It’s been a while, 47.
Six years?
Seven?
Either way, things have changed since your last mission.
Think you can still be relevant?
Last time anyone saw you, people were freaking out about this new iPhone thing.
The biggest new games in the world were some shooters—Halo and Call of Duty.
But now?
Ha!
It’s a new world, 47.
Actually, it’s not.
Hitman’s back, and it’s still pretty awesome.
Yes, it is.
F*ckin’ Christmas.
I
guess after half a decade of inactivity, a little rust would be a natural expectation.
There’s none to be found.
And where you might expect it, there’s a sharper polish than ever before.
Where other games might wander, this one’s more focused than ever.
His little vacation has seemingly done nothing but good for Agent 47.
Because Absolution might be his best game yet.
Now, in a general sense, things are basically as you remember them.
Playing as an exceptionally skilled assassin, you’re dropped into an environment where
you have a specific goal...and a million ways to accomplish it.
That’s always been a tenet of this series, but in Absolution, it’s been both modernized
and expanded upon.
When I say Absolution has been modernized, what I mean is...it’s just a lot more accessible
and playable than prior versions.
Things like checkpoints and adjustable difficulty play a part in that, but the game also achieves
this through broader design elements.
47 has instincts, which when activated are essentially x-ray vision.
This reveals the location of both enemies and useful objects or weapons.
Now, that might sound like it hinders the sense of stealth, but in fact...it does the
opposite.
It gives gameplay that was already brimming with possibilities for stealth creativity
even more.
You have a much more comprehensive view of the situation, meaning you can plan your approach
a lot more effectively.
Your instincts also allow you to walk by enemies unnoticed, provided you’re in a convincing
disguise.
And again, this all opens up what was already a very open game.
Speaking of planning your kills...I was never very good at that.
But in Absolution, the sense of accomplishment for pulling off a good one is even greater.
And it’s thanks to both the game’s functional improvements and renewed brilliance of its
level designs.
You’re almost overwhelmed by their possibilities.
So you can plant a bomb on your target’s car, trip the alarm and when he goes to shut
it off...
And you could sneak by this guy, or...
And then again, you can also just barge in and blow people apart.
The choice is yours, but the game grades you on virtually every aspect of your approach,
which only adds to Absolution’s already insane replay value.
Stealth games can be a lot to chew on, and so I think the best stealth games are the
ones that understand that...these games are tricky enough without being tricky to play.
This one gets that.
You can have a million different items in a virtual toy box of stealth, but they don’t
do any good if no one ever finds them.
Hitman has not only taken measures to improve itself, but to improve its entire genre with
Absolution.
And as usual, Agent 47 is right on target.