In many ways, I see Hitman as my own personal James Bond Adventure. It's all about jet-setting to exotic locations to perform clandestine actions whilst concealing your true identity. Of course, 47 doesn't boast deep-seated insecurities and mistrust that can only be quenched with an unending string of one night affairs, but 3 out of 4 ain't bad. In that vein, the idea of travelling to the tropical jungles of Columbia in order to assassinate a drug lord is absolutely up me street. So I'm going to go through this level, as I am wont to do, and assess all that I adore, dislike, and am ambivalent towards. (And perhaps learn a little bit about game design as I go.) Oh, Spoilers, by the by.
After the deaths of the Knox's, the Shadow Client, who's name is revealed to be Lucas Grey, activates his Colombian contacts thus setting off the ICA hackers. (Those unsung heroes!) The agency have deduced that the militia are using the drug smuggling lanes of the Delgado Cartel in order to get their way around the world unseen. Diana, therefore, decides that the best way to cripple the militia's movement to dismantle the entire cartel. (Nuclear option much?) To this end, 47 has to "Behead (the) three-headed serpent." of Rico Delgado, Andrea Martinez and Jorge Franco. Rico is ambitious and eager to raise the Delgado name back to the heights is was at before the mysterious murder of his uncle; Fernando Delgado, back in 2004. For this goal his has recruited his childhood friend Andrea, former advertising executive turned Cartel spin doctor; and Jorge, a brilliant but troubled chemist who is on the verge of developing his very own, and I quote, 'super cocaine'. (Okay Dee, you're just making these mission briefs up off the top of your head, aren't you?)
So far so 'Ghost Recon: Wildlands', however, instead of dedicating the next year of his life to slowly killing off minor captains of the Cartel, like the US military opted to do, 47 instead decides to rock up to the Delgado's home address and do it all in an afternoon. And so we end up in the quaint Colombian town of Santa Fortuna. This has to be one of my favourite locations in Hitman., (Jeez, I feel like I say that a lot.) because of the way that IOI managed to flawlessly capture the aesthetic of a small South American town. There's so much to note, from the iconic boxy shape of the buildings and to saturated orange of the bricks. The feel of the town also borrows from the lazy, laid back vibe of Sapienza; quite different to the hectic excitement of Miami's race track.
In the design of Santa Fortuna, you really get the sense that IOI wanted to make a map that had much more of a variety to it's locations than any previous one, which is difficult to do when you are working with a limited, and ostensibly focused, game world. However, one merely needs to explore around to see just how diverse the parts of this particular map are. You have the village itself, with it's aforementioned lazy attitude and low guard presence; the unkempt jungle, with it's tall plants, running streams, and roaming death squads; the Delgado Mansion, which looks exactly as you picture a drug lords mansion looking; the Coca plant fields, with fields of pickers, protective gear wearing guards and more high vegetation to stalk around like a raptor; and the underground tunnels, home to Jorge's 'super cocaine' lab and a huge Bond-esque submarine hanger. Those are just the main stand outs too, I haven't even mentioned the small construction site, the fishing district or the ancient (Mayan?) ruins.
IOI really did want to make sure that they made use of this space when it came to planning out their character routes, which is why we have 3 targets that are positively strewn across this map. Rico is in the mansion, a high security area (obviously); Martinez is in her office, although she frequents the village to walk amidst the commoners; and Jorge frequents the Coca fields, his lab and (With a little encouragement) the jungle too. Just through the plain act of completing the main quest you will find yourself having been whisked around the breadth of the play space, but even then there will be much you haven't seen. Some of my favourite player-made contracts and escalations have been featured here, and uncovering this maps two secrets have been perhaps my favourite challenge runs. I would call Santa Fortuna some of IOI's best work, and pray the look back on this map when they get around to (The already confirmed) 'Hitman 3: (Presumably) No Subtitle'.
The main mission targets are very special compared to some of the previous ones I've bought up, (or at least two of them are.) because, for the first time ever, we have people who's backstory intertwines with our own (Not in the 'Ort-Meyer' way, but in the 'I murdered your family' kind of way.). The most obvious connection is the big man himself; Rico Delgado. Hitman fans might remember the Delgado Cartel from the 'Hitman: Blood Money' level: A Vintage Year. That mission has you infiltrating the vineyard/coke factory of Don Delgado and killing him and his son. (In a mission that I swear 'Killing Eve' ripped off.) That's right, 'the mysterious death of (Rico's) uncle' that is mentioned in the mission briefing is actually in reference to your own assassination 15 years beforehand. I love how much this connection fills out the wider world of Hitman for fans in a way that feels rewarding to discover.
But, not only is there a reference to Blood Money, there is also a direct link with 'Hitman: No Subtitle' regarding Andrea Martinez. You see, way back in the first Hitman level; The Showstopper, you might remember how Dalia Margolis was running an illicit information brokery upstairs. Many high profile individuals were present with the intent to buy some sweet knowledge, a few of whom became recurring Hitman background characters; one of whom became a main character. Sure, back in Paris Andrea Martinez didn't exactly resemble her main mission counterpart, but she is the same person. IOI just didn't need to dedicate the resources to make a random NPC look high quality back then. (Who do you think they are, CD Projekt Red?)
When creating a world that is full of so many moving pieces like Hitman is, the little details that are put in go a long way to bring the whole thing to life. Back in Nightcall, I commended the choice to have, former side character, Pam Kingsley report on the aftermath of some of your hits (Like how the Cassandra Snow novels skyrocket in popularity after you murdered their author.) Actually bringing old NPC's back as targets helps to push that to a whole new level. Heck, I still think it's cool that Rico's brother, Hector (Who is related to a couple opportunities in this mission), turns up in Miami with that Sultan who keeps popping up.
None of that extra work means that IOI Skipped out on the core experiences, however. Opportunities are still as fun and rewarding as ever. Once again we have a slew of opportunities that take advantage of little character quirks as a way to get close to the target. Martinez works the local populace? Then find a way to lure her onto the construction site so that she might have an accident. Jorge is a paranoid perfectionist who won't delegate work? Mess with his supply chain in order to bring him running. In fact, the weakest link of the targets is, surprisingly, Rico himself, as there are no real discoveries in any of his opportunities. One thing I did like, however, is the way how in this mission, every opportunity could be completed in such a way that, if you don't kill them, you actually end up brightening their day. This leads to a challenge that tasks 47 with assisting everyone in the village (Before killing his targets) and consequently unlocking a very unique, and very fitting, exit animation. I won't spoil it, but let's just say that it brings a welcome touch of Disney to a game about mass murder.
Santa Fortuna is another strong level by IOI, showcasing how they did not limit themselves by choosing to ditch the episodic level format. As a big fan of the last game, I also enjoy the way that IOI choose to mirror some elements of the first game's levels without copying them. Miami was a huge public event, just like Paris; and Santa Fortuna was an exotic, chill, residential area with a mansion, just like Sapienza. Would they continue that trend by recapturing the organized chaos of Marrakesh for their next map? Find out tomorrow when I continue.
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