HITMAN™ Review-In-Progress

This is a very long article. If you want a tl;dr: the business model sucks, but the game is incredibly fun. Buy at your own discretion.

UPDATE 4/28/16: The second mission has been released, and has been added to the review. Scroll to the bottom if you'd like to read that.

Ah, Hitman. A classic series, and a well-respected one at that. Remember "Blood Money"? I remember "Blood Money". That was possibly one of the best stealth games of all time. And how the Hitman franchise has fallen! "Hitman: Absolution" was seen by many as a piece of hot garbage. It doesn't end there, though! Square Enix announced that the latest title would be released... episodically? Feel free to groan.

Episodic release schedules have long been the realm of a particular kind of story-driven game, ones where each chapter felt like an episode of a TV show. Ones where the developers could drop in a cliffhanger so you'd HAVE to buy the next one! And if the story takes a turn you don't like? Well, just DON'T buy the next one. "HITMAN" is not this kind of game. The Hitman franchise is known to be much more mechanically-focused, giving players the opportunity to carry out the missions in creative ways. While there is a story, it's usually not the centerpiece. A large (or at least very vocal) group of gamers has been understandably upset since the day this model was announced.

Skip to today; the first episode is out. I'm going to try and look at this as a review-in-progress; while I strongly disagree with the business model, I will review only what the game has to offer right now. Future updates will come as episodes are released.

Visually-speaking, "HITMAN" is a good-looking game. The snowy mountain range it opens on is gorgeous, but the textures throughout the game are a bit lower-resolution than we've come to expect from AAA these days. Still, it manages to impress well enough. The lighting is soft and even beautiful at times. But I'm not here for the pretty graphics; the gameplay is what we all want to know about.

One more thing to note: the game is always-online for DRM purposes. It is also a singleplayer-only game. This is a mistake. This is bad game design. This should not go unmentioned. Moving on...

"HITMAN" is, for all intents and purposes, a Hitman game. You're a hitman. You have a target. You use disguises and clever tactics to sneak past guards, hit your mark, and leave the scene without a trace. "HITMAN" succeeds in all of these aspects. The game gives you a good number of opportunities to try levels over again for different results and strategies. It doesn't run perfectly, but it runs better than many other AAA games these days. It hasn't crashed, and I haven't hit any game-breaking bugs. Audio does occasionally drop out, though. There are also frame-drops during some autosaves.

UPDATE 3/15/2016: I've been experiencing server failures. As mentioned above, this game is online-only. Your only option is to stop playing until you can reconnect. Once again, online-only is a terrible design decision and should never be utilized in a singleplayer game.

I have to admit that, by the end of the tutorial, I've been having fun with this game. There's an interesting overall story, which I'll touch on in the mission review segments. Gone are the linear levels and checkpoints of "Absolution", hopefully for good. I'm happy to say that "HITMAN" is a sandbox once again.

If you want a taste of the individual missions, that's down the page. If you just want to know now whether I think this game is worth buying, well, the short answer is that I do... to an extent. Again, I am strongly opposed to the business model here; I absolutely do not believe Square Enix should have made that decision, and it definitely affects my overall opinion of the game. It's not a BAD game, though. The mechanics and mission structure and map layouts - they're all exactly what I wanted from a Hitman game. I'm having a good time! I actually spent the time to complete every single challenge in the open training section, and the first *real* mission? It plays like something straight out of "Blood Money". I actually am loving this game right now. If you disagree with the business model like I do, you should wait for the full release. If you want a quick bite of Hitman right now? $15 will get you a small but satisfying chunk.

UPDATE 3/15/2016: There is one non-story feature I failed to mention in this review, given the sort of unfriendly menu interface. There's a contract system in which players can enter a level and mark targets, give specific goals related to those targets, and share them online for other players to attempt. This is a really amazing detail that I can't believe I missed out on during my initial review!

Just a reminder, though; Square Enix? I really wish this was a full game. I want to move on through the missions, and I know that once I've completed what's here I won't be able to progress until the next episode comes out. This is where the business model fails, and I sincerely hope that no AAA developer makes this mistake in the future. I wish I could say you should hold off buying, just to show Square Enix the error of their ways... But it really is fun.

Now, on to the fun part. A Hitman game lives and dies based on the structure and quality level of its missions. For the rest of this review, and reviews of future episodes, I'll be focusing on the missions that are currently available. Naturally, THERE WILL BE SPOILERS.

(This review will be updated for each release; we'll share the article again every time this happens.)

TRAINING 01 - Tutorial

Agent 47 is a new recruit for ICA (International Contract Agency). As a contract-killer-in-training, 47 has to complete a few test missions before he's allowed into the field. The first one is fairly linear but serves to teach you the basics. You can disguise as anybody, every item you find is at your disposal, and 47 has magic Hitmany Senses™ which tingle and get all red to show you the location of your target. On an underground mockup of some rich dude's yacht, you have to kill said rich dude and get out without being seen. It's easy and the game walks you through it. Next.

TRAINING 02 - So Many Ways to Kill Rich Dude

After completing the tutorial, the yacht is open for you to explore the many ways you can choose to kill rich dude. THIS is more like it. I tried a bunch of ways and actually completed every challenge before moving on. Some of the more interesting ones include:

•  Poisoning the drink of your target, drowning him in the toilet while he throws up
• Poisoning the drink of your target's buddy pal, taking his clothes and strolling right into the target's office to do what you will
• Dropping a life raft on your target's head
• Blowing him up at his desk
• Strangling him while previously mentioned buddy pal isn't looking, which hilariously leads to "oh where'd he go?" but no alert.

I had a hilarious incident where a security guard saw me with a gun and told me to "drop the p". I don't understand this newfangled slang. Once you feel like you've exhausted the training yacht, it's time for the Final Test.

TRAINING 03 - The Final Test

So there's two people we know about at ICA so far. There's the female agent who wants to give 47 a chance because he's so good at killing people without being seen. That's what they're all about, right? Then there's the male agent who thinks 47 is TOO good; he tries to sabotage 47's Assassination Graduation (I just made that up but it's catchy). Female Agent tells you and walks you through the final test. It's a military base, and there's a scientist. The route you get led towards is to enable the ejector seat on a jet the scientist is supposed to be testing out. Get the guy in the seat, tell him to pull the lever, and watch the fireworks. I wanted to get on to the REAL first mission, so I didn't think to look for more ways to complete this one. Male Agent is upset but you become the very best hitman, like no one ever was. 20 YEARS LATER...

MISSION 01 - The Showstopper (Paris, France)

Agent 47 is a seasoned agent by now. His current job is to infiltrate a big fashion show in Paris to kill two fashion moguls who are also criminals. The basic gist of it is that they're hiring assassins and hiding them as fashion models. I really loved this mission, it harkens back to "Blood Money" in an amazing way. It's a real sandbox, with no hand-holding. There are HUNDREDS of guests at this event as well! The map is huge and it's all just very open-ended.

I decided to go for Dalia Margolis first. Her partner was much more of a showman, and had eyes on him the entire time. Dalia was chilling behind the scenes. Since I couldn't just waltz into her hotel room, I had to find a disguise. Turns out there was a fashion model who had the exact same facial structure as 47. How convenient! Once that guy was swimming with the fish in the river, I took his clothes, put on his makeup, and strutted down the catwalk like I owned the place.

Dalia invited me up to her room to talk business. Turns out the guy I killed was also an assassin, and I just accepted his job. Didn't matter, though! I planted a bullet snugly into Dalia's skull and moved on with my day. Viktor Novikov was the real challenge.

I had a bunch of ideas on how to assassinate Viktor, but they all went wrong. First I found that he had some special sushi imported just for the occasion. Score! I poisoned the sushi. Collateral damage be damned, I wanted to get this guy silently. Mistake number one. While Viktor was yelling at some chef over some dumb thing, Viktor's BODYGUARD snuck a piece of sushi. As he died, I watched my perfect opportunity slipping away. I cried. I started following Viktor around for hours, trying to memorize his routine.

Viktor had a few events to attend to. Between bullying the waitstaff, he actually did some business. At the conclusion of the fashion show itself, Viktor and fellow-designer (I forgot this guy's name) walk out on the catwalk to give a speech. I thought it would be quite the spectacle to kill him in front of all those people, but I decided against it.

There was also a young journalist set to interview Viktor, who conveniently forgot her camera lens. What a pro! I went and stole her a lens out of the kindness of my heart, and realized it would be the perfect chance to put a bomb in the camera. Too bad I forgot to get any bombs for this mission. So I had to just watch the interview go off without a hitch while my heart broke. I got a chuckle out of Viktor stumbling over a tough question and dodging the interview like a pro.

By this point I was getting impatient. Disclaimer: I am bad at video games. After following Viktor around in his routine, I finally just got fed up. There was a hallway with only one guard. That guard always had his back turned to the far side of said hallway. While Viktor walked through for the hundredth time that day, I just shot him. Silenced pistol, walked right out. They found his body but they never found me. It wasn't clever or elegant, but the dude was dead. Problem solved.

PART ONE ENDS HERE. There are some side missions and challenges to do, but this review is only for the main story. There are still five more parts to the game to-be-released, so stay tuned for updates. Personally, I'm actually quite excited to see what this game has in store. I just wish the business model wasn't a piece of actual trash.

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MISSION 02 - World of Tomorrow (Sapienza, Italy)

After a long wait, we finally have the second episode of HITMAN. This mission, "World of Tomorrow", takes Agent 47 to Sapienza to kill a rich researcher (Silvia Caruso) in his mansion, another researcher (Francesca De Santis), and destroy their macguffin of a world-ending science fair project (it's a virus). I had some trouble with this one! Hilarity ensued, though. As a side note, the sound quality has actually improved significantly, most likely through a recent update. I've increased my score accordingly.

Upon arriving in Italy, I saw the most blatant and guided opportunity yet; yelling from a second-floor window is the new kitchen assistant, who conveniently hasn't met the head chef yet. Jackpot. I neglected to being a gun along on this mission, knowing that the mansion guards would frisk anybody coming in regardless of disguise. This was a mistake. THIS WAS A MISTAKE.

I rang the guy's doorbell, intending on knocking him over and snapping his neck, then taking his chef's outfit. It didn't play out that way. I rang the doorbell and he just stood there telling me to leave, so I took a stroll into his apartment for no good reason. He ran screaming for help. Whoops. I found his chef's outfit which he hadn't even put on yet, then walked away while no one was looking. Time for the next failure. First, though, I find the secret safehouse in the apartment complex. There's a gun (would have been nice earlier, but it's not silenced so I leave it) and an explosive golf ball??? I'm taking that! Now I go meet the chef.

Being asked to finish up the spaghetti sauce, I pour some rat poison in. This is gonna get the guy! Caruso takes one bite and calls it disgusting, and walks off after insulting the chef. He gets a little sick, takes some time to breathe in some fresh air surrounded by armed guards, then walks inside. I'm pretty offended that he didn't even have the decency to walk into a nearby bathroom and throw up where I could kill him. The nerve!

Still dressed as a kitchen assistant, I head into the mansion to take a look around. Oops, accidentally walked into the private bedroom of De Santis. Turns out she's having an affair with the golf coach. Controversy! I decide to kill the golf coach and disguise myself as him. I'll go after Caruso later on. Mistakes are being made so hard right now!

I find the golf coach; he's coaching Caruso. Interesting. They decide to take a break, and I overhear the coach flirting with De Santis. This is when I remember the explosive golf ball. I go and drop it into the basket. Surely they'll play more golf later! They do. The conversation gets awkward when the coach asks about De Santis, and they quit without even hitting a ball. If I was offended that he didn't eat my poisoned food before, now I'm livid. Hit the bomb already! I take a walk around to see if I can find more opportunities.

After a lap or two around the mansion, Caruso and the golf coach go back to playing golf. Finally. I watch from nearby as they blow up. Wrecked. Next target. I pick up the dead golf coach's cellphone (AFTER the bodies have been cleared away, of course) and tell De Santis to meet me in her room. This is where I make the biggest mistake of my very short Italian vacation.

Walking into De Santis's room, she immediately spots me and flips out. Obviously I'm not disguised as the golf coach. I currently look some some bald housekeeper, and she KNOWS the housekeepers. She never hired me! She runs off and goes into hiding while security hunts me. Fission mailed? Not quite yet. I manage to sneak around until I get down to the break room. Killing two housekeepers, I then find a new outfit and stroll right back into the house to kill De Santis again. The best part? I DON'T HAVE A PLAN!

I walk around the less-explored hallways, and... Wait. What the hell is this guy doing?

Not much anymore. Let's take that outfit.

Frisked by some guards, and now I'm in... What. Caruso was a supervillain and this is his lair. This place is PACKED.

There's no way I'm getting to that virus without being seen by a scientist who knows I'm not a scientist. I turn off a generator to see how they take it; I can't do much with this. I've had enough, so I'm heading out... And right back into De Santis's bedroom. Why does this keep happening to me? I poison her champagne, try to call her again, and the phone doesn't work. My immersion has shattered. I decide to take a walk.

Still trespassing, I realize I must be in another important area and WHAT IS THAT?

I want to steal it. While looking for a way into that room, I get caught. This hasn't been a good day. I keep running around, having silly adventures like NOT getting caught and accidentally opening the observatory dome. This, by the way, is not space. This telescope was a ripoff.

The only disguise that HASN'T been compromised yet is a gardener, so now I'm a gardener. I'm still no closer to killing De Santis or destroying the virus. At peak frustration, I leave the mansion. Time to take a look around the town for something else to help me out. First I head back to the safehouse and pick up a gun and a knife; I'm ready for a fight if it comes to that. I wander some more until I wind up in the apartment of some church guy. Wearing his clothes and stealing his keys, I explore the church. There must be SOMETHING in here. First thing I find is the surveillance tapes from the area. I don't know why this is in the church, but I destroy the evidence. Cool. Next I find this guy:

Who is he? I don't know, but now he's dead. Now he's me. Some more wandering, hey look! Everyone remembers Sanguine, right? I pick the lock when nobody's looking.

Finally, a payoff. I get a mansion guard outfit inside Sanguine. Time to head back inside and finish my mission. I head quickly into the basement of some cafe to grab my agency pickup, the sweet, sweet silenced pistol I have missed so dearly. Time for the moment of truth; can I walk into the mansion un-frisked?

Yes. Yes I can. De Santis is going down. Everything goes well. Perfectly, even. I'm in Caruso's private office and I found his safe password, in case I ever find his safe. Even better? De Santis is heading this way. We're finally in a room together, and I have a gun.

I shoot her and make a run for it, her personal guard seeing her go down but never seeing my face. One target left, and it's that pesky virus. I make my escape across the rooftop and end up back in the observatory. A quick trip downstairs lands me a selfie with this dude:

And I'm off to ACTUALLY finish the mission. In a hilarious turn of events, the entire supervillain lair already knows my face. This isn't gonna be easy. I make the most important manual save of the game so far, and decide to try a few things. First off is brute force: I just start silently shooting everyone, starting from the most secluded. After the second person, I'm already compromised. A gunfight? This is not what my little baby pistols were made for! I try sneaking through the level but I'm not as surreptitious as I thought. So back to killing. I actually get five people down before they're onto me. This works better than I thought, though! After killing like ten dudes, I finally end up with enough time to disguise myself as one of them. The AI are so dumb they just go right back to their everyday lives. Well, sort of. The scientists are freaking out and the guards are searching for me, but they don't recognize me in this snazzy new outfit. Well SOME of them do, but they're easy to avoid.

Here we are; the end is in sight. Unfortunately everybody is on high alert because some dick was shooting guys before, so now I have to go back to sneak mode and figure out how to get in there. Luckily I remember that one of my killing spree targets was a dude in a hazmat suit. Looks like the suit is on the other... Okay, I give up. Let's finish this.

I head on inside and kill the two scientists. I waited a while, of course; then I realized they weren't leaving anytime soon. So I shot them and raised the temperature of the virus container. As I walked away unnoticed, the virus was destroyed. This plane flight feels like victory.

PART TWO ENDS HERE. I had a GREAT time with this level, even if it frustrated me to no end. At times it was the game mechanics, but mostly it's because I'm dumb. This game still isn't perfect, and the business model is still shit, but still... I'm definitely leaning more towards the "worth it" side of the spectrum right now. Mission 3 will probably come out like a month from now, so be on the lookout for that!

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Graphics: AMAZING
Sound: GREAT
Gameplay: AMAZING
Value: QUESTIONABLE (to be updated when the full game is out)
Overall: GREAT (so far)

-Justin