Hitman 3 - Review

Hitman 3 is IO Interactive’s conclusion to its World of Assassination trilogy that began in 2016’s Hitman reboot. While creating all-new missions with branching paths to knock off targets in as many ways as possible, it also manages to feel completely familiar for returning players. It’s probably the best video game example of the saying, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” that I can remember in recent years.

A quick catch-up on what the game is for newcomers: Hitman as a series from 2016 places Agent 47, the player character, in large sandbox environments with the task of assassinating a target in whatever way they wish. Instead of thinking of Hitman as an action or stealth game, I like to think of it more as becoming a chameleon that’s trying to solve an ever-morphing puzzle. While the game definitely encourages discretion in making the kill, it’s also completely open to the idea of Agent 47 going in guns blazing--but you’d be making things even harder for yourself to get in and out effectively.

Even for long-time fans, Hitman 3 kicks off in a much more exciting and dramatic way than its predecessors. The beginning of the first mission has Agent 47 leap from a plane, parachuting onto the world’s tallest building (in the game’s story) in Dubai, and sneakily infiltrating a high-society soirée. Adding to the excitement all throughout the game is its dynamic soundtrack, that effortlessly transitions between electronic sounds and orchestral climaxes. The musical accompaniment to the first moments of breaking into Dubai’s Sceptre tower had me grinning from ear to ear.

As mentioned earlier, Hitman 3 doesn’t make any changes to its formula, so those familiar with its 2016 and 2018 entries will feel right at home here. The menus, UI, and overall gameplay remains virtually identical--though saving and loading feels so much smoother and quicker thanks to the next-gen SSD storage of the Xbox Series X|S and PS5. Save scummers (like me) will have a much better time at trial & error testing situations, with the advent of faster saving and loading.

I mostly played the PS5 version, and was able to drink in all the fancy reflections, lighting, and smooth 60 FPS Hitman 3 offers thanks to next-gen power. Some of the stages feature dense crowds, complex lighting, and environment particles, with the PS5 handling all of this with ease. That said, due to playing a pre-launch version of the game, I did experience a couple of bugs: mostly just the odd set of environmental models not loading in, or NPC dialogue cutting through each other.

An interesting feature in Hitman 3 that’s exclusive to PlayStation, is VR compatibility. Within the PlayStation, Xbox, and PC platforms (though there is currently an issue of compatibility between Steam and Epic Store for now), it’s possible to import every mission from Hitman (2016) and Hitman 2--and in the case of PlayStation, the entire trilogy can now be played with PSVR. However, on PS5 you will need to download and use the PS4 version of the game, as VR is incompatible with the PS5 version.

Honestly, playing Hitman in VR is a really rough experience. Even with the PS4’s technical limitations in rendering NPC crowds and lighting effects, it’s great to have the option there for those willing to give it a shot. But in my 15 minute experience I don’t see myself going back. Unlike most other VR games that adopt a dip-to-black mode of movement to avoid motion sickness, Hitman 3 just makes you walk as normal which immediately messed with my head and made my stomach turn. Controlling Agent 47’s combat was also unintuitive, and the busted animations suggest this feature is still a bit undercooked. I hope over time this is a feature the developers will revisit and improve on, but right now it’s nothing more than a gimmick that’s not really worth seeing Agent 47 jankily trying to choke henchmen in first-person.

But playing the game normally, it looks and feels fantastic. Handling your arsenal and trying to pick up weapons is sometimes cumbersome, but stalking your target, choking them out, hiding their body, and walking away in their clothes feels badass every time you do it. An addition to Agent 47’s gadgetry is a camera that’s always available, which lets you scan some locks to open windows/doors and take photos. Some of the promotional material makes this feature seem like a big deal, but it’s really nothing life-changing; it’s literally just another way to open a path.

Hitman 3 comes with 6 new missions set in different parts of the world: Dubai, Dartmoor, Berlin, Chongqing, Mendoza, and the Carpathian Mountains. Each region feels completely different from the other, and has its own quirks and characteristics. For example, Dartmoor is a drab countryside mansion surrounded by marshes and overcast weather; whereas Mendoza is a colourful vineyard, wine centre and villa. While each look and feel different to move around in, there’s still an easily recognisable design language that carries through the game: cabinets and chests for hiding bodies; specific areas that are either friendly or restricted depending on the disguise you’re wearing; what rooms are likely to have certain items over others; etc.

The last mission, however, is definitely the weakest in terms of scope and playability compared to the rest of the game. Without getting into spoilers, I’ll just say that while the first five missions allow the freedom to explore every corner and unravel as much of its hidden narrative threads as possible, the last one just ends up being a literal straight path to the finish that works as more of a shooting gallery compared to the endless choices previously presented. Hitman 3 is all about wrapping up the wider narrative spun throughout its entire trilogy, which is understandable, but ending with a straight-shot the finish is an anti-climactic choice that offers a little replayability and slows the excitement down, somewhat.

But that said, I still had a great time with the rest of the game, and the ability to load up every mission (including DLC) from the previous entries to the series sweetens the deal so much more. What IOI has done with this Hitman trilogy, by creating an enormous series of clockwork puzzles full of moving targets, intricate plot threads, and a stealthy toybox of assassination, is a feat of masterful game design and player interaction. Long-time fans will have much to play with and discover, and now is the best time for newcomers to get right into the World of Assassination.

The Score

9.0

Review code provided by IO Interactive

The Pros

+The slickest and most refined entry to the Hitman series yet.

+So much to discover and play with in every mission, time and time again.

+The ability to bring three games’ worth of content into one package, if you own them all on one platform.

The Cons

-The last mission feels a few steps behind the rest of the game.

-PC players can’t import Hitman/Hitman 2 content between Steam and Epic for the foreseeable future.

-PSVR support is a cool addition, but not quite up to standard.