Developed By: IO-Interactive
Published By: Square Enix
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Price: $60 for the full experience or $15 for the Intro Pack and $50 for the Upgrade
IO-Interactive has been hitting it out of the park with Hitman. Each episode has been better than the last and completely varied. Not to mention the frustrating‚in a good way—Elusive Targets that have been periodically appearing. The sheer amount of content included in the $60 pack has been impressive, and IO kept that train rolling last Thursday with a new release.
Obviously, the big news was the addition of Gary Busey as a special, seven-day Elusive Target, but that actually served as a stealth release of the Summer Bonus pack, announced earlier at E3. These two special missions are alternate takes on both Sapienza and Marrakesh that tell a different story of Agent 47’s career. Don’t expect any cutscenes that tie into the main story because these two missions are set during an earlier time.
The first mission of the Summer Pack, The Icon, places 47 back in Sapienza. However, this version of the coastal Italian town is quite different because the mansion is locked up and the various shops are taken over by security guards. Gone are the tables and small Italian cars and in their places are merchandise tables and photo opportunities. The reason? An over-the-hill actor is filming a blockbuster action movie—think Ben Stiller in Tropic Thunder—but 47 is on site to force the actor into “retirement.”
Autographs are expensive
Being an action film, this mission is understandably set at night and has an entirely different feel. Sapienza feels abandoned, and the crowds are all gathered around the filming areas. Sneaking around the apartment buildings and businesses is slightly easier with the lack of pedestrians, but security guards are more suspicious. They investigate every noise with surprising quickness, placing 47 in quite the pickle. Getting noticed can destroy your hit much too quickly, and guards are around every single corner to throw that wrench into the plans.
Luckily, The Icon has some of the more unique and exciting opportunities available to defeat the added risks. The actor is completely bulletproof, so taking him out requires inventive thinking and over-the-top assets. Seriously, there is a giant, walking robot alien that shoots flames, and that’s the small robot.
That green robot is killer…literally
The second mission, A House Built On Sand, is more grounded than The Icon, and it offers more options for taking out the targets. The night version of Marrakesh is just as busy as the main mission, only with a tourist feel. The first moments in the original Marrakesh were almost frightening with the riots and wartime feel. A House Built On Sand is infinitely more relaxed as tourists explore the marketplaces and taste foreign foods.
A nice marketplace
Where The Icon cranks up the weirdness factor, A House Built On Sand actually dials it back and plays mora like a classic Hitman mission. Food is available for poisoning and hazards litter every street corner. Lockpicks and silent weapons are a necessity in this level because of the crowd. It’s much easier to work on tactics that isolate the two enemies and focus on silent assassinations. Although one of the best aspects of this Marrakesh mission is the verticality. Rooftops can play a large role, if you let them, and provide new viewpoints for taking out the targets. You just have to think outside the [literal] box.
Rooftops are very helpful
Both The Icon and A House Built On Sand may reuse some assets from earlier missions and lack some of the drawn out opportunities, but it’s hard to knock a free bonus, especially one that includes more unique assassination options. IO didn’t have to include these two missions, but the developer still thought it would be fun to mix up the standard levels with new settings. Hell, both of these missions are good enough to justify the game’s purchase, but they are completely free—for owners of the full experience.
IO-Interactive keeps justifying this purchase each and every month.
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