Few video game developers have been attached to a singular franchise from its inception. Danish studio IO Interactive birthed the bald, stoic character of Agent 47 back in 2000 with series-starter Hitman: Codename 47, and has since improved on the formula for better or worse. The highs of Blood Money, with its unique mission structure and improved gameplay, were followed by the lows of Absolution, which was excessively linear.
The dream for IOI was to create the ultimate Hitman sandbox, a game that could be replayed nearly endlessly, with intricate level design and challenging targets to dispose of in increasingly colourful ways. Their first attempt was 2016’s episodic reboot Hitman, with said business model abandoned for its 2018 sequel. The negative influence of greedy publisher Square Enix was felt through the first title, and the lower budget for its follow-up was visible through lacklustre locations and no animated cutscenes for the story.
However, 2021’s Hitman 3 got close to the full potential of the intoxicating fantasy of playing a chameleonic globetrotting assassin. Independently published by IO Interactive itself, the trilogy-ender delivered stunning set-pieces, from a Berlin nightclub where Agent 47 has to uncover his targets from the crowd to a gothic villa in Dartmoor where a picturesque whodunit is happening. Each one of the missions is memorable, even if the ongoing storyline (which includes an endless list of twists and backstabbings) is needlessly convoluted and unlikely to garner any fans.
It is with its final iteration that IO Interactive has created a true magnum opus. In early 2023, Hitman 3 became known as Hitman: World of Assassination. The game combines all of the destinations from the latest trilogy (a grand total of 22 unique areas) and the various bonus missions into one complete package. It is as filling as a fan of stealth games could hope for: planning the initial loadout for each stage, choosing to follow a pre-determined mission story or to experiment with various mechanics, having 47 make his way through multiple disguises while avoiding detection… It is a tense, often hilarious, and always rewarding experience, giving the right amount of player freedom that makes each playthrough so unique and refreshing (courtesy also of the Mastery system, which unlocks more starting locations and items for future attempts).
All of this would be enough to make Hitman: World of Assassination the grandest entry in the series, one that would take at least 60 hours to finish without rushing. There is, however, one new mode that was added with this update that could have easily functioned as its own game: Freelancer. Hitman: Freelancer sees everyone’s favourite assassin unemployed, with no support from the International Contract Agency, and no tools whatsoever.
IO Interactive turned Hitman into a roguelike adventure. The player can choose one of multiple syndicates to attack (each with different bonus objectives, from how to kill targets to timed restrictions), and then they travel to an available location to complete the contract. The catch is that there are no starting weapons, including series staples like the silenced pistol or the lockpick. The omission of such fundamental elements completely reshapes the way one approaches a mission, and the randomly selected NPC who needs to be offed can often be found in crowded, uncomfortably large areas.
Gone are the days when 47 could silently headshot someone from a rooftop, or keep on opening new doors with an unbreakable lockpick. Hitman: Freelancer is all about patience and improvisation, and just like a real-life freelancer, things never go as planned as there are never enough resources. If the player dies in a mission, any item they had will be permanently lost, which makes storing rare items in the main safehouse a mandatory skill to master. It is this constant tension, this lack of safety, knowing that one wrong move could ruin hours of progress, that turns an already exciting game into a truly endlessly replayable and addictive experience. “Hitman but roguelike” is such a clever idea, it is surprising that no one thought of it beforehand. The self-seriousness of 47 blends seamlessly with the manic sandbox that players toy with, and the added limitations of Freelancer lead to really fun mistakes that cannot be prevented with save scumming. Frustration is limited thanks to this mode’s own Mastery system, through which the central safehouse and hub between missions expands and becomes a proper mansion for players to relax in.
It may be too early to make such a bold statement, but Hitman: World of Assassination may go down in history as one of the greatest stealth games of all time. Be it for the vast amount of player freedom, the unforgettable experiences born from chaos, the easily-recognizable exotic locations, and the wide array of gadgets and weapons to fit anyone’s playstyle, there truly is something for everyone in here. The addition of the Freelancer mode is the cherry on top, a reminder that IO Interactive has not forgotten what gamers want out of a stealth game, which makes them the ideal developers for the upcoming 007 game they are currently working on. It may have taken them almost 7 years ever since the Paris mission was showcased, with Agent 47 donning a sleek tuxedo to infiltrate a prestigious fashion show, to finally make their spy game a reality, but, as they say: better late than never.
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