Game review 22 January 2021, 16:32

author: Darius Matusiak

Hitman 3 Rules! Review of the Ultimate Agent 47 Game

Nearly five years after the first installment of the Hitman reboot was launched, revolutionizing the series and showing a potential new direction for the entire stealth genre, the "World of Assassination" trilogy ends with a satisfying, detailed entry.

The review is based on the PC version.

Finally, after five long years, we got the finale of the Agent 47 episodic trilogy. Hitman 3 may be a full-fledged installment in the series and the culmination of the reboot that launched in 2016. However, it's hard not to notice that only all three games together form the proper, full experience. The developers from IO Interactive sort of admit it themselves, as all the maps released this far can be combined into a single, complete game, and all the mechanics and menus haven't changed since the beginning.

One thing to get out of the way right off the bat is that Hitman 3 is primarily a bundle of six new missions, which work identically to every previous mission in Hitman and Hitman 2. The backbone is formed by large, sandbox maps and heavily scripted scenarios with spectacular ways to eliminate targets. The game doesn't emphasize stealth very much, but rather focuses on changing disguises and impersonating different characters (which even Agent 47 himself comments in the game with amusing irony).

Fortunately, the long wait and all the experience resulted in a set of likely the most interesting and atmospheric missions in the entire trilogy. The authors have even added a few small gameplay innovations, and the quests themselves are much more coherent with the main plot thread. Despite the fact that the game necessarily repeats the pros and cons of the previous installments, thanks to these few details, Hitman 3 is the best set of new Agent 47 jobs and a worthy, satisfying conclusion to the entire trilogy.

More story less plot

Although Hitman 3 focuses on the storyline a little more, it remains the weakest element of the game. In every mission, you can see and feel that the creators tried to keep control over the story and the narrative, improve what they could, but some damage was permanent. Five years and three games is far too much for a plot that could be summarized in a couple-minute-long recap. The scenario served as mere excuse for putting us on the sandbox maps and giving us people to assassinate; it wasn't at all gripping, and on the rare occasions it started to seem like it was, the lengthy intervals herein referred to as "missions" effectively killed any excitement.

It's a pity that the film didn't feature a recap of the events from the previous parts – the authors limited it to a few lines of text on a black background, assuming that the players know and remember everything. Someone who does not follow the Hitman universe on a daily basis, however, will have to learn the relationships between secret organizations of the ICA and Providence, or a character called The Constant.

Fortunately, the ending itself is a little easier to grasp. Most notably, full-fledged, animated cut-scenes return, and 47's relationship with Diane Burnwood and Olivia got some more depth and human qualities. There's a few small gestures here, surprising sequences and spectacular mission introductions worthy of a Hollywood productions. The contracts are also based on taking down targets directly related to the finale of the Providence storyline, and you finally feel a direct connection between the plot and the gameplay. Anyway, this installment doesn't revolutionary changes in terms of plot, and the only people that may really appreciate it are die-hard fans of the series.

The art of deduction and techno parties

The greater emphasis on the main storyline finale made the smaller scenarios related to specific map assignments pale a little, but not in every case. The available scenarios combined with spectacular elimination of targets are seemingly less numerous than before, but this is compensated by their quality, ideas and nicer, more compelling locations. Each of them provides a slightly different experience and a completely different setting – from an underground techno club in the suburbs of Berlin, through a picturesque vineyard in Argentina, a modern skyscraper in Dubai, the backstreets of a Chinese metropolis, to the icing on the cake – the Victorian Dartmoor residence somewhere in the UK. The landscapes and color scheme immediately evoke Skyfall associations!

But instead of playing James Bond, 47 will take on the role of a Sherlock Holmes, or Hercule Poirot-like detective and solve a family murder mystery not entirely related to the Hitman's assignment. You can see that even despite many simplifications, the creators have polished the mechanics of their mini-stories to perfection and have fun with the convention. Dartmoor also impresses with its interiors and hidden passages with various secrets.

The same is true in other locations. The Chinese city is drowned in rain and neon lights, taking us from dirty streets full of homeless people, to sterile, state-of-the-art laboratories. Berlin, on the other hand, offers a multi-level techno club in an old power plant, where raw industrialism and lasers mix with dirty graffiti and stickers on every wall. The locations in Hitman 3 are incredibly authentic and convincing – you just don't want to leave them too soon, which encourages returning to complete the quest again in a different way.

Good and bad novelties

The latest installment of Hitman generally doesn't bring anything revolutionary to the already a bit ossified and exploited formula of large, open, sandbox maps, but let's just say that there are some interesting new ideas. The biggest surprise will be Agent 47's final assignment in the Romanian Carpathians, completely unlike anything else we've seen. Could this foreshadow much more serious changes in future games from IO Interactive?

The remaining locations bring much smaller innovations. These certainly include the aforementioned detective level. There are also occasional changes in camera perspective, environmental puzzles, secret passages that remain open in all subsequent approaches of the same levels, and perhaps the least necessary and thoughtful novelty – the digital camera.

Hitman can not only take pictures with it, but in some cases also hack electronic equipment, like V in Cyberpunk 2077. It's a bit incongruous with the atmosphere and seems exaggerated and forced, although it allows us to discover, for example, a additional ways to move around the map. It works perfectly as a regular camera used for quickly sending images for analysis to the headquarters, though it's a little strange that a traditional digital camera was chosen rather than a regular smartphone.

Everything else remained generally unchanged, following the rule of "if it works, don't fix it." Pitman 3 is all about perfecting your operations using the concealment of crowds of NPCs, finding the way to your target using appropriate disguises. It's just a shame that the artificial intelligence hasn't really been improved since the first game, and it can still behave strangely – it's either over-powered, or too forgiving. The developers seem to have taken the criticism of a bald agent with a distinctive face disguising himself as anyone without raising any suspicion, and now, many of the side characters we can disguise as are somewhat similar to 47. A small detail, but it shows willingness to fine-tune the experience in meaningful ways.

RTX without RTX

Over the years, not only the gameplay formula has been perfected, but also the engine and graphics. It's not just about generating dense crowds of NPCs without any significant performance impact, even on older GPUs, but also about the new quality of reflections that appeared in Hitman 3. Interestingly, this was achieved without the use of ray-tracing and the need to buy new, super expensive RTX cards.

Reflections on the water inside a lavish skyscraper in Dubai or wet streets in the pouring rain in China look simply stunning. And then, all the different locations bring with them a different visual experience, such as Dartmoor, smothered in thick fog, and the Berlin club, where darkness is filled with flashing lights and smoke. It's a wonder that everything runs smoothly even on older PCs.

It's a bit of a shame that similar care was not exhibited in case of the game's soundtrack. It always seems to be in the background, which is especially noticeable here, as this game is much more cinematic at times. Sometimes, you wish that what you see on the screen would be accompanied by louder, more distinctive music – instead, we either get silence, or some garden-variety themes. It's a wasted opportunity, especially in the fantastic scene at the end of the mission in Argentina.

Casual vs pro Hitman

Since the third installment doesn't bring any revolutionary changes, we can also find familiar elements in side activities. As always, going through the game only once will only let you learn the storyline and the mini-scenario chosen for completing the quest. Each location, however, provides many more opportunities to complete missions and a huge number of different, small challenges that can only be completed on individual approaches. On top of that, there's occasional downloadable content with new targets to eliminate.

So, the biggest fans of Agent 47 will, as usual, find plenty of reasons to return to Hitman 3 even after dozens of hours. Completed for the story alone, the game won't take more than ten hours, especially since, by default, the game sometimes almost leads you by the hand, suggesting key locations on the map to go to and actions to undertake. Even if you only want to play the game once, it's worth turning off most of the HUD elements in the options to increase immersion and hence extend and enrich the playthrough.

You know a hitman by the way he ends

I'll admit that I'm a little envious of people who, for various reasons, waited or missed out on the previous two installments of Hitman and can now experience the full, complete package of all episodes in one go. They'll get a one-of-a-kind, mega adventure, and an opportunity to explore the entire storyline without lengthy intervals. And Hitman 3 will stand out in this package in virtually every aspect, from the design and atmosphere of the locations, to the small details and greater emphasis on the narrative. If any upcoming Agent 47 games are anything like this, there's definitely quite a bit to look forward to. Just as it has been for the past five years, as Hitman 3 is a worthy conclusion of a fantastic trilogy.