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Review of Hitman 3
I never had the chance to play Hitman 1 or 2 and always thought they were just about killing specific targets without much of a story to engage with. However, after playing Hitman 3, I realized I’ve been missing out on an incredible experience. Hitman 3 delivered one of the most unique and exciting gaming experiences I’ve had recently, and now I’m eager to go back and play the first two games to enjoy the missions I missed.
The story picks up after the additional content from Hitman 2. However, you don’t need to understand the entire plot to enjoy Hitman 3, as the core gameplay revolves around eliminating a series of targets.
The story focuses on Agent 47 and his ally Lucas Grey as they continue their mission to eliminate key members of Providence, a secret organization that controls global affairs. The ultimate goal is to take down The Constant, the organization’s leader. The story features some great plot twists and an exciting cinematic ending that teases an intriguing future for the series. There’s also a secret ending that you can unlock through a specific method (no spoilers here!). If you can’t figure it out, search “Hitman 3 Secret Ending” on YouTube to find it—it’s definitely surprising.
The standout aspect of Hitman 3 is its gameplay. Since this was my first experience with the series, everything in Hitman 3 felt new and fresh. Let me highlight the features that made me love the gameplay and kept me hooked.
The missions are brilliantly designed. Each of the six missions takes place in a sandbox environment, offering the freedom to approach your objectives in various ways. Each mission features stories and clues that help you locate your target or someone close to them. For instance, you can impersonate someone to get closer to your target or go in guns blazing like John Wick. Alternatively, you can take a stealthy approach and avoid being noticed throughout the mission.
The game offers three difficulty levels. I played on Casual since this was my first Hitman game. On this level, the game is more forgiving—you won’t get spotted easily, and the AI is less aggressive. However, the missions still present a challenge, as one small mistake can lead to chaos.
Let’s talk about some memorable missions. The first mission is set in Dubai’s towering Burj Al-Ghazali, where you need to eliminate two targets during the grand opening of the skyscraper. The level design is incredible, with multiple floors and numerous creative ways to complete your objectives. You can also take on side missions within the main mission to uncover more about the story and your targets.
Another standout mission is “Death in the Family” in Britain, where you must kill a target and retrieve a file from a vault in a mansion. To your surprise, the mansion is the site of a murder mystery, and they’ve hired a private detective to investigate. You can eliminate the detective, take his place, and solve the mystery yourself. The level’s intricate details make this mission incredibly engaging.
In this mission, the vault requires you to solve a puzzle to open it. The inclusion of puzzles adds variety to the gameplay. You can also unlock shortcuts and new entry points for replaying missions, making the game more dynamic and interconnected.
The third mission, “Apex Predator,” takes you to a nightclub in Berlin, Germany, where you must eliminate five targets. The mission’s atmosphere is reminiscent of the “Red Circle” scene from the first John Wick movie, and it’s thrilling to sneak through and take down security to reach your targets. Each subsequent mission adds new stories and unique settings, keeping the experience fresh and exciting.
If you own Hitman 1 and 2, you can play them within Hitman 3, enjoying updated visuals and improvements. This works seamlessly on Xbox Series X|S, though it may require some effort on PlayStation and is currently unavailable for PC users due to platform differences (Epic Games vs. Steam). IO Interactive has promised a solution soon.
The game runs on IO Interactive’s Glacier Engine. While it may not look drastically different from the previous entries, the addition of Screen Space Reflections significantly enhances visuals, especially with reflective surfaces like glass. A ray-tracing update planned for 2021 will further improve graphics on PC and next-gen consoles.
Hitman 3 excels in sound design. Using dynamic sound settings enhances the realism, allowing you to pinpoint enemies based on sound cues. The voice acting, especially for NPCs, adds depth to the experience. Agent 47’s minimal dialogue is purposeful and enhances his enigmatic character.
I played Hitman 3 on Xbox Series S, where it runs at 1080p and 60 FPS with High textures and Low shadows. The performance is excellent and stable. For the best graphics, Xbox Series X offers Native 4K at 60 FPS with Ultra textures and High shadows, outperforming the PlayStation 5 version.
