That was surprisingly intense.
4 Likes
I really loved this escalation, I even plan to re play it later. If all the future escalation were at this level I could even live without proper bonus missions.
10 Likes
By far my favorite deluxe escalation.
I loved the eerie atmosphere, the music, and the straightjacket. Everything about this escalation was fun to me.
11 Likes
So hereâs my humble opnion on this escalation.
The idea in itself is really cool and the Atmosphere is top notch with lack of any actual Music, aswell as eerie absence of any NPCs, but the Bikers (+HirschmĂźller and Gestur), so I have a major issue with it and that is the insta fail condition.
This Condition takes out any alternative playstyles of the escalation and especially near the End of Level 1 it just becomes frustrating having to do everything over from the start.
Level 2, while not having this super tedious end passage has the Guy, who need to be drowned with a super long routine and the trouble of finding Rat Poison⌠that isenât even needed and the Mirror Man, who couldnât be more annoying with his goddamn posing and looking in all directions. Overall, most issuses of it come and go with the insta fail condition, so theres that.
As a little Sidenote though, I wish the Bikers wouldâve been turned into Doctors or Scientists or something to even better capture the Asylum Feeling. (There should be enough Models for that I think.)
9 Likes
I just canât get over how good the start of this escalation is.
<3 Hitman: Codename 47 references.
5 Likes
Like @DrMekar said, if only the level had doctor NPCs instead of bikers. Then the whole thing would have been 
4 Likes
I enjoyed it too, great escalation overall. I had a strange feeling, it took me 1 hour to find a decent timing for the first stage in SA, the second one, I found a solution much faster like maybe after 15 minutes and 3 tries, and the 3rd one even faster. Itâs a reversed escalation haha.
5 Likes
Often you hear people that escalations drive them crazy.
Itâs only fitting that this one should drive you sane.
13 Likes
I didnât expect this big changes to the map, that was a positive surprise. I also like how the levels proceeded from the lowest floor all the way to the gas station. Good challenge, but weirdly the last level was by far the easiest one.
6 Likes
Just finished this one and canât help but agree with most posts here.
To me this is indeed the best Deluxe Escalation of the bunch.
Escaping in a straitjacket in that deserted nightclub from some leftover bikers was very, very creepy. Easily the deluxe escalation where the location gets the biggest twist from the original ones.
It was one of the hardest as well and it seemed well crafted to make you fail after succeeding a certain part. It happened to me a lot, but it was satisfying at the end.
3 Likes
Completed it yesterday. Very different from the previous escalation and in right line of the Deluxe escalation with a kind of story split in three parts. Very interesting.
The impossibility to save means that you need to be very careful and choose wisely your strategy. Moreover, those damn freaking toys that automatically make noise when passing by⌠but you can use them at your own advantage.
The atmosphere is different from the regular mission. The empty nightclub is somehow disturbing. No music, no noiseâŚ
The final part with the escape within the forest and the gas station is also interesting.
A very good Deluxe escalation. Not my favorite (I really enjoyed the Lee Hong Escalation - minus the time limit). Tied with Profoff escalation.
3 Likes
I take it Iâm not the only one praying to every religious deity there is that one day there will be a patch allowing us to choose our starting suit on Untouchable in the Carpathian Mountains so that we can use the Straightjacket suit in the level which it would clearly be most thematically appropriate in, right?
11 Likes
This escalation was nearly worth the price of the Deluxe Edition alone. I say nearly because while it is undoubtedly the best of the bunch, I canât help but wish that it was done as some sort of âspecial assignmentâ instead so that the instant fail restriction could be removed and we could more freely explore and take different approaches. Itâs such a cool change to the map that itâs a shame to let it be restricted to the escalation conditions. I felt similar about the egg hunt.
Still, good fun overall and I like the general atmosphere and concept.
3 Likes
Im suprised that so many feel that this escalation was really good, or even the best of the deluxe ones. I feel the opposite.
Itâs way too linear, most of the kills being forced to fixed location, which is just boring. Add insta-fail complications on top and you just have something that is simply meh.
Dubai and China ones were far more enjoyable
3 Likes
I see your point. I agree the insta fail was unnecessary, but I still enjoyed it. It almost feels like a bonus mission than a regular escalationand Itâs a solid stealth experience. BTW, I agree about the linearity of it, especially the last level on the forest.
I like the new escalation design, where every level is different from each other, I prefer this to those escalation where it still gives the same object, but with some annoying complication.
Iâd rate the deluxe escalations in this order: Berlin>Chongquing > Dubai > Mendoza > Dartmoor > Romania.
3 Likes
Not a fan of the insta-fail condition in contracts or escalations. Itâs a pain. That not withstanding I quite enjoyed this, and might re-play just to get SA on all 3 levels which is something I donât usually do.
The fact that the levels are all entirely different really helps not make it feel like chore. With regular escalations I usually at some point just have to let out a sigh of âgoddamn! all of this shit againâ.
Itâs true that this is very linear, but then again I rarely play Escalations more than once, so non-linearity is less of an issue for me with them.
7 Likes
I donât really see it. How is it a bonus mission of a solid stealth experience? Just curious.
First two are just as bad tbh.
Would still be nice to have some sort of puzzle element to it, or some freedom of approach within the linear design. Instead this was all very handholdy, in your face, almost scripted kills, where it forced you to do the kills and order in the exact same way they intended, which for hitman is not a good thing.
2 Likes
Love this Escalation and I especially love the throwback to Asylum Aftermath from Hitman: Contracts.
When Level 1 started in the Escalation I instantly got the feeling back from the Contracts days! 
3 Likes
Atmosphere:
creation of contrast: from booming sound of underground rave to quiet concrete asylum vibe.
Escalations:
stripping out sound and all crowd NPCs leaving only enforcers
removal of all distractions so player is left to focus and concentrating on solving the clever puzzle design.
This escalation strips down the level leaving the essence of Hitman â as just a 3D puzzle game.
I notice that most of the curated content provide by IOI post-launch is not involving much in terms of the art team at IOI, but mostly the work of one to few experienced level designers.