other than that, the microtransactions that allowed you to purchase hints during a level have been removed, instead using a hint stops you from unlocking a certain trophy.

Hitman GO: Definitive Edition is a neat little puzzling package that thoroughly entertains. Despite taking a different approach to gameplay, it very much remains a Hitman game. It serves well as an appetiser before the meaty main meal of the proper Hitman next month, but proudly stands on its own feet too.