Developed By: IO-Interactive
Published By: Square Enix
Platforms: PC, Xbox One, PS4 (Reviewed)
Release Date: 04/26/2016
Pack your Versace and grab some sunglasses, because Hitman is back and heading to Italy. The second update in the Hitman season pass is out this month, and it trades in the dark mansion of the fashion show for the fictional coastal town of Sapienza, not to be confused with the Sapienza University of Rome. IO-Interactive wants to use this second installment as further proof that the episodic formula can work for bigger games after a solid first episode, and while there are still some missing features that should have been present at an earlier date, Hitman still provides another great experience with more added features.
Ice Cream
As mentioned earlier, Sapienza is a vastly different setting than the fashion show in Paris. Instead of dark corridors, this Italian vacation town features vibrant gardens, ice cream shops, and multiple buildings to explore. One moment you could be visiting a Bohemian and checking out a hair salon during the next. This new area is so gigantic and diverse that the Paris fashion show level could probably fit in one of the corners. The best part about wandering around the town before trying to find your target is that there are a multitude of “Opportunities” available to help make the hit easier. It’s easy to spend an hour just checking out the sights and finding hidden clues before even starting the hit.
Just hanging out, just living.
Once you get bored of exploring the town, however, you mosey over to the gigantic Cliffside mansion and search for two scientists to dispose of, along with a nasty toxin. If these two survive, the world will perish as they release a new bio-weapon and cause utter havoc. It’s a fairly straightforward, James Bond-style plot, but it fits very well with the Italian setting. Hell, there is even a lady to woo using flowers and a romantic note. If only Agent 47 had an accent and liked martinis.
One thing that differentiates Sapienza from the Paris fashion show is the sheer amount of different outfits for murdering. Sure, there were a few outfits to choose from in the fashion show, but the choices in Sapienza are straight up ridiculous. In my first two-hour playthrough, I dressed up as a cook, a hippie, a tourist, a scientist, a 16th Century doctor, a soldier, and a housekeeper. Seven outfits and I didn’t even scratch the surface of options.
Making some poisonous Sphaghetti
Once you finish taking out the scientists—hopefully with multiple play sessions—it’s time to check out the side modes. Downloadable contracts are still available to provide more unique assassination options for random characters. If those aren’t enough, there is always the Escalation mode that starts out with a simple hit and gets harder and harder over multiple stages. Escalation is great if you have a few hours to kill and a lot of patience, but Contracts is the way to go if you just want to quickly pull off a hit. Unfortunately, the promised Elusive Contracts mode still isn’t available, but it should show up before the third mission drops next month.
For PlayStation 4 owners, there is also another new iteration in the Sarajevo Six. These exclusive missions task 47 with taking out a group of vicious mercenaries one by one. The Paris fashion show featured the director, and Sapienza features the enforcer. These missions may seem like the Contracts mode at first, but they actually play more like extra story missions because the targets have a horde of guards surrounding them at all times, and there are very specific ways to achieve the hit. The Sarajevo Six is a cool little extra for PS4 owners.
Hmmm…
After only two episodes, it honestly is a little difficult to figure out if $60 is a fair price for this episodic formula. The missions are fun, the cutscenes craft an interesting story, and the extra modes provide some unique opportunities for assassinations. I just can’t make up my mind. The key to watch as Hitman continues is level depth. So far, IO has increased the size of each level and thrown in a crazy amount of detail as compensation. A perfect example of this is an alligator pool toy that was tucked away in some random hallway. I wanted to see what would happen, so I shot the toy and watched it deflate in beautiful fashion. This attention to detail was spectacular; especially when you consider that the toy was in a hallway nowhere near the important objectives. Most people will never see this area, but IO still decided to put a little treat in anyway.
Hitman is a very entertaining game, and it seems like each subsequent episode is getting better as IO adapts to the console. The value proposition may not be there for some players, but I still think now is a great time to jump in and start taking out targets.
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