HITMAN EPISODE SIX
47 signs off in style in the Land Of The Silenced Gun
The final core level of Agent 47’s debut episodic series means business. That much is clear as early as the mission planning screen. It sends Agent 47, disguised as long-running alter ego Tobias Reaper, to a highly-exclusive, private hospital and spa high in the mountains of Japanese island Hokkaido, but there’s a twist: security’s so tight he can’t smuggle anything in. That means no lockpick, no fibre wire, no pistol and none of the tools you’ve come to rely on in the series so far. It’s a bold move considering you’ve spent weeks unlocking new kit by mastering the earlier episodes (though you’ll be relieved to know that earning XP in Hokkaido will open up dead drop areas to eventually bring those toys into play later on), but it’s a design decision that proves to be correct. Stripped of his assets, not to mention his clothes, 47’s journey through the series’ most striking environment is brilliantly hand-crafted and packed with puzzles.
The most immediate issue to overcome involves the door locks. Don’t mourn the lockpick’s loss – it would be pointless here, anyway. Facility access is entirely managed by an AI that tracks people via microchips in their clothing. Wearing the spa’s guest robes will only unlock a handful of rooms, but slipping into the uniforms of unconscious employees soon sees the sprawling level open up like a water lily, giving you routes into the sushi restaurant kitchen, or the morgue, or the operating theatre. Or you could simply pull on a ninja outfit and prepare your sword…
CRITICAL NINJARY
Whatever your approach there’s plenty of scope for murderous mischief. The target count’s back down to two for this final episode, yet the decrease in kills is balanced out by a spike in incidental fatalities, none greater than an entire suite of surgical subterfuge that even eclipses our very own Doc PlayStation’s (p103) growing list of malpractice mishaps.
It’s the ending I’d longed for to a series that has to be classed as more than the sum of its parts. For all the ups and downs each episode has brought, the complete season is vintage Hitman. When digested as a whole the pacing isn’t ideal – prologue levels aside it’s sorely missing some small maps to break up the flow – yet the experience’s evolution since the Intro Pack has been superb for us players who’ve been hooked from the start. Not only has the game improved from a mechanical standpoint, it’s been bolstered by tons of extra permanent and limited-time features and hits.
Yet to play? Next January’s ‘Complete First Season’ disc release might look attractive, but the longer you wait to begin your adventure, the more you’ll miss out on as one-off Elusive Targets come and go. But provided content keeps coming, Blood Money will no longer be the only series entry talked about in hushed tones.
VERDICT
A fantastic end to a fine season of assassination. Hitman’s developed better than expected – but the onus is now on IO to keep adding content throughout the next year. Matthew Pellett