As a big fan of stealth games, it’s a little saddening that I’ve not invested a lot of time into arguably one of the biggest franchises the genre has to offer. It’s a series I’ve always been meaning to spend more time with, but for one reason or another, I haven’t. Absolution was supposed to be my grand re-introduction—I even ordered it early online to ensure I wouldn’t skip it. However, with all the fan controversy at launch, I felt discouraged to play it and let it slip away into my pile of shame. That’s not to say I’ve never played a Hitman game, though. I can’t tell you how many hours I spent with the Hitman 2 demo before I actually bought it many years later. It was one of my favourite games on PS2, and so, this time, I’m determined to play the new iteration, controversy or not—of which there is an abundance, make no mistake.
It’s not often I’ll take the time to play something still in beta or early access. I’d typically prefer to wait and play the full experience. The reason I did this time, however, is the same reason I think HITMAN could work as an episodic series–despite how late in development this decision was made. I cherish the time I spent with the Silent Assassin demo; arguably more than the game itself. You see, I typically don’t enjoy replaying games, so, more often than not, I’ll blitz through without ever looking back. I’m generally okay with this, too; although there is the odd exception. That said, looking back at how I played that demo, I wanted to re-experience that desire to experiment with different strategies without ever being concerned about powering through to the end. This beta was the perfect chance to test that out.
Just to get some disclosure out of the way first, I played the Beta on PS4, and the code was provided to me by the publisher. In terms of what was being offered, there was some basic story exposition to set the game up that included your typical espionage origins stuff—one part James Bond, one part Jason Bourne—which was fine, though not overly compelling. It also included a tutorial mission set in Syndey and a full-fledged training mission set on a Russian military base. This is essentially the introduction to the game itself, so there are no spoilers to be concerned about; although I must admit I was immediately hit with a wave of nostalgia, just as I anticipated. I spent an entire Sunday afternoon with the Beta, replaying the two missions on offer, and trying to complete the various challenges available.
From what I understand, Absolution took more of a narrative-driven approach, but this resulted in shallower gameplay options, and fans were not happy about the compromise. For those who have a long history with the series, I think you’ll be happy—this iteration plays a lot like an evolution of classic Hitman. I can’t say the narrative grabbed me at all, but from my experience with the Beta, the missions do appear to provide you with legitimate options to take out your target. Not just one clear pathway with a few extras tacked on for replay value. In the Sydney mission, you start out on the docks in front of the ship your target is located on. Do you knock out an engineer and enter through the hold, take out a police offer and walk straight on, or, if you’re extra clever, impersonate someone the target is expecting to meet?
As I stepped into each mission, I felt as if I was entering a sandbox full of possibilities. From playing through the Beta several times, I found many ways for the to achieve my objectives; several which the designers likely intended, and others I know they definitely didn’t. What makes this iteration of Hitman work so well is you can manually save your progress at any time as long as you’re in a neutral status and not being hunted. Naturally, this means you don’t have to replay a whole mission if you fail (which is fantastic!), but also that you have breathing room to experiment with different strategies or simply fool around and see what you can get away with. HITMAN can certainly be challenging at times, as any stealth game should be, but it also doesn’t take itself so seriously that it impacts your ability to have fun.
Fundamentally speaking, I don’t think HITMAN is the most sophisticated stealth game out there. It’s very much aware it’s a video game, and it acts like one. I mean this in a good way, too. Take Agent 47’s “Instinct Mode,” for example. When you hold down the button to activate it, the colour becomes saturated, all the people are outlined, and it allows you to quickly spot where your target is. If you then knock someone out and swap your costume, it will also show you who to avoid (people represented with white dots above their heads). If you happen to step into their field of view, an indicator on-screen will show you how close you are to raising suspicion. It’s all crystal clear, unlike earlier iterations, so you’ll generally feel empowered to think creatively and move around, without the game randomly blowing your cover.
After you’ve completed a mission, various challenges pertaining to each are unlocked. Typically, these are the sort of activities I usually skip over, but due to the sandbox nature of the levels, and how much I enjoyed their structure, I felt compelled to get more out of what was available. These challenges also help to outline the various pathways available, as well as some of the fun things the game allows you to do—opening you to new ways of thinking for the missions ahead. It certainly feels as if each location won’t just be a rehash of the last, which further encourages my belief that the episodic model could actually work. Honestly, right now, my only concern is that the performance on the PS4 is up and down due to an unlocked frame-rate. Hopefully, it will be fixed by launch, though I’ll still likely be playing it on PC.
What I respect most about this new iteration of Hitman is that it’s not ashamed of being a video game. It’s not exactly the most sophisticated stealth experience out there, but it certainly appears to have a solid foundation as well as the potential to be one of the most enjoyable. It’s a fantastic sandbox full of possibilities, and like the Silent Assassin demo many years ago, I felt compelled to keep playing and push its boundaries to see what I could get away with. I’m well aware episodic delivery is an afterthought, but I also strongly believe, based on the fundamental nature of the series, that it has the potential to be successful. If each location can feel unique, and the developers take the time to listen to fans and implement feedback over time, an episodic Hitman could be the best thing to ever happen to the franchise.
