Yeah. I’m a bit surprised people give H3 9/10. Hitman 2 really surprised me and had some really big levels, while H3 feels cheap, but it’s still OK. I just got a very strong feeling when playing the game that this is what IO had time for this time around.
My review will be short and simple: I loved Hitman (2016), and I felt cheated on with Hitman (2018). Hitman 3 however, is by far a splendid ending to a trilogy that overall provides an enormous amount of fun!
Hats off to the IOI, I hope for some additional content, and godspeed with Project 007!
I find myself using the Shortballer almost every time. Great addition
1 Like
I think the initial review gets alot of my vibes as well with h3 being good but not extraordinary.
Also I wish Carpathian Mountains would let you bring items. That would significantly increase replayability.
1 Like
How do you suppose that could be done? 47 hiding his gun in his trousers? 
So after a week of playing H3, here’s a (tad long) review from someone who has been obsessed with Hitman since Codename 47.
Presentation
The first thing that strikes me when playing H3 is the improved presentation. The cinematics are superior to its predecessors - even the more expensive looking ones in H1, because in H3, they don’t feel disconnected from gameworld itself. The “intro” cutscenes showing the levels and targets in-game have been cut down and don’t look as clunky as in the previous games.
The direction they took with the music is more orchestral and emotional, less spy thriller. It’s great! The overall sound design is immaculate, with well placed film score-esque ques blending more seemingly with the gameplay than ever. As a result of this presentation, the story also really drags you in more than ever.
Locations
The opening in Dubai is just breathtaking. The locations themselves are amazing and the true stars of the game. This is where I feel that H3 really takes everything to the next level. With hints of the old games, they manage to elevate the locations to a more distinct and original place. Take Mendoza as an example. It’s an appreciated throwback to A Vintage Year, but the idea behind the old level was simply a “Chilean vineyard”. This time, it’s a vineyard plus both original and stunning architecture that takes everything a step higher. This has been true for the entire trilogy, but I feel like they really went above and beyond with H3 locations especially Dubai, Dartmoor, Chongqing and Mendoza. The art direction team and level builders really need a raise.
Gameplay
I was a little skeptical to begin with when I saw that there were three mission stories per level. I thought maybe the levels weren’t as intricate as before. I was wrong. There are just multiple puzzles in H3, that are not bound to any mission stories, which I feel is a return to more open ended and old school Hitman gameplay. I can respect that. The three mission stories that are available from the start are in turn more elaborate and fun. The “minimal” story guidance I had on was improved as well, to where the puzzles actually made sense, even without the markers. This wasn’t always the case in past games, where they were clearly intented to be played on “full”.
Gunplay
This has not really been recognized on HMF or elsewhere, but am I the only one who feels that the gunplay has been improved? I know Hitman is not a perfect shooter, but I was on a bit of a fringe rampage with an AK in Dubai’s penthouse area the other night… and the weapons felt powerful and really responsive. The AI a bit better (maybe it’s just a good shootout environment) and it was cool AF to see the guards blasted down by the AK.
Story
I liked the overall story in the trilogy. Some of it is a little hit and miss, but I really like Lucas Grey as character, and what he brought out in 47. I think 47 still managed to feel badass and independent in his cutscenes with Grey in H3, not just Grey’s bitch (as some people speculated from the trailers). IOI hinted that they might make a game in the universe without 47 as the lead character, and I made a thread about a potential Lucas Grey game.
Anyway, the story wraps up good. It was not super surprising or mind blowing, which I was expecting from the devs pre-game hype. But once the story settled with me, it does make a lot of sense in context of the whole trilogy. Its themes are established in H1 and they are very neatly concluded on in H3. It ties together well.
Emotional 47?
The best thing about the story is that it made you actually feel for 47. We finally see the lonely and somewhat exploited side of him that was somewhat alluded to in past games, but never fully explored. The cutscene after Mendoza surprisingly breaks some kind of wall and takes us inside of 47’s head. IO’s writers managed to walk the fine line of showing the emotional side of 47 without compromising his character. He is still badass, and I like that he points the gun at Diana in the garden, because he is clever enough to realize that her Constant-position must have come with a price.
There are multiple places in H3 where his intelligence and no-bullshit attitude is emphasized, and it’s just fucking cool. I also actually did end up liking the path the writers took as far as Diana being somewhat vigilante and acting as 47’s consciousness in using his killer abilities for “good”. Something 47 outsourced to her and trusted her with. The faith that 47 shows Diana throughout H3 (but not without skepticism) is really interesting as well.
Symbolism
I like that the writers team made everything feel connected through symbolism etc. Some of the things I noticed:
- The Chongqing level mirroring 47 being exploited and his overall lack of agency. Both targets are working on ways of predicting and controlling human behavior, which is clearly what 47 is trying to break out of.
- While I’m not super into the last level, I do appreciate the symbolism of 47 being stuck on a train/track going one inevitable direction, and him finally hitting the breaks and stepping of the train into independence.
Overall
I can’t help the feeling that the game is just too short. I know how the emphasis has been on replay in this trilogy, but that used to be something for us hardcore fans and not a defining feature for all players. I get that IO has had their limitations from being a relatively small independent studio, but imagine how things would have played out, had it been two games of 12 levels. Or even better, one game of 20+ levels - then we’re actually in RDR2 league of value for money and quality, and the games would maybe have a had a shot at the success it actually deserves. I totally see how this was not possible though. But the length of H3 is my one big gripe with the game, especially with the Romania level.
I’m sure I will be viewing the WOA-trilogy more as one full game as time goes on, and my problems with the length of H3 will fade. The PC Gamer review hit the nail on the head with this point, saying that if they were to review the whole trilogy, it would almost be a perfect 10 and that as a package, this trilogy is one of the best games ever made for PC. I agree wholeheartedly.
I like how they focused on core sandbox improvements and playing with the concepts of a Hitman level in different ways instead of focusing on gimmicky features etc. They really just expanded on the meat of the game with H3.
Even if H3 is short, they are some of the best levels of the trilogy. I feel like Dubai does not get it’s due in here for some reason. So many cool kill opportunities (Lucas Grey on screen kill, sabotaged paraschutes etc.) and so beautiful and distinct in art direction. The Dartmoor murder mystery is just so playful and confidently crafted, I love it. Berlin has amazing atmosphere and another twist on the formula. I love Chongqing and Mendoza. I love IO and I will surely be enjoying the trilogy for years to come.
10 Likes
Idgaf a fuck about how he does it but it would be the perfect use for your weapon like the unsilenced ones or the assault rifles which only are used in these circumstances.
And I mean Diana could make someone just sneak a briefcase in.
Also hokkaido was to secured to bring shit until mastery 20 so what happened
1 Like
The most bonus content was delivered for the first of the trilogy - Hitman2016, with dozens of elusive targets, and tons of extra content (Bonus Missions, the Sarajevo Six for PS4, sniper maps) including the Patient Zero campaign. All bonus content was initially to entice purchasers of the episodic release of Hitman2016.
IOI needed to dole out a lot of content to get Hitman2016 noticed, and even still sales were initially very bad. Hitman2 had fewer elusive targets, but extra DLC (like the Bank or Haven Island or Siberian sniper map) plus multiplayer Hitman.
Now for Hitman 3, IOI don’t have an issue of popularity anymore – Hitman 3 has had record sales. IOI made five tighter and less sprawling maps for Hitman 3, based on player feedback.
IOI will (I am almost certain) provide bonus content after a year of doling out free content in escalations and elusive contracts.
Hitman was designed for a “games as a service” model. IOI will continue to support Hitman long after the end of 2021.
There will almost certainly be DLC to meet demand, but it won’t be for free.
There is a big enough of a fan base for Hitman that IOI can charge for extra DLC.
IOI will have the majority of their crew in development of Project 007, and a smaller team continue to provide service to the World of Assassination Trilogy.
There will likely be more
I hope you are right about that. I still have my hopes, that there will be 1 - one - new map, to which the purpose is to tackle the prequel to whatever Hitman comes next. However, I think that is a rather naive hope. But it is a hope.
I’m not so sure about this.
With H2, they told us up front that there would be two DLC missions. With season 1, they also teased bonus missions on the existing maps before 2016. With H3 there has been non of that (only Elusive Targets). To the contrary, the developers have been explicitly talking about six maps from the very beginning, and talking about them needing a break from Agent 47. But maybe the recent success will make them change their plans, who knows?
2 Likes
Exactly.
Yes, notably IOI haven’t mentioned the post-release of free DLC associated with Hitman 3 like they did for Hitman2016 and Hitman 2. And IOI will be moving most of their development team to develop the new IP going forward.
But, it is easy now with the 20 plus existing map published in the World of Assassination Trilogy “or Netflix of Assassination”, to keep a small team to generate new content as paid DLC over the next three plus years it takes to develop new IP such as Project 007.
Some of previous DLC has been for the development team to introduce new concepts (eg. destruct-able environments - i.e. The Bank, or a spreading firestorm (Siberian Sniper map), or creating a multiplayer (the multiplayer mini-game alpha build within Hitman 2).
I suspect that IOI will introduce paid DLC with drivable cars for a chase sequence, for example, so they can get practice in the kinds of new tech needed in their Glacier engine for Project 007. This is just a guess, but it makes sense that they would use future Hitman DLC over the next few years to test out new features for Project 007.
It is all about money.
There is a greater demand for Hitman after completion of the Hitman WOA trilogy.
This level of demand in 2021 for Hitman was not present after Hitman Absolution in 2012.
Part of IOI’s efforts in creating the Hitman WOA trilogy (2013-2021) was in Mission Stories and Opportunities / training levels to teach gamers about how to play Hitman. IOI also accustomed gamers to its always online portal for this single-player game.
Now that enough know “how to hitman” and like the product, IOI can capitalize on future sales as paid DLC releases.
A major problem with video games is that the R&D is tens of millions of dollars and many years to develop a new IP. Day 1 sales used to be how developers used to recoup their costs. Now, as a “games as a service” developers can continue a long tail of sales after Day 1 sales, as expansions or DLC.
This is where Hitman is headed. The gaming portal for Hitman as the WOA trilogy is all set up.
If you want more content, you will pay for it, and IOI will be willing to provide the supply to meet the demand. It generates a steady cash flow, with little investment, unlike a new IP which is all about high input costs, and long term investment.
Project 007 is also likely to be introduced as a trilogy of three games, and also structured within an “always online” portal like Hitman.
I feel the same, it just didn’t work as well as 1 and 2. There seemed less interaction with the world, it felt quite sparse and lifeless. Yeah the lack of mission stories really did make it very short. For the price point of this game, it’s actually ridiculously short
https://youtu.be/VF3FmPkArfI
This guy complains about the story but also doesn’t understand it. He calls the ICA agents “5 random guys” and then says 47 is exposing Providence in Chongqing. Like I get not liking the story or finding it hard to follow but you literally don’t understand information presented to you. If you don’t know who Diana or the ICA is you’re brain dead. Those things are obviously important and him trying to spin it as “nothing happened” is stupid because 47 abandoning his agency changes the entire franchise going forward.
4 Likes
This one is great though. Makes a good point about how it’s a slow burn game.
This is a user review thread, meant for the users of HMF to post their own reviews 
5 Likes
After a long wait, the day of release finally arrived, and I’ve played it… a lot.
The time for first impressions has passed. Let’s review.
VISUALS
Hitman 3 is a beautiful looking game, not just thanks to the new lighting (which looks great) but also thanks to the impeccable art direction. I had a bunch of real “WOW!”-moments while playing this game. The most notable being when I had just started Chongqing and came upon this view when coming up a flight of stairs.
Truly great. I would argue that all the levels had moments when I just had to stop and slowly pan the game camera around to take in the view. It’s just a work of art.
The cutscenes are also a huge step up from the stills in H2. They’re not quite as good as the ones in H1, but honestly I kind of prefer this as it fits better with the rest of the game. I just wish some of the animations were a tad less wonky in places, but still I gotta applaud IO for making this work. Well done.
MUSIC & SOUND DESIGN
I’ve never thought that Niels Bye Nielsens music has been bad, but he definitely stepped up his game for H2, and does it once again for this game. It all just helps to add to the atmosphere of each level. I love the eerie murder mystery soundtrack for Dartmoor, and the Arabian inspired music of Dubai.
Beyond this the sound design is great in this game. It just always feels right. This includes not just diegetic sounds, but sounds that inform the player of what’s going on, like entering a trespassing area.
I had a great moment with diegetic music in Dartmoor as I was leaving the mansion through the main lobby and suddenly the main score went quiet and was replaced by Edward playing the level theme on piano.
I don’t get the chills from playing video games, but this would be one of those moments if I did.
LEVELS
The main five are all fantastic. I keep changing my mind on which one my favorite is, but I can say this… out of the three games this one has the most missions that I think I’m gonna keep booting up and playing over and over and over again. (H1 had 3 of them, H2 and 2 (3 with the DLC), and this… I think… has 5, or maybe 4.5 ).
It’s fantastic how the different levels all have their own distinct identities. Dubai feels like H1 and H2 turned up a notch, and then the missions start stepping off that path a bit… which was welcome, and when it comes back around to a H1/H2 style mission in Mendoza, it’s still not without its twists.
Maybe I feel like Berlin suffers a bit from the many targets. The result of having that amount seems to be less interesting kills and mission stories, instead it sort of feels like I’m playing someone’s user-made contract at times.
MISSION STORIES & ASSASSINATIONS
I feel like IO improved mission stories noticeably for this game. One big problem I’ve had with Mission Stories has been… let’s not say how easy certain approaches are in previous games, but rather how very simple they are. To me it’s not a question about how hard the hurdles are to jump, but rather how many hurdles there are.
There are still simple approaches in H3 for sure, but I also made note of plenty of approaches that, in my opinion, have improved on this aspect. It doesn’t take a lot either, for instance, the homeless person disguise in Chongqing doesn’t get you all the way to Hush (compared to P-Power in Colombia), and the PI disguise in Dartmoor is already in a loop that requires you to sneak through the mansion grounds and into the mansion in order to get him. It’s not just served up for you to take in one single move.
These are small additions of extra steps, sometimes maybe just one, but in my opinion it really does a lot to make the approaches feel less pointless.
And about that PI mission story… it’s amazing. I love the different outcomes, and appreciate that this might be a unique detective story in that the game doesn’t require you to get it right… because it’s only a means to an end.
This game also seems to contain more assassinations that feel bigger in scale. Just the winery assassinations of Mendoza alone are some of the most memorable (and gruesome) I can think of. Mission story electrocutions (as opposed to the ones that are just kind of everywhere) have also been given quite the “facelift” as they are now far more epic (I’m thinking of Dubai and Mendoza here).
Mission stories still don’t stand up to the kind of pressure testing that I like to do, so I did find things I could do to kind of “break” them (like taking out the guards that are supposed to escort Diana to the kill-room in Mendoza results in her walking up alone, which is odd), and possibilities I wish were in there (like having the somelier in Mendoza present the wine at the meeting).
STORY
I’ve been a bit skeptical (but also cautiously optimistic) of the WOA story throughout H1 and H2, but I feel like they really pulled it together in the end. I ended up quite liking it.
It set 47 on a path of emancipation from the ICA and becoming his own person, and in the end I really like the idea of 47 and Diana going freelance with Diana vetting targets and setting the agenda, and 47 doing the hits. And you know what? I’m happy that 47 is happy. 
I legitimately loved this moment. The smile is just subtle enough. 47 is on his own now, all grown up… and I like it.
I did kind of raise an eyebrow when I realized they basically did the Blood Money ending (Diana “betrays” 47 so that he can get at the main villain) again, but it does work, so I’m not massively disappointed.
THE “CONTROVERSIAL” FINAL MISSION
Listen. For a regular Hitman -mission this is waaaaaay too linear.
As a story driven mission to end off a trilogy, that’s fine. I was, however, expecting 6 large sprawling maps, and only got 5. That’s disappointing, and it’s a feeling I can’t quite shake.
For what it is, it’s pretty decent though. It does feel like it drags on a bit. The train either should’ve been shorter or feature more variety to change things up a bit. Maybe there could be a short interlude where it stops at a station in the middle of nowhere? I dunno…
VERDICT
Right now this is my favorite game in the series. That might change as I find out just how interesting I think these missions are to replay, but right now, with Max Mastery in all levels I am still booting up the missions to try stuff out. While I understand that H4 can’t be out in a couple of years, I really hope we can get it in… say… 4 years… because there’s still room for improvement, and I really want to see the day where IO releases a Hitman-game that 100% stands up to my pressure testing.
For now, I’ll be able to live with this for a long time. It’s a very good conclusion to the trilogy, though it could’ve been better.
11 Likes
Ah damn, so all YouTube reviews should go in the other thread? I see.
It would make it more consistent with the idea behind this thread
3 Likes
Well I can see the poll averages 9/10, so this is going to stick out like a sore thumb. I’m not sure if the high praise comes more from those whom have played and liked the whole game, or from faith in the WOA style after playing a couple missions you liked, but for me it is the worst example of the flaws of the WOA style.
Meaning we get even less mission and mission story variety here than in 1 and 2, and they somehow saw fit to make it far less challenging as well. To top it off, you have a very linear, combat heavy final mission. Oh but don’t worry, because as soon as you get to the heavies, they can all be either kicked off the train, or ran past, just by blowing the lights, which somehow magically stuns them all severely for quite some time.
This one feels like a walk in the park vs the Hitman challenge we’re used to. It also feels COVID rushed with such hideous lack of content. It’s not just a disappointing way to end the trilogy, it’s insulting to any true stealth game aficionado. They clearly went for eye candy cinematics over gameplay variety or challenge. You can even crouch run with enemies facing you, such a disappointment.
The funny thing was, I played first run on Casual, based on some of the challenges I faced in 1 and 2. Then I jumped strait to Master, and found the knowledge I gained in the first run was all I needed to breeze through on the hardest mode with no disguises. I know they’re going for exploration in this WOA style, but I’m not keen on purposely discovering ways to make things harder or speed run a stealth game. That just makes it all the more obvious you have to go out of your way and do things illogically to get any challenge. They say Dan Houser retired from Rockstar, wonder if he’ll end up at IOI, because the horsing around in WOA is a lot like GTA.
I gave it a 1/10, because it deserves it. Regain your sanity IOI, go back to a full game style. Abs with enforcers instead of hat tipping was the style you should have used. You can still have the fancy graphics and cinematics, just give the damn game a broader base than a mere ways-to-kill demo, it’s embarrassing.