I love being a Hitman. That's a sentence that'll come back to bite me if I ever run for office. Regardless, I find that stepping into the shoes of Agent 47 is one of the most immersive experiences I've ever felt as a gamer, no joke, I never get tired of it. So much so that I even place Hitman: No Subtitle (And by extension, Hitman: No Subtitle 2) on my list of top ten personal favourites. Just ahead of RE:2. It might seem weird to someone from the outside, why I throw such high praise upon this franchise that doesn't appear all that special or unique from the offset. It's a game about killing guys, right? Same as any other. Yes and no. Hitman takes a very different approach to 'Assassin Creed' or 'Dishonorned' in some subtle but important details.
In Hitman, you take on the role of Agent 47; a genetically engineered clone designed to be the perfect killer: capable, precise and remorseless. The series often has you tackling the assassination of many different targets across the world, giving you freedom of approach and execution. Canonically, 47 is a master of the 'accident', manufacturing elaborate kills that no one would ever suspect foul play for. In play, however, the choice is yours to decide how clean or messy you want to be as you cut a bloody swathe through the dozens of targets in each game. Most of time, players have to rely on stealth and ingenuity over their iconic silverballers in order to pull of the perfect hit, utilising misdirections and disguises as they infiltrate areas of opportunity. The whole process appeals to me in a ways I can only gush about, and whilst I may not have played every game in the series yet, I've played enough to write a good bit about what Hitman does better than anyone else.
When I first found Hitman, it was during the marketing campaign for 'Hitman: Absolution'. I was drawn in by the Hollywood-esque angle that they seemed to be going for with this outing; set piece scenes of dodging a helicopter strafe and atmospheric stealth sections around dozens of cops. Ironic that these were the scenes that pulled me into the games despite the fact that these were the least representative of the larger franchise. In fact, many fans actively share their disgust with 2012's Hitman: Absolution; claiming it was a huge misstep for the franchise, kowtowing to the popular tropes of other AAA games instead of honing it's own special brand of gameplay. Perhaps I would share that vehemency if Absolution wasn't my very first entry. As it stands, I recognize Absolution's flaws but I have a soft spot for the game and appreciate it for what it was.
Absolution is unique in a Hitman game, as it doesn't completely reflect all of that 'Freedom in gameplay' that I talked about earlier. In Absolution you followed a linear path, like a movie, and were thrown into scenario situations wherein you had to either get to the next area or murder a specific person and then get to the next area. It all sounds rather drab when you describe it but I assure you that it all comes down to execution. Absolution isn't a bad game, by any means, it achieves the style and approach that it was aiming for quite well; telling the tale of 47's rogue year from the ICA and his fight for survival when his former employers go after him. It was just the wrong game. It belonged in a different franchise, for a different main character. It was clear from the games level design; which ditched large open areas brimming with opportunity for narrow little hubs of activity. And it was clear in the gameplay; which added in a weird 'dead-eye' system wherein 47 would gun down an entire room like an action star. The game just missed the point of Hitman. 47 was always never the one on centre stage, he was the one behind the curtains pulling the strings. Literally in some cases.
At the time, However, I didn't know any of this. I didn't know how out-of-place the story was for Hitman's world or how out-of-character 47 felt, because it was my first look at any thing Hitman branded. Back then I was just a simple stealth fan who lapped up this brand new stealth title readily. I enjoyed the globetrotting nature of the story, the quirky targets and the fun assassinations; never realizing that I was getting an inferior example of all three. After I finished it, (almost) I never really thought about Hitman again until years later when interest started to drum up for something of a soft series reboot with 2016's 'Hitman: No Subtitle'.
By this point I had already played some of the other games in the series but was yet to fall in love. The first game, 'Hitman: Codename 47', was an interesting look at a game who's vision was clearly not yet defined. Levels swung from planning an assassination of a Triad leader one mission to storming a Colombian drug lab, guns-blazing, in the next. It sort of felt like the original Splinter Cell, (Eerily so. As if they were made on the same engine.) only with a dartboard-to-the-wall kind of approach. Throwing ideas and concepts at the wall and seeing what sticks.
I had also played 'Hitman: Blood Money' under heavy recommendation. That was the first time I really got a taste at what Hitman was supposed to feel like. Sprawling levels with a myriad of approach options and only your wits to guide you through. Blood Money impressed me with level design, but won me over with it's music. I know what you're thinking: "Who cares about music in a game about killing people", but I'm a sucker for the little details and Blood Money's dynamic music system tickled me to no end. The way the music grew more foreboding the moment you entered a restricted area or piqued up when you were spotted, and the way the music started to slur and sputter out as you got closer to death. It was this little extra immersive layer that really sold the world to me. Oh, and the stats screen. To this day I adore Blood Money's stats screen. Instead of just giving you a list like any other game, Blood Money would greet you with the local newspaper report on the murder you just committed; wherein they tally up the body count, witness reports and even how accurate you were. Again, it's the little details.
However, neither game had hooked me in enough to play through to the end. I gave up on 'Codename 47' by Columbia and 'Blood Money' only managed to hold me until the riverboat level. So what would it take to sell me on Hitman? That was the question on my mind when I approached 'Hitman: No Subtitle' in 2016. I had watched their gameplay demos and trailers and I fell for their marketing bait. Something about the slick new graphical coat on the beautiful Paris backdrop lured me in. If I was wise enough to read into it I may not have bit. 'Episoidic games' was a dirty word back in 2016, and it still is today. People loathe the idea of paying for an unfinished product, and rightly so. It's the same reason why 'Early-access' and 'Games-as-a-service' gripes on everyone so much; why should we be sold on what the game might become in a year or so, when we should be sold on what the game currently is? Luckily for me, I didn't realise that this was the company that Hitman was keeping when they released their demo in early 2016.
I loved that demo. I loved the 'training floor' scenario, the refined Hitman gameplay and the high quality cutscenes. IOI tantalised me with promises with what was to come and I ate it all up. I wasn't even too disappointed when I did discover 'Hitman: No Subtitle's' true episodic nature, because IOI had enough common sense not to overprice their installments. This new Hitman was built around the core concept of sustained replayability, with the level design, gameplay and presentation all laser focused to support this idea. You were meant to play through a level one way and then turn around and play again in a completely new way. Contrary to every other game at the time which were trying to lock in concurrent players through 'weekly challenges' and 'daily log-in bonuses', Hitman: No subtitle wanted to enrich the game enough to keep you playing. And it worked for me.
Buying Paris was a no brainier after the fun I had with the demo and then my fate was sealed. I spent more time playing and replaying the first level of Hitman 2016, than I have playing many games altogether. I've talked quite a bit about how good Hitman's level design can be, but until I played 'Hitman: No Subtitle's' Paris level, I had no idea that it could be genius. Like a beautifully constructed clockwork time piece, everything operates in synchronized perfection. NPCs would move on their own paths through the level, crossing over to activate events for each other, all as the narrative of level played out and the fashion night commenced. When you witnessed it, it felt like you were talking a small glimpse into a normal event like any other. All the gears would turn and everything would play out if no one interfered. Of course, 'interfereing' is exactly the player's prerogative.
Knock out one NPC and you throw off someone else's routine, which in turn throws of the event of the night and simultaneously puts your target in the path of a potential 'accident'. Steal this guy's disguise and get seen by the right people and you can find yourself having a one-on-one with one of your targets. Steal the button for the post-show fireworks and set them off early to have the event organiser run outside in frustration, opening up another 'accident'. The possibilities are almost inexhaustible and can be strung together in whatever way you so please. Sometimes in 'Hitman: No Subtitle', it's fun just to see how much chaos you can cause without firing a bullet; just put one thing out of place and watch the resulting disarray. That is 'The Hitman Fantasy'. Not just the act of pulling off the assassination but the the whole play of being someone who doesn't belong and taking advantage of that to your own ends.
That being said, 'Hitman: No Subtitle' was no slouch when it came to ingenious assassination setups either. I've often heard Hitman described as a 3D puzzle game and in many way's they're spot on. Dissenters might disagree and argue that Hitman lacks the razor precision of a puzzle but that is the beauty of it; you bring the precision. That moment when you know exactly how to reach your target and what strings you need to pull to get everyone where you need them to be is the solving of the conundrum. When I approach a new target, I engage the problem solving part of my brain to put together everything I know to achieve my goals. Like a true Hitman would.
Of course there is so much more to Hitman then what I have described. I haven't even begun to sing the praises of 'Hitman: No Subtitle's' later, even better, levels. Or the nuance of their visual design and the purity of gameplay. But for now all I wanted to do was impart a bit of the essence of what I believe is a true Hitman experience. The true Hitman fantasy. So I'll get into it more at a later date but before you read that, give Hitman a look in if you haven't already, you might be surprised.
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