*NOTE* Apologies for the length of my post, it looks like I have written a LOT (I may have got a bit carried away), but I have done my best to break it down in to segments for ease of use, in case you would like to use anything I have written to discuss certain levels or features in the game. I absolutely will NOT be offended if you decide to use some, all, or absolutely NONE of what I have written in the show itself, it’s just been fun to put in to words my thoughts on one of my favourite games of this generation. Thanks for the opportunity
James H.
I’ve been a Hitman fan since playing Blood Money back on the PS2, and since then have been back and played all the console-available games I could get my hands on. I played Contracts on PS2 as well, Hitman 2: Silent Assassin on Gamecube, and even went back and played these all on the excellent 360 HD collection, before enjoying Absolution upon release (and yes, I did actually enjoy it!).
I loved Hitman 2016, and when I bought Hitman 2 on day one, I played it pretty much non-stop for almost a year, to the detriment of everything else (including RDR2, which I also bought only two weeks before)! The wealth of additional content and new levels kept me inhabiting the world of Agent 47 and the ICA for far longer than any rational person would care to admit.
I eagerly put my pre-order in for Hitman 3 Deluxe Edition, both to get the pre-order bonuses and to make sure I got day one access to all the extra content on offer (but the less said about that, the better). Upon playing the base game for the first time, it’s clear that IO have taken all the tricks they learned from Hitman 2016 and Hitman 2 and built a world which is a marvel to explore, and to find new ways to manipulate (and in some cases, break) to your own nefarious advantage. There are a few new gameplay features that have been added in, but really these only affect early level playthroughs; things like unlocking shortcut doors & hatches which remain open on future playthroughs are handy, although using the new camera to hack widows & panels and entering 4-digit security door codes are a neat touch at first but quickly become an annoyance, especially when they have to be done every time a level is played (even if you do manage to memorise the codes). However, these are normally only limited to a couple of instances per level, which mitigates the frustration to some extent.
There is no training level this time; Hitman 3 throws the player straight in to the main first level, set atop an enormous skyscraper in Dubai. It does give the player a few simple instructions on how to use the new camera and codes, and does have some basic tutorial instructions, but presumably IO are expecting players at this point to have at least some familiarity with the series, and hand-holding is kept very much to minimum. As you would expect (being set in Dubai), the first level is wonderfully lavish with some fantastic verticality. Sneaking on to the upper floors without being detected can be particularly tricky, especially on higher difficulties, or when chasing that elusive SASO ranking.
The second level, set in a sprawling English mansion, is arguably the best level in the game, if not the series. The level could also be seen as a loose callback to the earlier English level, Beldingford Manor from Hitman: Contracts, which was one of the more enjoyable levels from that game. It is another level which requires demands repeated playthroughs to work out and learn how best to sneak your way between floors, using ledges and pipes outside the building to avoid guards or get nearer to the target, and it does become quite tricky to remember which windows lead to which shortcuts. Even after literally months of replays and additional contracts I still sometimes find myself going out the wrong window, although I always find this amusing rather than frustrating, as I have no-one to blame but myself! The location was also repurposed for one of the more entertaining pieces of post-release content – The Dartmoor Garden show, where the grounds are re-imagined as, well, a garden show, with random targets to take out in new and imaginative ways.
Berlin is easily my favourite level from any Hitman game, full stop, but I also know this level is one of the more divisive ones in the series. It is set in an underground nightclub that is obviously IO’s stand-in for the famous Berghain nightclub, and rather than just the usual one or two targets, this time there are ten to choose from, the twist being that this time the targets are actively hunting 47 instead of just going about their business. To make things even more interesting, they are all undercover, so upon initial playthrough you have no idea who could be your potential killer. However, after you discover them they will be permanently marked as targets on the map and using instinct. Personally I think it would have been amazing if IO had found a way to randomize which NPC was an assassin on each playthrough to really keep the player (and 47) on their toes, but I can understand it is probably easier to dream than to do.
However, main reason I love the Berlin level is the fact that having spent the majority of my twenties out in dark hard trance and techno clubs at weekends, the feeling of being at an actual club is stunningly realised. I loved seeing the sweaty NPCs on the dance floor, the drug dealer hanging out by the toilets (not that I’d know anything about that, of course!), the queue for the cubicles that never seem to move and people hanging out in the bars and chill-out areas, and it is definitely one of the most realistic clubs I’ve seen not only in gaming, but also across most forms of media. It is a compliment to the composer that the club music for this level doesn’t get at all annoying upon repeated listens (perfect for a game where replaying levels is pretty much a necessity). It is, in fact, a minimalist techno banger, and I’m not ashamed to admit I have ripped an mp3 copy from a 30 min Youtube video and frequently listen to it whilst doing the housework or popping to the shops! Plus, being able to disguise yourself as a DJ, sabotage the pyrotechnic equipment and then take out two targets whilst performing to the crowd is one of the all-time great assassinations!
Chongqing is personally a bit of a disappointment after Berlin, despite having a very unique location in the form of the ICA agency headquarters. However, to enter it 47 must first negotiate the upper levels, set in neon-lit, yet run-down Chinese streets. It is a well-designed level, but is actually one of my least-played, for the simple reason that gaining access to the HQ and then travelling around it relies heavily on using the access codes and camera to hack screens and panels, which whilst fine in small doses, does become grating on repeated playthroughs. It is a stunning level to look at, but becomes a bit annoying to actually play multiple times.
If the Dartmoor level was a loose remake of Beldingford Manor from Contracts, then the penultimate level, set in an Argentinian vineyard could also been seen as a remake or reimagining of the Blood Money level, “A Vintage Year”, also set in a winery. It is a large, sprawling level with the possibly one of largest number of “unique” or situational assassinations that I can think of. Completionist or first-time players will want to keep rolling saves during story missions where possible, as many of the same story opportunities have multiple branching paths, which can lead to several different assassinations instead of just one suggested method. This makes it another level with a huge amount of variety in the ways it can be completed, and a definite pleasure to replay again and again.
The final level is completely linear experience where 47 must sneak his way to the front of a train rolling through some Romanian mountains to assassinate his target. As such, it has a largely divided opinion online, although as someone who enjoyed the (fairly) linear Hitman: Absolution, I didn’t mind it so much, even if the replay value is essentially limited to completing the optional challenges, or obtaining the tricky SASO run. It does have a certain cinematic feel (influences from Broken Arrow and Under Siege 2 spring to mind), and the straightforwardness of the level ties in nicely with the idea that the story could not end any other way, as 47, and the series, creep inexorably to their final conclusion. Maybe it might not the best end to the trilogy, but in my opinion, it is certainly a fitting one.
With regards to game extras, the deluxe content sadly is a bit of a disappointment, mainly consisting of escalation levels where you can earn some cool new costumes and gear, most of which I rarely actually use. But, I AM a Hitman completionist and to be fair, escalations are always an enjoyable challenge, but after the remixed levels for Hitman, and the special assignments and bonus levels for Hitman 2, the content just seemed to be a bit unimaginative, and ultimately not really worth paying full price for. I would recommend it at a sale price, however.
The same could be said for the first piece of Hitman 3 DLC (not including weapon or costumes packs), the Seven Deadly Sins. A series of escalations (seriously, IO, more escalations!?) based around (you guessed it) the seven deadly sins, these were ultimately fun and required the player to think outside of the box to complete most of them. The rewards were more costumes and some exclusive equipment that could be used in the main game, some of which are actually really useful, like the proximity sedative mine and the blinding crossbow. However, the price point is widely agreed to be a sticking point for the actual content available, and again, I would only really recommend buying this when on sale.
Like Hitman and Hitman 2, the game is constantly being added to, with both new and old elusive targets popping up, new community-made contracts being rolled out, and new items to unlock, and players can now replay existing elusive targets via the arcade mode (although these have again been styled as escalations, leading to some frustration amongst fans). Excitingly, IO have promised not only a new level later in the year, but also a new Freelancer mode where your contract spans multiple levels, and 47 starts with nothing and has to acquire and carry equipment between levels, or lose it altogether! As always with this series, Hitman 3 has enough gameplay to keep players returning repeatedly. Admittedly, IO might sometimes have misses as well as hits with regards to extra content, but overall it is a credit to them that they keep on adding to and improving the Hitman experience. To that end, Hitman 3 is not only one of the greatest games in the series; it is excellent value for money, great fun to play, and will keep players willing to look outside the core content satisfied for months, and possibly even years to come. IO may be temporarily stepping away from the Hitman franchise in the near future, but I for one am already looking forward to the return of 47, wherever and whenever that may be.