Still smarting from the fan reaction to his last game, Agent 47 hits PS4 on 11 March for the first episode of his new, six-part outing. We infiltrate Square Enix to test an early build and uncover 47 reasons why Hitman is one for your crosshairs
For the world’s best assassin, Agent 47 sure has made a meal of arriving on PS4. OI’ barcode bonce missed his appointment in December. Then, after confounding targets with a release and DLC structure so complex it had to be explained over a number of dossiers, Square Enix shredded its original plans and instead turned Hitman fully episodic.
Forget the trainwrecks starring Timothy Olyphant and Rupert Friend; if this route to current-gen had been developed for the silver screen, it’d have been named Assassin Squad! and starred the late, great Leslie Nielsen as a slapstick killer who bungled every job.
Luckily, that’s where Agent 47’s facepalms finish, as we discover during our extensive playtest of the first episode…
01 The episodic structure eases you in at a low price
Hitman’s Intro pack, comprising prologue tutorials and the large Paris Showstopper mission, will set you back just £11.99 – with future environments set in Sapienza, Marrakesh, Thailand, America and Japan coming in at £7.99 apiece if you don’t plump for their discounted ‘Upgrade Pack’. The Intro’s a cheap, sizeable introduction with a Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes-style sandbox that’ll help you decide if you want to take the full plunge.
02 The tutorial starts off amazing…
Chronicling a young Agent 47’s ICA tryout period 20 years in the past, Hitman’s inspired training missions take place in a decommissioned missile silo where painted drapes hang from the walls and shaky plywood sets have been erected to recreate mission scenarios. The first one’s on board a cruise ship, complete with a crude MDF helicopter on the top deck.
03 …Then gets even better…
After a second pass at the cruise ship hit – this time taking a different approach – 47’s final training mission doubles as an ‘entrance exam’. In it, 47 must recreate a past ICA contract and take out a chess-prodigy-cum-Soviet-spy on a fake airbase. It’s all very meta.
04 …And is completely non-linear
All these sets are flooded with actors (your gun’s loaded with blanks, natch) and series-long handler Diana starts off by guiding you forward. However, you can totally ignore her if you want – it’s possible to complete each scenario in multiple ways.
05 Every level is packed
A tutorial and single mission doesn’t sound like much for the Intro pack, but it’ll take hours upon hours to 100% the Showstopper level and complete all of its set challenges – that’s done by fulfilling certain criteria while offing its two targets in every creative way possible.
06 Replays are varied
As you tick off challenges, you’ll unlock more gear with which to get murdery. And it’s immediately clear that the game will play out differently depending on your starting kit. We spy potential hits by the dozen-load if only we had, say, a remote mine or a vial of poison in certain circumstances. Expect to experiment with loadouts over and over again.
07 Contracts mode is back
Once you’ve 100%ed the Paris Showstopper mission, there’s the small matter of Contracts mode. Returning from Absolution, it lets you create and share your own hits on any AI in the level, with customisable criteria to put others’ through the proverbial wringer. IO will be making its own, of course, to keep you busy…
08 Contracts can now escalate, too
Escalating Contracts is a mode in which the stakes are upped across five rounds. First, you might have to off a chef. Next, you may need to do so while dressed as a waiter, plus make it look like an accident. Layers get progressively trickier, testing your skill.
09 Elusive targets always offer fresh, even temporary, thrills
Actually, about that ‘100%ing a level’ thing. You can’t. Sure, it’s possible to tick off every challenge, but like Destiny’s ever-changing events, IO is going to push targets into your game on a weekly basis. You’ll be shown a picture of your new target and told to go find and execute them. You’ve one shot at it – mess it up and they’ll be gone from your game. Forever. Expect leaderboard glory for those who succeed in taking the target down.
10 Absolution’s refined controls are coming back
Contracts wasn’t the only thing Absolution got right – the control scheme, which fixed the age-old shaky Hitman inputs by introducing clearly demarked button prompts to grab objects or perform actions such as garrotting, was also superb. And those controls are returning. There are dozens of ways to botch your stealth run in Hitman, but being let down by dodgy buttons isn’t one of them.
11 Opportunities can steer you on…
Eavesdrop on certain NPC conversations and Agent 47 will unlock an ‘Opportunity’. Choosing to then track it via a pop-up menu will give you a checklist of actions on your HUD that, if followed, will steer you towards a signature kill. For instance, listening to guards talk during our tutorial exam opens up the ‘Safety First’ Opportunity, which tells us we’re able to dress up as a mechanic and run through an extraction plan with our target. A spot of tinkering with a jet’s ejector seat mechanism later and… Oops! Our victim’s catapulted through the roof and out of the training facility. We, meanwhile, explode with laughter.
12 …But purists can turn them off
Want to use nothing but your smarts? We like your style. Hitman veterans can turn both Opportunities and the returning Instincts view off. You’ll still be able to perform all of the same actions if you work things out. Disabling Opportunities simply switches off the HUD markers that highlight items and give you hints on how to use them to your advantage.
13 Eavesdropping on NPCs is still frequently brilliant
Of course, you shouldn’t be listening in on NPC dialogue just for clues. As is always the case in Hitman games, incidental chatter is frequently chuckle-worthy. The Showstopper mission asks you to put a halt to a spy ring auction in which the identities of undercover MI6 agents are being sold – but spying on the clueless security outside of the trusted circle uncovers rumours that the meeting’s actually a vampire coven.
14 AI reactions are just hilarious
Sometimes, incoming pain elicits the best reactions from Hitman’s NPCs. At one point, we stroll directly towards a caterer having a cigarette and crack him square in the face with a garden spade. His reaction just before we strike? A sad, resigned: “Oh no.” Actual tears of laughter immediately follow.
15 The kill animations are brutal…
It’s worryingly easy to rip up a perfect stealth run just because you’ve found a new weapon and want to see it in action. Going psycho on the bad guys with a newly uncovered letter opener or pair of scissors is – somewhat troublingly – bloody incredible.
16 …And get even more brutal
Seriously – in four hours, we manage just one successful level completion (our first run, ironically) because of the lure of new pieces of kit in subsequent playthroughs. Do we really risk alarms and smash display cabinets in a museum wing, just to pick up a sabre? Yes, we do. But it’s nothing compared with the time we find a battle axe and embark on a skull-splitting spree.
17 It’s really tough…
At its core, Hitman is a puzzle game. And it’s a tough puzzle game. That one silent assassin success in four hours? It was partly down to constant distractions, but it was also down to the game just being tricky. Mastering it will take time.
18 …But fair
Like a drunk reveller who’s stumbled into a club’s VIP section, stepping foot where you shouldn’t will no longer see you automatically peppered with lead thanks to the new escorting system. If you’re caught trespassing but don’t pose an obvious threat, you’ll be told to stop and follow security. Do so and they’ll march you outside of the restricted area, enabling you to plan a different approach.
19 Agent 47’s got an excellent arm
Holding an object? Aiming with L2 and then squeezing R2 over a highlighted NPC regularly brings guffaws. Tossing a wrench straight into somebody’s nose is a guaranteed knock-out, letting you nab their outfit and stuff their body in a box. Armed with a knife or a hatchet? Good news: those bad boys will stick for a longrange execution.
20 It’s made for PS4’s Share button
Suffice to say, we envisage endless hours of fun to be had from setting up elaborate takedowns and sharing screens of the results. Prepare for your social media feeds to be filled with amazing things people have done.
21 Unexpected fallout always thrills
Remember Mr “Oh no!”? Our carefully executed, uh, execution goes awry when the force of the caterer’s body rebounds off his van, unexpectedly triggering its car alarm. Dealing with these unforeseeable banana skins while trying to keep your cool is Hitman at its best. Thank goodness for the ability to hit Share and record our Houdini-like getaway…
22 It’s the best-looking Hitman yet
Of course, as the first PS4 entry, it was always going to look better than Absolution on PS3, but we weren’t prepared for the levels of detail on show. Whether it’s reading ‘Vin de Bourgueil’ on wine label bottles or marvelling at the vast, ornate painted ceilings and tapestries in Paris, Hitman’s a visual knockout.
23 Studying your surroundings will always bring wry smiles
IO makes great use of the fidelity by adding in clever nods and comedic flourishes wherever it can. Between the ‘Ratapewie’ poison, the ‘PRK’ (say it out loud) entertainment reporters and the Mini Ninja Sushi company, Hitman rewards those who pay attention.
24 Expect comedy moments…
Locate fashion icon Helmut Kruger in Paris and you’ll notice he’s quite the Agent 47 doppelganger. Steal his outfit, get some make-up and our beloved assassin can partake in his own Derek Zoolander scene and strut his stuff on a catwalk. All, er, in the name of getting near to a target, of course.
25 …And comedy costumes
Move over Blood Money’s bird suit: tucked away in a dusty corner of the Paris mansion, we stumble onto (and promptly into) a vampire magician costume. Playing silly dress-up remains a huge part of the series.
26 The disguise system has been revamped and improved
One of Absolution’s biggest failings was its butchered disguise system, in which anybody wearing the same outfit as you was immediately suspicious of your costume. That’s no longer the case. Don, say, a waiter’s outfit and the rest of the crew will happily ignore you, but the head waiter – who knows all of his or her staff – will see through your ruse. These enforcer-type NPC threats are marked with a dot above their heads, so you’ll know whose gaze to avoid when slipping on some new togs.
27 David Bateson is exceptional
A new voice recording system saw IO strapping a mic to the famed leading man, who then strolled around while saying 47’s lines in order to get a more natural performance. Once again, Bateson’s brought his A-game.
28 The shooting is solid
If you play Hitman like a shooter, you’re playing it wrong. But if you really do insist, then the shooting and cover systems are nice and robust. Good luck fending off the dozens of armed guards who’ll zero in on your location, though.
29 The environments are gigantic
IO has previously boasted about environments six-times bigger than any Hitman sandbox before. The Paris mansion is absolutely massive, and with entire load-free towns coming as later environments, it’s hard to dispute the developer’s claim.
30 The levels are also ridiculously dense…
Strolling through the expansive Paris environment, we keep noticing interactive features: kitchen stoves ripe for booby-trapping, sinks to be flooded, gas heaters begging to be overloaded, speakers screaming out to have their wallmounts snapped. There’s so much to play with that the potential for Contracts mirth is almost incalculable.
31 …And bustling with people
The series has always liked its crowd scenes, but with hundreds of NPCs all packed into a single level, Hitman takes this up a notch or three. Did somebody say proximity mine?
32 Unlocking doors is fun
Bear with us here, we’re not nuts. Carrying a lockpick? Scooped up a crowbar? Pocketed a skeleton key? Depending on your gear, you can silently pick open, loudly smash open or instantly unlock a door, selecting your method of choice via a simple and elegant dialogue wheel-esque pop-up prompt. Neat and smart.
33 Poison is the new go-to option
Hover by a pot of stew or a glass of champers and a poison button prompt hangs over the item. But wait, what’s this? Another pop-up wheel, this time offering Lethal, Sedative and Emetic options will appear, letting you choose whether to kill or KO your target on the spot, or make them go empty their guts in the toilet. That final option? It’ll mean you can follow your victim and then jam their head deep into Armitage Shanks’ crusty maw until they drown in their own vomit. Nice.
34 Weapon frisking adds strategy
Even if you’ve secured an invitation to secret areas, guards will pat down guests. Sneaking kit past them is a puzzle all on its own. Protip: leave a gun or mine lying on the floor and security will pick it up and carry it past checkpoints to a guard room.
35 Trolling AI is fun…
Some NPCs are there to be annoyed. Newscaster recording a TV segment? Walk between her and the camera to annoy her. Twice. Fashion diva hates motorised dioramas? Keep feeding coins into the mechanism for laughs.
36 …As is testing the boundaries…
Part of Hitman’s charm comes from seeing what stunts you can get away with. Miraculously, we manage to toss a crowbar over a guard’s head, step up to be frisked and then collect the weapon again behind his back. Broken? Nah – rooting out these small exploits is all part of the experience.
37 …And getting away with it
At one point in our playtest, a security agent rounds a corner when we least expect it. We suspect the lead pipe in our hand might blow our cover, so we drop it and stand as still as a statue in a scene worthy of a Marx Brothers comedy sketch. Somehow, we aren’t rumbled. Don’t you love it when you pull a fast one?
38 Signature kills are glorious
If you do manage to earn yourself a signature execution, you’ll be well rewarded with an opportunity to sit back and watch your handiwork unfold via lovingly crafted custom kill cams. Bask in those despicable acts.
39 Morality’s on your side. Kinda
One little-appreciated fact about Hitman is that while killing is morally questionable, Agent 47 is ridding the world of total scumbags. The first two targets introduced in the Showstopper mission – fashion celebrities and IAGO spy ring leaders Viktor Novikov and Dahlia Margolis – are no exceptions. Handy ammunition in case a spouse or family member starts tutting at your ‘disgraceful’ actions…
40 Hitman respects its past…
An in-game trailer showcases some of Agent 47’s best hits from older games, including Hitman 2’s St Petersburg Stakeout and Tracking Hayamoto, and Blood Money’s A Vintage Year and A New Life. We applaud the fan service.
41 …But isn’t a slave to it
Despite offering up an ICA origin story, there’s no sign of Hitman going down the overwrought plot route à la Absolution. From what we’ve played so far, Agent 47 isn’t out to rescue anyone in a needlessly sappy ‘personal’ tale. He’s an assassin for hire, just as he should be.
42 It’s best on PS4
Us PS4 players will get six exclusive missions, known as The Sarajevo Six. Featuring one contract per location, the side-story contains kill orders for former members of the CICADA paramilitary unit.
43 The entire package is slick
Sleek menus… Smooth, seamless transitions from cutscenes to gameplay… Finally, we have a game that feels as professional as its protagonist.
44 You can play it now
Or incredibly soon, at least, depending on when you read this. Pre-ordering gets you Beta access, letting you tinker with the game’s prologue from 12 February. Why wait until March?
45 Expect Easter eggs aplenty
IO loves packing its games with Easter eggs. Past Hitmans have featured poker-playing rats, killer ice cream trucks, ghosts and nuclear explosions. We can’t even begin to imagine what IO’s hidden deep within this entry.
46 Things will keep improving…
The switch to an episodic format doesn’t just give players a chance to dip in and dip out – it gives IO the opportunity to take feedback on board. The developer can and will make adjustments to future episodes as a response to any negative reactions.
47 …But will still start off fantastic
Going fully episodic means Square Enix is running the risk of people buying the first episode, not liking it and never returning – that’s a lot of cash down the drain compared with the game’s original $34.99 Intro pack, which contained the first three locations. So while IO is able to improve the game as time goes on, when you really think about it, neither publisher nor developer can afford to do anything less than start off on a high and aim to keep you coming back for more. The episodic business model only works if the episodes are good – great news for us gamers.