PC Systems Specifications
CPU: Core i7-5820K
GPU: GTX 980ti
RAM: 16GB DDR4 (2400 MHz)

Please note: This game was reviewed on multiple platforms: PC, Xbox One, and PS4.

Agent 47 has had a long and storied history, starting with Codename 47 on the PC before expanding to consoles with Silent Assassin on PS2 and Xbox. The main series, ignoring mobile versions such as the excellent Hitman Go, is now at six titles.

It’s back-to-basics, after the fan reaction to the divisive Hitman: Absolution in 2012. Long-time fans bemoaned the addition of Agent 47’s “instinct” mechanic, as well as the linear level design and almost omniscient AI. Hitman is IO’s attempt to win back the fan base by stripping away game mechanics and taking it back to the sandbox design seen in the much-loved 2006 Blood Money, while still incorporating the instinct mechanic from Absolution.



Mission Briefing
Hitman is an enormous game with each level building on the previous one and, thus, ramping up the difficulty as you progress. Initially, you go through the Yacht Assassination, a tutorial mission that guides you through the basic mechanics such as using disguises and Agent 47’s preternatural Instinct. Instinct was a divisive addition to Absolution because it allows you to track targets through walls and plan your routes around patrols far easier than in prior games. In this game the resource is infinite, effectively an in-world cheat code, but purists, the supremely patient and the overconfident can switch it off for added challenge.

The game rewards patience, observation, and exploration.

Replay value and the sandbox elements are introduced almost immediately. Upon successful completion of your first kill, the game encourages you to replay the Yacht Assassination to experiment with different routes into the mission area and different ways to kill your target. This is where the game changes, in my opinion, from a stealth-action game to a puzzle game. You will soon forget that the protagonist of the game is a killer, looking for new and fun ways to kill people, and rather see it as a set of puzzles to for you to solve as you find the optimal route to stealth your way to a kill, then make a clean getaway.

The game rewards patience, observation, and exploration. With exploration, instead of using a waiter’s disguise to get to your target and carry out your assassination via garrote, you may have found a way to replace an NPC meeting the target and use poison to kill them, or send the target rushing to the bathroom where you can drown them in the toilet. This allows you to change your plan on the fly if things do not go as expected. Exploration is a boon for those who may be playing the game with a strict, but voluntary and self-policing, no reload policy. Full disclosure, I am not that player, I used the save and reload function often.

From there the game throws you into the story, which isn’t all that important honestly. It is there to connect each level, because you see a cut scene at the completion of each level featuring a nameless protagonist who meets with your targets or other characters to dump some exposition on the player.



The levels are the star of this game, with missions designed around expansive maps and offering fresh challenges. There are six main missions in the game, taking place across the world, with two bonus missions on the disc and a third to ship at a later date. PS4 players get access to The Sarajevo Six missions when they buy the Complete First Season.

When you take your time, the game rewards you with interesting and innovative gameplay.

By far my favourite was the second level, Sapienza. It is a colourful Italian seaside town setting with a variety of ways to get to your targets and mission objectives. This level illustrates the care and attention to detail that IO have put in to build an engaging game. The puzzles are tough, but not impossible. When you take your time, the game rewards you with interesting and innovative gameplay.

To add to the challenge and replay value, you receive various achievements for killing targets in new and interesting ways. By far the most difficult (and one I have not even attempted) is the “Suit Only” achievement, tasking you with not using any disguises, thus increasing the chance of detection by guards and other NPCs who will can the alarm. Some achievements are level specific, but all are immensely rewarding.

Besides the main missions, players will have access to the Escalation Contracts and the other player-created Contracts, which are essentially additional missions created by the developers and the fans set within one of the six levels. These Contracts task you with assassinating a specific target in a specific manner as a community challenge.

Hitman is a satisfying semi-reboot of the franchise with its almost back-to-basics approach creating a satisfying blend of puzzle solving and tension.

The final element is the timed Elusive Targets missions. During the episodic releases, IO set up missions that you could only attempt once and had to be completed within forty-eight hours. These could be extremely difficult and left no room for error and became a mark of pride amongst the players, with many racing to be the first to complete the mission. IO will be releasing brand new Elusive Target missions. However, the older missions are not, it seems, available in this release. This is a shame, because they are amazing examples of the design philosophy and added hours to the game. Players who held off till the full release are unfortunately penalised.

Debrief
Hitman is a satisfying semi-reboot of the franchise with its almost back-to-basics approach creating a satisfying blend of puzzle solving and tension. The joy in finding different paths to your target, and methods of killing them, is difficult to describe. Suffice to say, after your first successful run, you will be itching to go back and try and find a better and faster way to complete each level.