Episode 3 - St. Petersburg Stakeout:
This one is a slow burn just because of how vast this mission is. A lot of people complain about it, but personally it’s one of my favorites in the series. The level of atmosphere, ambiance, aesthetic, and beauty in this mission, especially in the opening scene in the metro station, are unrivaled even by today’s standards.
Jesper Kid’s “Fast Ambiance” works so well to create a foreboding atmosphere, while we are in this dark formerly Soviet train station with flickering lights, cold metal, propaganda posters, and beautiful chandeliers and pillars. The fact that all of the lighting in the metro is coming from actual light sources, which can all be destroyed to make it pitch black is a pretty cool detail.
I wanted to make sure all of the beautiful little things IO put into the art of this level were on full display for this video. With the linear nature of this mission, I feel pretty confident to say that I think this video shows the most canonical series of events.
I make sure to use all of the special things provided throughout the level. I use the night vision goggles in the sewers as well as in the apartment loft. I have 47 use the pistol in the sewers, just to clear corners. I use the guard uniform next to the truck, I take the truck outside the second manhole to the apartment building, and I use the third manhole to escape back into the sewers since it’s closest to the scene. Of course I use the SVD sniper for the assassination, and I sedate the guard in the loft to achieve 0 alerts. I could have sedated him somewhere else, but I also just think the loft is a cool detail to the building, and going up there with the night vision has a whole unique zero dark thirty kind of vibe.
I also decided I wanted to include the interlude portions of the game, where 47 returns to the shed in Sicily between locations. However that was making the video too long, so I decided to make it into a sub-series called 47’s Meditation, where I explore the church and try out new weapons unlocked. These are edited down for time and to make them more entertaining, but the actual missions gameplay I will leave unedited in order to present the missions in the most authentic way as they are shown to the player.
I hope to tell a whole sub-story through the gameplay with these portions, which will ultimately culminate in 47 wiping everyone out at the Redemption at Gontranno.
Here is Bonus Episode 2.5 - 47’s First Meditation:
