The adventures of Agent 47 have taken him throughout the world and beyond including meeting the Grim Reaper all for the sake of getting a job done. In 2016, the presentation of “Hitman” changed dramatically as the developers saw the changing landscape of gaming as a way to give fans of the franchise as much bang for their buck as possible with episodic releases of missions that allowed Agent 47 to journey around the world and maim & kill at will. A sequel would follow two years later without the episodic release schedule, but a gameplay style rooted in what came before it while testing the waters with memorable, though not fully realized multiplayer modes. What is now a narrative trilogy, “Hitman 3” has arrived with the promise of bigger environments, better ways to complete a job, and the conclusion of 47’s story – all things I was excited to see pan out in this potentially ultimate “Hitman” experience.
Did I Complete “Hitman 3”?
Unlike the old “Hitman” games where the simple premise of “eliminate the target” and move to the next stage was the norm, the most recent versions of “Hitman” including this offering features so much the player can take part in to make each mission as memorable as possible mostly thanks to “Challenges”. Each of the six maps available have a set of “Challenges” that can be completed via certain situations including “Story Missions” –scenarios specific to each map usually featuring protagonist Agent 47 dressing up as someone like a renown detective looking to figure out who murdered a member of a very wealthy family.
These “Challenges” provide massive replay ability and will take completionists dozens of hours to finish. There are also non-narrative modes including the returning “Sniper Assassin”, “Escalation” & “Contracts”. To top it off, owners of “Hitman (2016)” & “Hitman 2” have the ability to download all the maps from the previous entries boosted by the implementations from its sequel. After completing the main story maps and playing all the modes in twelve hours or so, there’s still a lot of “Challenges” left to discover including those from the previous “Hitman” games that will definitely keep me coming back for a long time.
Did “Hitman 3” Live Up to the Hype?
Like its most recent predecessor, “Hitman 3” is a hefty package from the onset featuring six maps connected to a campaign that is not as grandiose as expected considering the promotion that this is Agent 47’s last go-round (though the story is definitely a lot more grounded and understandable as to why each mission is happening compared to almost any “Hitman” game before it). The game’s real story is usually connected to how well the player handles being as stealthy as possible and then adapting to a situation gone wrong especially when someone sees 47 pulling off a kill and his disguise is compromised; meaning the player must either escape the area without dying and/or disable someone else with the intent of pressing on with a new plan under a different identity (or hide in some tall grass or within a group of people who nonchalantly allow some stranger to stand in the middle of their circle).
Agent 47 has a slew of weapons he can bring with him including a silenced pistol and his infamous fiberwire, but utilizing items found in the world is usually the best way to go about completing a task including poisoning a ventilation system while posing as a doctor. Agent 47 gunning his way through an area is always an option, but the overall movement & gunplay doesn’t make it the most useful or satisfying method. Melee combat boils down to a quick time event that too feels unsatisfying. There are some new gameplay implementations like a decoding camera for hacking certain windows or security systems, and hidden paths that stay unlocked after completing a stage.
The map selection in “Hitman 3” is diverse and large with grand hotels, neon-soaked streets leading to heavily guarded security systems, and even a vineyard where 47 can pluck the lushest grapes. Moving around each area will provide “Story Missions” which are specially made for each map and usually is a more detailed way to complete an assassination while the game assists the player with way points. “Story Missions” are a nice way to help players who don’t want to be overwhelmed by all the options of completing a task. The picture-in-picture updates such as an unconscious body being found also helps keep a player on their toes while helping them learn from their mistakes when going about replaying the stage.
Added to the replay ability of “Hitman 3” is the returning difficulty levels with “Professional” difficulty being akin to “Normal” in relation to other games, while “3’s” “Master” setting removes the restart function from missions while upping the AI’s awareness & features no guidance system; truly giving the player a feeling of being a perfect secret agent when successful. The aforementioned “Challenges” also make replaying maps much more fun compared to the older “Hitman” games where the player had to make their extra fun with personal challenges or stipulations like finishing the campaign without switching disguises.
Most of the multiplayer options from “Hitman 2” are sadly gone in this iteration. Outside of the returning “Contracts” mode where players can create their own missions and upload them for players to complete and timed “Elusive Targets” (that hasn’t been revealed as of this review), nothing allows for players to come together in the “Hitman” universe like “Ghost Mode” did in “Hitman 2”. “Sniper Assassin” mode returns, but only in its single-player form – a mode featuring a slew of targets to gun down from a far distance without alerting anyone of the assassin’s presence.
“Hitman 3” also has the same technical issues its predecessors did. Sometimes enemies can be incredibly stupid or unusually hostile. Trespassing in a certain area may alert a guard that, even when 47 walks away, still shouts at the intruder as if Agent 47 is standing in the same spot. NPCs will overreact to certain scenarios such as 47 carrying around a food item, or will see a dead body and won’t become alerted. While the game’s frame rate & overall stability in regards to crashes & glitches are commendable, unexpected problems will arise from time to time such as one mission where the NPC needed to progress the scenario got stuck in his chair and wouldn’t move until 47 threw a distraction item.
Arguably the game’s biggest flaw is the necessity for online connectivity. “3’s” leveling system that unlocks map-specific items & stash locations upon completing a section only works when the player is online. Being always online also means that if the game is having server issues or the player loses internet connectivity it’ll potentially boot the player back to the main menu if they can’t regain a connection. Another issue is the “Hitman” package offered isn’t as complete as expected. There are multiple versions of the “Hitman” games in this trilogy and, depending on what version or versions of “Hitman (2016)”, “Hitman 2” and “Hitman 3” someone owns, the player can’t get the full experience of everything all those games provide without purchasing, say, the “Deluxe” edition of “3” or the “Game of the Year” version of the 2016 reboot.
Even with the same flaws that hindered its previous iterations being noticeable here, the strengths of “Hitman 3” outweigh the weaknesses including improving on the story and presenting some impressive maps that are made for various replays.
Should You Play “Hitman 3”?
While this version of “Hitman” and its direct predecessors have some obvious limitations compared to earlier games in the franchise, very few are as accessible or enjoyable as “Hitman 3”. The highly diverse maps, copious amount of options to complete a task both during the campaign or otherwise, and all the features from the previous games for owners of “Hitman” & “Hitman 2” makes this one of the most complete “Hitman” experiences ever. For fans of the IO Interactive “Hitman” games from this past gen this is a no-brainer and worthy of a purchase. Those who love stealth games built on improvisation will enjoy this as well. And players that didn’t care for the direction the developers took the gameplay won’t find this one changing their mind. “Hitman 3” ends this trilogy on a high note if there ever was one like Agent 47 putting down two targets with a single bullet or wiping out a group of would-be assassins.
