Boy, do I need to work on my predictions.
Square Enix and IO-Interactive finally revealed the location of Hitman’s next DLC pack, and Agent 47 has packed his bags. The destination is the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, and IO is cranking up the difficulty level. According to the official Hitman web site, the latest episode “Freedom Fighters” will be much more than the standard “kill these two hooligans” formula. The objectives and challenges will be expanded to an astounding degree.
“The four targets are Sean Rose, Maya Parvati, Ezra Berg and Penelope Graves; four very different, very dangerous people with their own specialist skill-sets ranging from environmental terrorism to chemical interrogation. Episode 5 will include all-new opportunities and disguises, plus 70 challenges that will unlock brand new gear, weapons and items for 47 to use in all existing locations. Not only that, Episode 5: Colorado also rewards players with huge story revelations as the season builds towards a thrilling climax.”
The studio head at IO-Interactive, Hannes Seifert, went on to explain how this episode is going to be a much different beast than Sapienza, Paris, Marrakesh, or Bangkok.
“This is one of the toughest episodes yet. Not only do you have four targets, but from the moment you set foot in Colorado you’re on enemy ground. ‘Freedom Fighters’ is a key episode, which will add serious momentum to the story and set up an intriguing season finale for players.”
Last month, I (wrongly) predicted that 47 would be heading to the bustling metropolis of Las Vegas, with Portland and Los Angeles serving as backup guesses. I originally thought that the sheer amount of pedestrians would properly show off the hardware and bring all manner of fun outfits. Plus, Las Vegas was a fun playground in Hitman: Blood Money, so a return made sense.
I couldn’t have been further off base, but in a way I’m very excited to be wrong. The wide open vistas could bring some easy sniping, and the provided screenshots show some interesting options. If you examine the photo, you see tractors, forklifts, and what appears to be an Anti-Aircraft gun. Just imagine what kind of damage you could do with that thing.
I’m overjoyed by the prospect of infiltrating a militia encampment. In a way, this mission should be a much better version of the Battlefield: Hardline mission “Sovereign Land”, and you shouldn’t have to fight a tank to escape an airfield. Plus, having four targets to assassinate will completely change the planning phase.
The Freedom Fighters DLC will release on September 27th for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
