Hitman 3 review by 8Bit

Hitman 3 – a fitting finale to the World of Assassination trilogy

I must admit, new Hitman is one of my favorite franchises. I had super high expectations about the finale. IOI Delivered – Hitman 3, and is the best game of all Hitman games I have ever played (played all of them). The Hitman series has always been defined by its open world structures, allowing players to assume the role of Agent 47 – as the best assassin out there. It’s a fantastic way to say goodbye. Hitman 3 is a grant finale to one of gaming’s best trilogies.

Story

Hitman 3 follows Agent 47 and his allies, Lucas Grey and Diana Burnwood, as they hunt down the last members of Providence. The shadowy organization, one that rivals the ICA itself, has only a few partners left. However, a wrench is thrown into the plans as the Constant, also known as Anthony Edwards, seeks to consolidate his power. And frankly speaking – I’ve never played the Hitman games for the narrative nor for the storyline. The overall plot is as bland and generic as you can get, secret agent vs. evil organization, nothing special but that’s ok, because the story is not so important – the ways to kill your targets are!

Welcome to the World of Assassination

The six incredibly varied locations are undoubtedly the series’ best, which is ultimately what Hitman 3 needed to nail in order to make this the best entry in the trilogy. All the maps find ways to express themselves differently both aesthetically and architecturally to great effect. Its array of unique atmospheres make Hitman 3 an appealing game that, like the protagonist himself, can take many distinct forms and its architecture gives 47 the playground he needs to do what he does best: murder without restraint.

The targets in each mission can be shot, burned, stabbed, blown up, or crushed in an uncountable amount of ways and all rely on the player’s cleverness and exploration skills. Levels are stuffed with various ways to assassinate and that freedom is still unmatched in the industry. Chapeau bas IOI, you have the very best designers in the industry. Of the six missions in Hitman 3, sets are in Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Dartmoor, U.K.; Berlin; Chongqing, China; Mendoza, Argentina; and Romania’s Carpathian Mountains. It’s not much, however but the level of repeatability is so big for me, and I would say it was rather enough.

Best in the business

As always, the slow-burn thrill of these games comes from planning, patience, and hiding in plain sight. The key to success is finding the perfect disguise for exploration, listening and looking for opportunities, and getting the timing just right to pull off the perfect crime and escape unseen. Apart from plenty of ways you can assassinate targets, there are also challenges related to feats and discoveries. Feats tend to be related to either a mission story or an optional task you can perform. Likewise, discoveries focus on items or locations that you can find in levels.

Additionally, Hitman 3 introduces the cool concept of shortcuts. At certain parts of the map, you might find gates, doorways, or ladders that are sealed off. If you can interact with these, the shortcuts will become available after winning a map. These shortcuts open up new ways for you to reach your objectives, especially if you’re gunning for the Silent Assassin ranking or other variations. Completing these challenges will give you a higher mastery score, unlocking extra starting locations, concealed stashes, weapons, and gadgets. If you are a type of perfectionist like me, you will enjoy Hitman 3 for hours and hours, seeking to perfect your skills and getting more XP for doing so each time.

47 new toys

None of Hitman 3’s missions change how you’ve played these games since 2016. They don’t throw new mechanics at you or require you to learn to deal with new enemy behaviors. Instead, Hitman 3 finds new ways to challenge seasoned assassins purely through excellent design. IO Interactive created a very strong foundation with the 2016 reboot, and Hitman 3 is essentially just a new pack of levels for the same game with some minor upgrades.

If you didn’t like the first two games, then Hitman 3 won’t do anything to draw you in. Hitman 3 is more like an evolution instead of being a new approach. IO has maintained its focus on what people like about the series in Hitman 3 while letting experiments that worked less well fall away, but it still feels like there’s a bit less game here than in the past games. The biggest advantage of there not being any revolutionary changes in Hitman 3 is that owners of Hitman and Hitman 2 can carry over their levels and progress to Hitman 3. That’s great because you have one ultimate platform to play the entire series. I admire IO’s commitment to keeping the content of the previous games. Bravo!

Conclusion

We’ve come to the conclusion of our Hitman 3 review. Hitman 3 is the ultimate silent assassin simulator, is hitman good? It is a magnificent video game, the epic conclusion to the World of Assassination series. Being a big fan of the first and second seasons of Hitman, I would be fully satisfied if the 3 turned out to be just an extra portion of what I know and like. However, IO Interactive surprised me and offered a bit more, without changing the solid foundations settled in 2016. These changes are not revolutionary, but they make the experience even more enjoyable. For me Hitman 3 the best installment in the series – and therefore automatically the best stealth game in many years. If you are a Hitman Fan it’s a must-have for you. I wish 47 will be back in the future.

We have played the game on PC. You can also get Hitman 3 in Vr (PSVR), Hitman PS4, PS5 and Xbox One and Series S/X.

Final Score: 9

© Mateusz Faryniarz