Hitman 3 review

Hitman 3 is the eighth installment in the Hitman series and the final and dramatic conclusion to the World of Assassination trilogy. Developed and published by IO Interactive, Hitman 3 forgoes the episodic approach of delivering content and instead delivers the complete thrilling adventure across six different locations at one time.

While sticking to the tried and true gameplay, Hitman 3 introduces new features, gameplay elements and weapons that make a great game even better.

Hitman 3 Details

Platform: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Stadia, Switch (via Cloud) and PC.
Reviewed on: Stadia
Developer: IO Interactive
Publisher(s): IO Interactive
Genre: Stealth
Modes: Single-player
ESRB Rating: M (Mature 17+)

A closure to the World of Assassination trilogy

In order to avoid spoiling key moments of Hitman 3‘s story, I’ll give you a brief overview of what the game is all about. Hitman 3 continues the story of both previous games and you again take on the role of Agent 47. In this dramatic conclusion, Agent 47 is supported by his Agency handler, Diana Burnwood and reunites with his old friend Lucas Grey. Your final objective takes you around the world as you hunt down the partners of Providence one by one. From the rising clouds of the Burj Al-Ghazali in Dubai to the massive rave party at the warehouse in Berlin, Hitman 3‘s locations do not disappoint.

The game contains carefully placed story-focused moments throughout missions that give vital information and a backstory to the events. If you haven’t played the previous two games in the trilogy, there is no need to worry. Hitman 3 acts as a platform for the entire Hitman World of Assassination trilogy. If you have purchased the previous two games, you get to experience the entire trilogy from within Hitman 3 from start to finish. On the other hand, if you haven’t, the game includes an overview of the previous games to get you up to speed.

Traditional Hitman gameplay with unlimited possibilities

As with previous games in the franchise, your mission is to take out your target. And, there is always more than one way to do this, which makes for quite an interesting adventure. In order to complete your mission and take out your target, you can use just about anything you can find as a weapon. Moreover, in order to get access to certain locations to complete your mission, you’ll have to disguise yourself to fit into the crowd to go undetected. Let’s just say that Agent 47 is a man of many different hats.

Hitman 3 features story related interactions called Mission Stories that are essentially mini self-contained stories within your main mission. For the most part, these Mission Stories guide Agent 47 close to his target and the end result can lead to some truly glitzy eliminations.

Noteable gameplay additions

As you can see, for the most part, gameplay hasn’t changed dramatically in Hitman 3. However, there are a handful of notable changes that are worth mentioning. The first being, permanent shortcuts. As a reward for exploring the locations in the game, you can discover and unlock shortcuts that change the opportunities you have available. Thus, opening up whole new ways to plan your method of attack.

Another new addition is your camera. By default now, you start out with a camera that allows you to remotely access locked doors and windows. Additionally, your camera can also be used to discover crucial intel that help you on your missions.

Finally, as mentioned earlier, Hitman 3 acts as a hub for all of the World of Assassination trilogy games. As a result, the progression system spans across all 20+ locations in the entire set of games. For example, if you unlock an item in Hitman 3, you can also use it in Hitman and Hitman 2. This opens up even more opportunities as you have new ways to play previous missions in those games with gadgets and weapons that you unlock from Hitman 3.

Impressive visuals and detailed environments

Hitman 3 uses IO Interactive’s in-house newly improved Glacier engine and is quite impressive. Not only did IO Interactive do a great job at making each location varied and completely different from one another but they also went back and updated Hitman and Hitman 2 with the new visual and animation improvements. I was amazed at times just how much was going and the amount of detail included in the world around you. The varying characters in crowds are superbly animated and their life-like animations are very convincing.

State Share – a Stadia specific feature for all three Hitman games

Hitman 3, along with Hitman and Hitman 2, are the first games on Stadia to use State Share. It’s a Stadia specific feature that allows you to share your in-game contracts with other players so they can try it for themselves. Simply by taking a screenshot or video capture embeds your specific game state. This saves key info about your contract that others can play just by sharing a link.

State Share won’t mess up your game progression at all. In fact, you can play someone else’s contract even if you haven’t unlocked all the items included in the game state. However, you don’t get to keep the items unless you have unlocked them in your own game. When you or another player loads the game state, you’ll start at the beginning of the contract with the following original gameplay elements:

• Starting location at the beginning of the contract
• Item loadout – weapons, smuggled items, gear
• Starting suit/disguise
• Objectives
• Difficulty

I’ve created a State Share for Hitman 3. Let me know in the comments section at the bottom of my review well you do.

Hitman 3 is an epic conclusion to the trilogy and the best game in the series

While I wouldn’t call Hitman 3 revolutionary by any means, I can say it is my favourite in the trilogy. The varied locations, new gameplay additions and what seems like endless scenario possibilities kept me coming back for more. Stadia’s State Share feature is a neat way to share challenges with your friends and PlayStation VR owners can play all three game’s exciting campaigns in VR.

If you’re a fan of the two previous games in the World of Assassination trilogy, you will love Hitman 3. If you are looking for a game that offers challenge and excitement with a dose of stealth thrown in, Hitman 3 is definitely worth checking out.

+ Extremely colourful, detailed and populated environments
+ High replay value
+ Exceptionally fun to play
+ Epic conclusion to the World of Assassination story line

– Not many new gameplay mechanics
– Enemy AI can be questionable at times

OVERALL ASSESSMENT OF HITMAN 3

Gameplay: 4/5
Graphics: 4/5
Sound: 4/5
Lasting Appeal/Replayability: 5/5

Overall Rating 4.25/5 (85%)

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