The Hitman franchise is an anomaly. It's a game focused on the act of killing, but it's not a shooter. Instead, it's a puzzle game with dozens of variables and parameters. It's a stealth game where you can walk out in the open. It's a series with not one but two (pretty dismal) Hollywood adaptations, with a stoic protagonist that says little and a strangely whimsical sense of black comedy in places. In truth, there is nothing quite like it.
My first introduction to a Hitman title was the original on PC. A seemingly obtuse game, I was expecting Metal Gear Solid-esque gameplay – peeking around corners or shuffling through helpfully-sized ventilation shafts. What I found was a game where every encounter is a problem to solve, and my young brain struggled to get past the first mission. With all of this in mind, I missed Hitman 2: Silent Assassin (widely regarded as developer IO Interactive’s magnum opus).
Last generation, I stumbled across Hitman: Blood Money. It was cheap, and to my delight the tutorial was much more useful than the original game’s. A varied array of missions (and ways to play each one) kept me coming back, combing through missions for new clues that would open up new gameplay avenues. Take the mission 'Curtains Down' as an example. Agent 47, our shiny headed protagonist, is tasked with eliminating a pair of human traffickers at an opera performance during dress rehearsals. One target is in a VIP gallery, surrounded by security. The other? Well, he's the starring actor.
Wandering around the theatre, you’ll find plenty of people to disguise yourself as. Sneak into the rafters and you can snipe both targets, but you’ll bring notoriety that will follow you to your next mission. Get backstage and you can hide in your target’s closet like a bald Boogeyman. Each Hitman mission is a toybox – a chance to experiment, working your way to a target as stealthily as possible to earn that coveted 'Silent Assassin' rating. So how is it done?
Making your way up to the rafters of the theatre, you can set a remote explosive to an impressively large chandelier hanging above the audience. Switching outfits to someone backstage, you’re able to swap the prop gun used in the play for a real one, leading to one target being offed by his co-star. Then, as his companion runs to the stage to check on him, you can drop a chandelier onto his head.
Or you can just shoot everyone. It’s a strategy just as viable as any other, but the game’s now archaic controls and lack of a cover mechanic mean things are unlikely to work out as intended.
Blood Money is the series’ high watermark, and across its campaign you’ll push mobsters into gator-filled swamps, rig a barbecue to explode, and kill people dressed as a giant crow (no, really). It’s dark, but maintains a silliness that 2012’s Hitman: Absolution failed to capture. While there are sandboxes, several missions are more linear, focusing on less interesting aspects of 47’s repertoire – namely shooting.
2016’s Hitman, released on the current generation of consoles, is excellent. A showcase for PlayStation 4 Pro, Hitman is full of the same experimentation that made Blood Money one of my all-time favourite titles. While its episodic release was baffling at the time, it allowed IO Interactive the time to create the biggest maps in the franchise and fill them with NPCs, clues, and secrets. A new 'Opportunity' system gives newcomers hints to lead them to a solution, but these have to be discovered organically. You might overhear a conversation about a target’s favourite drink, or where they’re likely to be found. It’s Hitman for a new generation, and these smart additions (and improved shooting mechanics) mean that it can be enjoyed by anyone with a passing interest in puzzle solving.
In summary, if you’re yet to put on Agent 47’s lovely suit and garrotte people in the shadows like a madman, I cannot recommend you do so enough. While each entry has added something to the franchise (some for better, some not so much), 2018’s Hitman 2 seems to be the purest realisation of IO’s vision yet – a beautiful world stuffed to the brim with sights to see, disguises to wear, and people to push off of balconies.
Are you a fan of the Hitman franchise? Are you eagerly anticipating its upcoming sequel? Plan out the perfect assassination in the comments section below.
Comments 11
Good work, 47.
Been playing Hitman 2016 for the past year and finally got all the Trophies overnight. Absolutely adore that game, and completely agree with the article. This series is too good to fly under the radar.
My first Hitman game was Silent Assassin, at the time I couldn't believe how good it was. Even technically, it was a blast. Playing with no saves (or with saves but not using it unless really needed) was incredible, you had to plan and execute pretty much flawless to get away clean, killing only your target. I love Hitman and is one of those games you can't help but recommend to everyone. And luckily 2016 iteration is as good as the franchise deserves. Looking forward for the new Hitman!
This is one of those games that I appreciate is brilliant, I just haven't got round to spending much time on unfortunately.
I've enjoyed the Hitman series since Hitman 2 on PS2 and they've done a great job of keeping the series relevant lately with Absolution and more recently these series.
@MattSilverado Same; started with Silent Assassin, skipped Contracts, loved Blood Money and am getting increasingly hyped for Hitman 2 in a couple weeks.
As somebody who only ever kills the objective target and strives for stealth and tactics, these games are an exercise in balancing a frustrating trial-and-error gameplay loop with some of the most satisfying and rewarding payoffs possible. There's nothing quite like it; stressful and intense, yet in all the right ways.
Loved the article. Hurrah for 47.
@RogerRoger that's right. I remember one mission (I think in Contracts) that was set on an island and the target was a in a room being prepared for an surgery ... I set the power off for the facility, went through a vent tube right to the room where the target was, killed the poor guy and the escaped unnoticed. Pure joy.
@MattSilverado Awesome stuff. I think I know the mission you're talking about as well, and did much the same thing.
There's also that spine-tingling tension when you find a discarded guard's uniform, change into it and then walk amongst other guards for the first time. I always used to go looking for their break rooms or whatever, just because I could and it was a fantastic feeling.
We're so used to seeing enemies charge at us and fall over; seeing them read the paper and drink coffee, and sometimes even nod and say "hey, what's up" as you walked past, was incredible.
love hit man absolution was amazing.so more hit man is always welcome.word up son
I always loved the Hitman games, but this last one I absolutely despise.
You've got to be always online to do anything. Unlock weapons, clothes, anything? Online. Track your performance? Online.
Lose your connection for a second, or a hiccup in the servers, and goodbye all your progress.
You killed no one but the targets and were never spotted? Doesn't matter. If you aren't always online you might as well have butchered every single person on the level, shooting like a madman, painting the walls with blood... to the game it's all the same.
To all that, add a story that goes nowhere, making killing your targets pointless and in the end showing you that the game does not have an ending, because it's actually a really long prologue.
Essential game features shouldn't be put behind an "always online" requirement, that's just bad design.
I bought every Hitman game but with this last one they lost a customer...
I love Hitman and have played Contracts, Absolution and the first two episodes from season 1 of HITMAN. One thing that has bothered me is the point system at the end of the missions. Even though there are multiple ways to complete the objectives, I find it hard to experiment, because some of the most fun ways which may include explosives, will give me a penalty at the end, which ultimately will make me feel like I've been playing the game wrong.
I've never played the series before but have always been interested....enough to buy all of the games released so far XD.
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