Hitman is a well known and fan favourite video game series, one of the few survivors of the stealth “genre” that is still in the spotlight today thanks to its latest trilogy that, with Hitman 3, puts an end to the story of Agent 47, at least for now, with IO Interactive taking its first steps in other projects like its recently announced 007-based title.
We are going to talk about the last title of these three episodes that began to be published in 2016 and are now reaching their final chapter also became the most rounded game to date, with the levels better designed in recent years (at least from our point of view) and with improvements here and there that have made us enjoy like never putting on a disguise, infiltrating a place and eliminating our targets in a thousand different ways, your options are endless so every playthrough is a different experience, that makes Hitman 3 unique.
The last mission of Agent 47
We are not going to summarize the plot of the Hitman trilogy because it is quite likely that one or more of you have decided to wait for its final episode to play it in its entirety from beginning to end and discover everything that this new adventure of Agent 47 has to give us.
What we will tell you is that we are facing the last mission (at least for now) of the most iconic assassin in the world of video games, closing a cycle in a quite convincing way, and that leaves us wanting more Hitman even if it is in a distant future since the series also shows some signs of exhaustion after the last 5 years loaded with titles and content.
In general, we are satisfied with how the rest of the story is told, a plot that acquires more importance during the missions and is not limited to being present simply in the interludes. Of course, do not expect a great thriller or anything too convoluted since Hitman’s greatest qualities are not so much in what he tells us but in everything we can do during our games.
The best Hitman levels
Something that we have loved about this new installment is the design of every one of the levels that we have had to face, counting, for us, with the best design of the latest title, both at an artistic level and in challenges, options, possibilities, size and all the side-stories and opportunities that they offer us so that we can take advantage of them with Agent 47.
We have had a great time in each one of the areas that we have had to visit, and also they have found space for moments not so common in the series, with more plot during the missions and some situations (in particular moments) to those that we are not so used to. In fact, there are two of the best levels in the history of Hitman in this title, one of them for the setting and the subplots that it offers us around the entire level and the other for the great possibilities that there are at the playable level. , being as large as it is complex and rich in options. We will not tell you the two names to discover them for yourself and enjoy these pleasant surprises.
Also, of course, every one of the locations keeps a lot of secrets, paths, details and stories that will allow us to know more about our victims, eliminate them in spectacular ways and, ultimately, give us deep replayability that allows us to enjoy these levels again and again of the freedom characteristic of the saga, regardless of whether we want to play with more or less help or plan the missions in one way or another. As for the duration, the first round for all the locations will take you about 7 or 8 hours, but its high replayability means that you can get much more fun time.
Of course, despite this, the objectives or how the missions are raised in certain places remind us of approaches in past games and show the logical signs of exhaustion of a series that has three games in just 5 years, so that we are even more IO Interactive’s decision to close a loop in history and let Agent 47 rest indefinitely is right.
Shortcuts and a new camera gadget
As we mentioned earlier, there are 2 new additions in Hitman 3, a camera that accompanies us at all times and the permanent shortcuts. In addition to taking photos, the camera allows us to carry out certain interesting actions such as hacking security mechanisms, scanning documents or other objects, and even activating QR codes to obtain more information about a specific location.
As for the permanent shortcuts, they are doors, stairs or other routes that we can unlock during our game and that remain active in our subsequent visits at the same level, so if, for example, we open a special door to be able to access a certain way more quickly place in our first journey in a location, this door will remain open and will allow us to use it as a shortcut when we replay this level to learn more stories, find other objectives …
Next-gen performance
Hitman 3 is an intergenerational title with some obvious improvements in this latest installment that works perfectly on PS5 and Xbox Series X / S at 60 fps alongside HDR (4K native resolution on Series X, 1800p on PS5 and 1080p on Series S) counting with several improvements in the next-gen such as smoother animations, improvement in the behaviour of the AI of the enemies or the technology of crowds of the Glacier engine that allows having up to 300 characters in the same location, a crowd that we have seen in one of the levels that we liked the most in this title.
In another location called Ghongging, we have seen how far this engine can go in terms of lighting, with all kinds of shops, neon lights and alleys where we have been able to enjoy the best technical finish of Hitman.
At the performance level, we have tested the game on PS5. We have not noticed any crashes at any time, not even in scenarios where a crowd of 300 people are rendered in the same scene, so the optimization work of IO Interactive is excellent. Considering that we have played more than eight hours, we are not facing any game-breaking issues, and with the launch patch even if there were any issues they will get fixed.
Final Thoughts
Hitman 3 is probably the best game in the latest Agent 47 trilogy, around title with some of the best levels in the series, a multitude of possibilities, freedom of movement and new tools to spice up the playable formula a bit. Although some signs of exhaustion are also beginning to be noticed in the series, we face remarkable work, so we think even better the decision of IO Interactive to conclude this trilogy with perfect timing and let our favourite hitman Agent 47 take a well-deserved vacation.
Of course, Hitman lovers will really enjoy this title that is also highly recommended for all those who want to play a stealth title, some action. The player himself can really choose how to wear carry out the objectives of each mission.
We prepared this review with a digital review copy for the PS5 version provided by the publisher.
