I am in an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of Berlin. Lasers and spotlights sweep across a dimly lit dance floor, a sea of brains hypnotized by throbbing techno music. The music is so loud, the bass so deep, it vibrates my headphones. But I am not here because Agent 47 has stopped contract killing and joined the German rave scene. I am here to kill a team of deadly assassins who are trying to kill me.
Ten assassins patrol the warehouse and the deserted industrial area surrounding it. Even in disguise, they know my face. I can still change my clothes to get past the lowly guards, but the trained assassins are not so easily fooled. If they spot me, they will open fire. In short, I must rely on the hordes of pill-popping ravers and the maze-like structure of the building to conceal myself.
Most hitmen's target is a coward hiding in a fortress behind a wall of armed guards. This is an entirely different dynamic, and as a result it is one of the more challenging missions in the trilogy. This level does not even have an in-game hint system called Mission Story. Thus, you are encouraged to experiment in the sandbox and come up with your own methods.
Complicating matters is that the assassins are also disguised. To identify them, you must steal their earphones and listen in on their conversations. If they are found talking to their handlers in Instinct mode (targets, points of interest, weapons, etc. are highlighted), their identities are revealed and they are permanently marked on the map. Now all you have to do is figure out how to kill them in the middle of a rave in front of thousands of witnesses without anyone noticing. Of course, you could shoot them and get away with it, but then you wouldn't be playing hitman.
At first it seems impossible. Several of the targets follow a routine of being constantly surrounded by people. One of them, the leader, even has a bodyguard who never leaves his side. But the brilliance of "Hitman" lies in carefully studying these large, intricate levels, creating mental maps, and finding and exploiting holes in security. When you finally succeed in killing five hitmen (enough to let the other hitmen escape), it feels incredible.
Hitman 3 builds on the solid foundation laid by the first two parts of the trilogy, sharing the same AI, stealth system, and user interface, but IO took the opportunity to experiment a bit with its tried and true formula. The complex, open-ended Berlin level is the studio's most trusting to date in letting the Hitman player take the initiative and figure things out on his own. And the other levels, surprisingly, have only three mission stories per map.
The opportunities are still there. You can set clever traps, impersonate people, take shortcuts, swipe keys, etc. However, this time there are no clear paths to follow, so we need to engage more with our surroundings. The core of this game is still the classic "Hitman" game itself, but in many ways it is more playful and experimental. In one level, set in a dusty old mansion in Dartmoor, England, Agent 47 poses as a private detective to solve a murder mystery straight out of an Agatha Christie novel. It's a gimmick, but a fun and unique twist on a very ordinary assassination mission.
The mansion itself is superbly constructed. After passing through a long, dark corridor lined with oil paintings, one comes to a brightly lit, ornately decorated reception room. Beyond the walls is a labyrinth of secret passages through which one can peer through peepholes to see what people are up to. No other company makes places like IO Interactive, and "Hitman 3" showcases some of the company's best work to date.
Chongqing is another standout. The level design is excellent, although the mission is fairly simple compared to Berlin and Dartmoor. Above, rain-soaked streets bustling with fluorescent neon signs, noodle bars, apartment blocks, and winding, trash-filled alleys. Below, a gleaming futuristic facility with multiple layers of security, heavily armed guards, and a vent system to slip through. This impossibly intricate, two-tiered level is one of the most impressive things IO has ever built. Both in terms of atmosphere and aesthetics, and in terms of the number of interesting ways to navigate.
As for the other levels, "Hitman 3" begins with Agent 47 traveling to Dubai and infiltrating a glamorous dinner party on the top floor of the tallest building. He parachutes into the level, crawls through a window, puts on a tuxedo, and blends in with the crowd. The film is a visual treat, with giant gilded palm trees, reflecting pools, and dramatic views of the city shrouded in clouds. Despite the glitz and glamour, however, the level is fairly simple and unobtrusive, and feels like a tutorial to ease new players into the game.
Dubai features a digital camera, an almost forgotten new gadget that is always in 47's inventory, regardless of what was selected during the mission planning phase. For example, it can activate futuristic window foggers to cover you, or remotely open vent covers. This is a really frivolous addition and feels a bit out of place in a Hitman game. But thankfully it doesn't get in the way too much, since the levels are rarely designed around it. I also like the ability to use the zoom feature to scout ahead.
Later, 47 travels to Mendoza, Argentina, where he once again sneaks into an exclusive party at a winery. The golden sun of dusk falls on the vineyards, it looks spectacular, and the mission story involving the sniper is particularly devilish. The level is divided into a winery where the party is held, a rocky hill where gaucho guards patrol, and a colonial-style villa where one of the targets lives. This is another relatively safe level, but much more detailed and intricate than Dubai.
The sixth and final map, set in the rugged Carpathian Mountains of Romania, is not a typical Hitman level at all. Rather, it is more like a set piece of action to end the Agent 47 story with a flourish. It's a tightly choreographed and visually impressive finale, but it's basically scripted. Without spoiling anything, the nature of this level leaves no room for exploration. There are a few opportunities for creativity, but mostly you just do what you're told. This makes it the weakest by default, even though it is built with the same level of care and sophistication that defines all levels of IO.
Over the years, IO has gotten really good at designing the many little stealth challenges that litter its levels. The placement of guards, improvised weapons, blind spots, surveillance cameras, and places to hide bodies is often perfect. There are countless small, satisfying moments on these levels, enough to skillfully outwit the AI or use the environment to your advantage. Rarely do you find yourself trapped in a corner or in a situation where you can't find a way out, which speaks to the quality of the game's design. Also, the more tools and gadgets you unlock, the deeper and more varied the sandbox becomes.
Despite some weak levels, "Hitman 3" is a sensational stealth game. Berlin, Chongqing, and Dartmoor are the best in the series and a fitting conclusion to the trilogy. And if you own the first two games, you'll have access to all these levels with improved visuals and new gadgets and weapons, if only Epic can find a way. Then this would be one of the best games on the PC. If this were a review of the entire trilogy, I would have added a couple more points to my review score. But "Hitman 3" on its own is a great video game and the perfect successor to "Agent 47.
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