[Review] Hitman 3: Impressions after several missions

The new story of Hitman is coming to its logical end. Less than two weeks are left before the release of the final part of the trilogy about Agent 47, and today I will share my impressions after completing several missions in the preview version of Hitman 3. For fans, I can immediately say that nothing radically new is to be expected. This is the same assassin simulator, where a blade, a pistol, or a stranglehold is just a tool, and the main danger for enemies is the player's brain. Because in fact, this episode has always been primarily a puzzle. And the developers of IO Interactive over the years have honed their skills in creating interesting puzzles.

Hitman 3 develops already worked out mechanics, captures many different approaches and methods of destroying the target, as well as a multi-level system of actions and consequences. It is somewhat reminiscent of complex mechanisms that require accuracy and attention to detail. Because 47's bald head has repeatedly led to my failure.

As part of the preview, I had access to several locations, including Dubai, Dartmouth and Berlin. These are just three of the six cards that appear in Hitman 3 . Not that much, but the game includes an option to import locations from the past two games, and it has received a graphical upgrade, so in general, even the old places look good. But the first assignment in a skyscraper in the middle of the desert left me the most vivid impressions. And the reason is that already from the introduction I could not get rid of the feeling that this is a fictional version of the movie "Mission Impossible". Because the task is not just to eliminate the goal, but to overcome various obstacles on the way to it.

This is not an action movie where the character pulls an MP5 out of wide trousers and pours bullets on everyone. In Hitman 3, as in the previous games of the series, you need a full immersion, exploration, analysis of the situation and performance. You shouldn't give up the pistol, but why use it if the target can be dropped from a great height, cut the throat, poisoned, set on fire, electrocuted ... and so on.

Moreover, the arsenal in Hitman 3 has expanded once again. And with proper camouflage, even the rifle on the back does not attract attention. At the end of the mission in Dubai, a whole mountain of various items was collected in the inventory: throwing knives, an ax, scissors, situational items, several models of firearms, and more. So it remains only to combine and use in a clever way according to the chosen style.

I won't spoil the details of the plot or missions, because building a mind map and exploring different paths to destroy an object is the beauty of Hitman 3 . But I can note that the architecture and elaboration of locations in the new game has only improved. In general, I want to separately praise the design and even ask how the developers came up with all this? Missions develop in completely different places, each has its own mood and feeling, so there is a desire to learn as much as possible about the locations and people. It’s like you’re some grim reaper who is bored from monotonous work and wants to revive the task a little.

This is facilitated by overheard conversations and other information. Although we are limited to certain areas, through working with characters it feels like life is flowing outside of mansions or buildings, NPCs have backstories, desires, ambitions, sins and achievements. In the case of each individual, this is certainly not the case, but in the general mass a plausible image of the active world is formed.

With regard to gameplay systems, everything is quite familiar and familiar. I hadn’t played Hitman in a while, but in a few minutes I remembered the step-by-step process I had worked out for myself. I'm not particularly fond of adjusting accidents - they have their own charm, but I love having the victim have a few last moments to grasp the inevitable. If there was an opportunity, I would probably reproduce a typical villain's speech, in which he describes a plan, followed by manic laughter. Overall, however, the number of options for completing the assignment is impressive. There are those that do not require sophisticated schemes, and there are those that in the end you revel in your genius. A very pleasant feeling.

Among the innovations, I will note the system of short paths. It works quite simply - during the mission, the 47th can open an additional path. As part of the task, he will not help, but the next time you pass the same location, you can use the shortcut and get to the goal faster.

However, Hitman 3 should not be considered a simulation ideal. There are still quite a few conventions that can break the immersion effect from time to time. For example, when you show people from the security department the papers about the transfer to the post of a personal guard. No scrupulous identification - and it would be great to see a scene with the creation of a fake ID or something similar, in the style of tricks of Tom Cruise and his team. The same can be said for NPC attention and memory. When I walk back and forth in front of a couple of guards several times, and my clothes change every time, even during the break, security should note this fact and detain the person. Especially bald, with a barcode on the back of his head.

I understand that these conventions are necessary so that the game does not punish the gamer for every move. Perhaps, as a solution, a memorability indicator could be proposed so that the agent knows about the dressing limit. In Hitman 3, there are situations when the NPC reacts and even tries to catch up with the agent, but they are quite limited and depend on certain factors. What is missing here is advanced AI, in most cases the characters can rather be called a temporary obstacle.

And security cameras, of course. In reality, there are much more of them than represented in the game. Also in the game, the relationship of people with their smartphones is presented in a limited way, because having access to the target device, one could arrange such tricks that 47 was not taught anywhere else.

I will separately say about the visual side. Hitman 3 has received another facelift and looks even better. Not the level of a new generation, where each character is beautifully designed and animated, but convincing and beautiful. As usual, a phenomenal level of attention to the locations, great work with light, thoughtful interiors with character and NPC costumes.

From the first hours of playing Hitman 3, it seems to me that the final part of the trilogy has reached the limit that is possible with the crossgene. There are no evolutionary leaps here, as was the case with Hitman, but if you like leisurely, multi-layered puzzles, then this game should be to your liking. And for veterans of the series, there is an additional bonus in the form of the denouement of the general story. I don’t vouch for the depth, but something will become clear, for the final understanding we will wait for the release on January 20.

After playing Hitman 3 , albeit in its pre-release state, now I want to see even more what IO Interacitve will do about agent 007 for the game. There should certainly be more interesting gadgets and action, as befits a spy blockbuster.