As 2021 begins, we have the glorious return of one of the best franchises of the last 5 years or so. Unfortunately, Hitman 3 is also the end of this great trilogy, but the end is as strong as the beginning.
I've never cared about the plot of the latest Hitman games, but Hitman 3 is the most story-driven of them all. Other than the final level, you can probably skip the cutscenes and get through the game without interruption if you don't like the story. However, I highly recommend giving it a chance if you usually skip them.
Hitman 3 puts us in the shoes of Agent 47, who, along with Lucas Gray, is on his most dramatic and intense mission to date: take down Providence, the Illuminati-esque shadow organization that turned 47 into the monster he is. Now it's not about fulfilling contracts, but about a personal desire to destroy the group that deprived the 47th of humanity. In a way, it looks like IO Interactive is trying to play with some of the themes they introduced in Absolution.
This story gets under 47's skin and develops him as a character rather than a vehicle for creative assassination. One of my favorite moments in the game can be skipped. There is an optional penetration point that you get for clearing one of the levels, and it launches you onto a walking path with an umbrella. The woman next to you asks you if you've seen the girl she's supposed to meet and starts wondering if she's been set up. 47 offers advice and comforts her a little. It's incredibly small, but it's such a wonderful touch that made me really appreciate Agent 47 as a character.
There is a price to pay for removing layers from both him and his curator Diana. The history of Hitman 3 is, as expected, rather short. A huge amount of hours that you can spend on the game are in the actual gameplay, so the moments that significantly move the narrative forward are rather short. The problem is not so much with this, but with the fact that a short story creates a weak pace. Every time a conflict arises, it seems to be quickly resolved. You also won't be able to spend as much time with some characters as you would like.
There isn't much time in Hitman 3's story to really feel the heaviness of some of the dramatic moments. It moves at a very fast pace and ends as quickly as it starts. Of course, as I said before, most people are here for the moment, so it may not seem like much to others.
In this Hitman trilogy, the gameplay in all games was the same, inspired by the beloved Hitman: Blood Money. IO chooses more to improve than to completely develop and change the gameplay, and this is normal, because it is already almost perfect. However, the story allows for several levels that shake up the formula in more interesting ways, to the point of putting 47 on its hind leg. It's a nice change of pace, but also highlights some of the AI's shortcomings.
While IO has been bragging about some AI improvements leading up to release, it's hard to tell what changes they've made. Targets still move on very strict trajectories, and while this is to be expected, since certain methods require some predictability to execute, they feel a little too rail-bound. I also had several instances where my cover was blown, resulting in gunfights. Shooting was not the strongest point of the trilogy, but it is quite serviceable, with the exception of the AI. They sometimes move in strange ways, don't attack you at all, and more.
They are not as good at attacking play as they are at just going around doing scenario actions. When you bring them out of a trance, they seem to have a hard time adjusting. However, unless you blow your own cover, there's not much reason to go into combat with an AI like that. The levels are almost mind-bogglingly massive and there are so many ways to complete your task. You can find a sniper's nest or drop a bag of bricks on someone's head. If someone catches you in the middle of a crime, you can throw a bag of sugar on their head, which will cause a certain amount of brain damage. You can even manipulate the situation so that someone else will kill your target for you.
There were times when I felt like I was driving myself deeper and deeper into a corner that I knew would be difficult to get out of. It's a game about improvisation and adaptation as much as it's about planning. It's an incredibly reactive game, and that's what makes it so fun and replayable.
In one of the tasks, you go to a huge estate, one of the inhabitants of which, apparently, committed suicide. The family suspects foul play and turns to a well-known detective to investigate what happened. Optionally, you can disguise yourself as a detective and act out your own sinister version of the Knives Out movie. You have to find a lot of evidence, interrogate witnesses and put together all the details. I won't spoil it, but there are plenty of ways to use this to your advantage to kill your target. It's incredibly exciting and creates a much richer, more memorable experience than just disguising yourself as a therapist and smothering someone with a pillow. That's great too, but it shows that IO is able to continue to develop its formula in a way that is consistently interesting and fun.
In addition, there are several elements that improve these levels. In Hitman 3, there are up to 300 NPCs in one location at the same time. The levels are densely packed and you can feel claustrophobic as you make your way past drunken party goers. The game even lets you use those large crowds to blend in with the crowd. This creates not only a challenge, but also an organic tool to use to your advantage if you are being harassed.
I reviewed the game on Xbox Series X, where it got even more benefits. The visual component is great: incredible detail, lighting and smooth 60 FPS. There is a level with quite a noticeable downpour and you can see all the individual raindrops on 47, creating little rivers on his bald head. To add even more aesthetics, there are all those incredible neon lights accurately reflecting off the puddles. It's just amazing.
After completing the main game, there is a lot of other content waiting for you. You can replay Hitman 1 + 2 (purchased separately) using all the new weapons, tools and upgrades introduced in 3. There are also a number of side missions, such as sniper kills, and escalation missions that present you with new challenges. There is absolutely no downside to replayability. From the story to the levels to the sheer content, Hitman 3 is one of the best value games to date.
Verdict
Hitman 3 is without a doubt the pinnacle of the trilogy in terms of storytelling and level design, with no shortage of quality and brilliance. While the game can be completed effortlessly, there's absolutely no reason why you couldn't invest dozens of hours into it once you've beaten it. There is so much content here and almost none of it is lacking.
While Hitman 3 is the conclusion to the trilogy, it's clear that IO will be back for part 47 after they play the 007 sandbox for a bit. It's not so much the end of Hitman as this iteration of 47, and I'll be looking forward to its return.
