Hitman 3 is both continuation and conclusion. As the five-year narrative of Agent 47's cheeky, violent death spree comes to a close, IO Interactive proves they are masters of the craft and ready to take on what lies ahead.
Agent 47’s five-year revitalization has come to a head.
One of gaming’s apex predators has appeared in some form or another for nearly 20 years. Bald and barcoded, Agent 47 has crafted dastardly assassinations, “accidental” deaths, and painterly murders.
The Hitman series has provided players with levels both intimate and expansive to conduct puzzle-like assassinations. IO Interactive has managed to turn its star into a globetrotting renaissance man who can comically and calculatingly wipe out target and civilian alike.
Like many, I was unsure how the 2016 Hitman reboot would reconcile an episodic release structure and keep players engaged. Weren’t episodes meant for games trying to tell a story across a drawn-out period? Instead, the delays in content allowed for the opportunity to soak up each map, crawling for details and new ways to conduct a brazen kill that would make headlines.
Hitman 3 continues the formula laid out in 2000 while maintaining the structure of the “World of Assassination” arc from Hitman 2016 and Hitman 2. IO Interactive is not wiping the slate clean, opting to refine and sharpen the Hitman mechanics to a deadly, precise edge.
Unfamiliar with the World of Assassination concept? That’s okay. One of Hitman 3‘s most prominent flaws is that its overarching story won’t dazzle most players who aren’t invested to at least some degree. Know that Agent 47 and his handler Diana Burnwood have slowly been chipping away at the infrastructure of Providence, a shadowy organization much like the Illuminati who pulls the strings in many world events. 47, Diana, and former adversary Lucas Grey begin the events of Hitman 3 on a mission to eliminate the remaining heads of Providence.
From there, Hitman 3 takes players across the globe for the umpteenth time to strategically kill another roster of elusive figures. The groundwork IO Interactive has laid through these three Hitman games is admirable. It’s a narrative that feels justified but not completely necessary, merely an ends to a mean. Players who relish over conspiracy theory games and powerful individuals exerting influence will already be wrapped up in Hitman 3 and be overjoyed at events finally reaching a satisfying conclusion. Those who have missed out or only half paid attention won’t regret the choice and may perhaps choose to continue to ignore the stylish cutscenes and important dialog in the game.
What’s more interesting is the storytelling at play during missions. This isn’t necessarily the exposition detailing why a target is subject to 47’s death-dealing whims. Instead, it’s conversations between NPCs, the largely detailed environments speaking tomes of history, or an interjection from Diana about how it might be interesting to kill a woman while taking her picture.
Hitman 3, like its brethren, is a sandbox puzzle game. A sandbox littered with objects and people of interest. Puzzles that require stealth and loss of life to solve. The fluid genre created by IO Interactive can only be explained and understood when entering into one of its gorgeously crafted levels full of details that may not be noticed until the third or fourth visit.
Take, for example, the first of Hitman 3‘s missions. Agent 47 parachutes onto the world’s tallest building–the Scepter–in Dubai, tasked with killing two heads of Providence. Flooded in opulent gold tones, the Scepter is floor after floor of believable, fascinating detail. Art installations, rooftops, bars, construction zones, gardens, and more hold potential entry into killing 47’s targets. Players can casually walk around several sections of the Scepter to take in the scenery and eavesdrop on conversations had by NPCs. Possibilities of a family reunion, an exploding golf ball, or something as simple as a poisoning or gunshot can all be extracted. It’s just a matter of figuring out the time and place. 47 can be disguised as any number of people to gain entry into otherwise forbidden areas. Linger too long as a guard or mechanic, however, and another may become alerted, recognizing that this severe looking bald man might not be a familiar coworker.
Dartmoor Manor, the game’s second area, is a tightly confined section where players must eliminate a matriarch while obtaining hidden documents. In traditional Hitman cloak-and-dagger form, players can sneak around the map and disguise themselves as any number of staff. But they can also knock out a private investigator minutes into the mission. This investigator has been summoned to solve a murder in the mansion and players can disguise 47 and conduct their own murder mystery. Going down this path allows players to access nearly every location in the map unimpeded, trying to discover clues to unearth the murderer.
New to Hitman 3 is the ability for players to unlock shortcuts and use a camera to further interact with the world. Players may find a crowbar and loosen a ladder to provide easy access for a future playthrough or unlock a door that won’t need to be lockpicked in the future. Dressed as the private investigator, I took Agent 47 across Dartmoor to ensure I saw everything I could and use that knowledge for later challenges.
IO Interactive’s success is in making full use of the playable space. An initial journey into a Hitman 3 level may take about an hour for players who are pacing themselves more seriously. Recent speedruns have shown the other end of the spectrum, where contracts can die in seconds. Players may be able to rush to each target but the true joy is in tackling Hitman 3‘s additional challenges. These challenges ask players to kill targets in specific, more elaborate ways, visit every space in a map, obtain every disguise, or do everything without killing anyone and wearing 47’s signature suit. Ranging from simple to complex to outright difficult, these challenges extend the lifespan of Hitman 3 to a stellar degree.
Regardless of how inventive IO Interactive can be, keep in mind that Hitman 3 does not stray from the formula. Stealth, shooting, and everything in between remains nearly identical to the previous two entries. Anyone not sold on the game before likely won’t have a change of heart just because a “3” is attached to the title. Longtime fans may also lament that the six maps can have a limited scope in terms of story opportunities outside the main path. Walking around, players may hear a conversation going on that opens up a mission story that provides more depth into the narrative and provides another exciting way to kill someone that will make you laugh, cringe, or both. Regardless, there could be more mission stories and Hitman 3 could use a couple more maps to really give the overall package some bulk.
On PlayStation 5, Hitman 3 is an exceptional looking game. The neon, rainy streets of Chongqing reflect beautifully while the densely-packed nightclub in Berlin never stutters. The idyllic vineyards of Mendoza, Argentina make for great fun when visiting the grape press. But Hitman 3 is at its best in how it makes for a cohesive Hitman experience. Players who have purchased the previous two games will have their progression tied into Hitman 3, meaning that unlocks and mastery levels can be taken full advantage of when depositing and using items at the start of a mission. Better yet, the levels of previous games take advantage of the improved tech of the third entry. I loved how the menus flowed together, allowing players to pick and choose any point of Agent 47’s timeline and drop right in.
Hitman 3 is about the highest bar IO Interactive could set with the franchise. This is a universe the developer has lovingly crafted over the years and a perfect opportunity to let Agent 47 rest awhile. Hitman‘s laughable dark humor is here in spades, as the community devises weird challenges for each other that were never part of IO Interactive’s original plan. There are flaws–one’s that haven’t changed since 2016–but they are merely quirks that fans have embraced and come to terms with. As Escalations, Contracts, and new content trickles out over the months to come, Hitman 3 will continue to delight in its murderous, unique intent. Though 47 will eventually be traded for 007, it would be foolish to not recognize IO Interactive as an accomplished developer, responsible for an incredible game.
