Version tested: Playstation 5
Finally in our personal arcades, the third chapter, and final act, of the saga on agent 47 arrives, Hitman 3, distributed for PlayStation 4/5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series One / X / S, and Microsoft Windows.
Published by IO Interactive just over 2 years after the second chapter (here our review), let's see if the Scandinavian studio has managed to break through our hearts again, making us enjoy this latest series of missions, playing the role of the relentless killer.
Let's find out together in our review!
Hitman 3: The Last Contract
As anticipated, this third chapter concludes the saga linked to Agent 47's businesses, consolidating what has been done in the previous chapters, and implementing some improvements to conclude the work done in the best possible way.
Whether you're an avid fan of the brand, or it's your first time playing the game, we basically believe you won't have any problems. More than a central body, the plot in Hitman is a glue between the various contracts; Through neat cut scenes (dubbed exclusively in English), you will witness the development of the story mission after mission.
In truth, perhaps taking away a character, which we will not reveal, to which we can become attached, for the rest, the level of introspection of the main NPCs will always remain quite superficial.
Nothing really negative, however, considering that IO Interactive actually aims, as in the past, to marble the game in the highest positions of the all time stealth game ranking.
In video games where we have stealth among the possibilities of approach, or the art of going unnoticed, very often something ends up going wrong and our conversion from ninja to John Rambo is immediate and resolving. In Hitman 3, discretion is sacred: the pro-gamer of the series, will be able to finish the game without firing a single shot. Through careful planning of your moves, studying the map and the routines of our targets thoroughly, it can be almost invisible.
“I am not sending you to kill. You are invisible. I send you, because you do not exist. "
Alexander ConklinNatural Born Killers
Once the game is started, one aspect is immediately clarified: if you have saves from previous titles you can import them, thus being able to play all 18 missions of the trilogy in sequence, with slight improvements made. Otherwise, we will have various packages to buy in order to make the game richer and more complete.
After the initial tutorial, in this third act we will have a campaign consisting of 6 contracts and as many suggestive locations. The game does not require you to play them in strict sequence, but it strongly recommends it in order to make sense of the story.
These are our destinations:
- Dubai: we will start with a double contract to be carried out on the highest skyscraper in the world, between luxuries, armed security and a breathtaking view.
- England: in an isolated and luxurious mansion where a mysterious suicide has recently occurred, we will be able to choose how to approach its residents.
- Berlin: here our objectives will be discovered as you proceed with your mission.
- China: we will find ourselves in a metropolitan district where an imposing underground Hi-Tech complex is hidden.
- Argentina: inside a large farm, where the production of a prestigious wine takes place and who knows what else.
- We prefer to let you discover the last location in game ...
One could criticize the low quantity of settings, but we break a spear in favor of IO Interactive: better quality than quantity. Every single setting is recreated with an extraordinary wealth of details. Nothing is left to chance or put there "just for", from one environment to another it will almost seem like we have different games in hand.
In this first run we will have a single starting point and basic equipment. For each contract we will be able to choose three types of difficulty, which will affect the AI of the enemies, the number of rescues that we can do and other details.
gameplay
During our test we kept the difficulty at normal, which is the lowest during all missions. We have not found anomalous AI behaviors, but clearly for lovers of the genre, we will need to move the bar a little higher to have an adequate level of challenge.
The shooting phases do not shine for precision and dynamism, however it must be considered that the game, if approached in the right way, mostly invites you to keep the weapon firmly in the holster.
The hiding system of neutralized enemies is fun and varied: we won't spoil you any further, but the choices will be varied and almost always credible.
Special mention for the PS5 Dualsense which is well supported, giving us appreciable tactile feedback especially in the use of the various weapons.
The best weapon in Hitman 3, replayability
Wanting to see the credits, it would take a few hours, but you would only have given an end to the plot. The real essence of this Hitman 3 is the huge replay value: As a contract is completed, additional access points, shortcuts, weapons and accessories will be unlocked.
The approach for each mission can be completely upset from one run to another, the multiple disguises will tangibly influence your presence within the scenarios. You can basically choose your favorite killer-style, ranging from the invisible shadow, to the ruthless killer, to the creator of spectacular environmental accidents.
All this, in addition to guaranteeing a substantial longevity to the title, will open you to the complex and profound world of challenges: within the game, for each contract, you will have dozens of challenges to complete, in order to quench your thirst. of completism.
The objective of the single mission in the subsequent runs will no longer be just the target itself, but the sub-objectives that you will have to complete to complete a certain challenge.
In this respect we can assert without delay that IO Interactive has done an excellent job, giving the game multiple lives and a truly appreciable depth.
Graphics and technical sector
Il Glacier Engine, IO Interactive's proprietary graphics engine, despite the years behind it, still does its job very well for the type of production for which it was created.
The settings, whatever they are, from the rich and adorned living room of a villa in the English countryside, rather than from the view from a terrace of a Dubai skyscraper, the yield is always superb. On PS5 the game never experiences frame drops, much less in the most agitated situations.
In addition to always running very smoothly, the uploads, thanks to the SSD are very fast and in general the game performance, right from the menus, up to the most relevant graphic details, is always excellent.
The only flaw in our opinion that a little out of place with what has been said is the model of the characters, much more "plasticky" and less detailed than the environments, but still average.
As for the dubbing, as already mentioned, it is only available in English (subtitled in Spanish), but that's okay considering that a great job has been done by the actors. As the soundtrack is equally apt and pertinent.
Sore note: we were unable to complete a campaign mission due to a currently unsolvable disabling bug about our match.
Final comment
Hitman 3 closes the saga of agent 47 with a flourish, consolidating its many advantages, net of which small flaw. Perhaps a bit of courage was lacking in terms of innovation but if you want to recover the previous missions via DLC, you can enjoy a huge game. Technically fluid and beautiful to look at on current gen. Stealth game, with a reasoned pace, with very wide replayability: if this is what you are looking for, the answer is only one, immediate purchase.
