You’re confusing canon play styles with canon kills though. Arguably, there is and can only be one canon kill for each target and that kill can only have been accomplished in one way (the one in which it actually happened) but that’s not the point here.
Unless an argument can be made that 47 canonically killed every one of his targets without ever using a disguise, the fact remains that using disguises is a canon way of playing the game - and that is the point of this - whether 47 canonically uses disguises or only ever does things “suit only”.
The Legacy trailer clearly showed 47 wearing disguises. The game clearly includes disguises as a core mechanic (and always has). The existence of trespassing zones, available disguises in level, and the tutorials instructing the player to use those disguises is clear evidence that the player is expected to use that mechanic.
Any player can choose to play however they want and that isn’t wrong of the player. Play the whole thing suit only, force yourself to wear every single disguise you come across, or mix and match as you see fit. Any given player can view 47 however they wish to. It doesn’t matter if it’s viable or not. Being viable doesn’t have any bearing on whether a given way of playing is canon. It’s viable to never use anything other than a sniper rifle but few would argue that the character of 47 only ever uses a sniper rifle and never touches another firearm.
The original question was “Does he canonically use disguises?” The only valid answer to this question is “Yes”. If 47, ever, in any game, canonically uses any disguise, the only possible answer to that question is yes. Play the game however you want, but it doesn’t change the fact that disguises are a core part of the game, and therefore the character of 47 himself.
not sure if i have a particularly unique playstyle.
with the first few runs on a new level, i tend to turn off all the aids - mission stories, mini-maps, instinct, etc. - and just explore the space. recon/detective work, basically. with a fresh level, it’s important to me that i first puzzle out the mission for myself. working it all out unaided and having those eureka moments is where i derive the most pleasure.
as such, i like to understand the layout of the social and private areas, look for potential accidents. listen to npcs, try out a few disguises, and maybe pull at the occasional thread to see where it leads. once i’ve done that, i’ll follow the most interesting thread and aim to complete the level with an sa rating, ideally involving an accident. once i have sa without any help, i’ll either move on to the next mission or turn all the aids back on and try out some challenges.
in terms of actual playstyle, i tend to play in whatever way takes my fancy. could be anything from saso to sniping to john wick-style to ninja assassin to hamfisted speedrunning… all the way to just watching all the narrative events. i’m pretty fickle in that regard.
Has anyone ever done Tubeway Torpedo SASO? No! It’s impossible. He wears disguises. The player base made up SA/SO for added challenge and the devs have now incorporated it into the game. I believe doing so has made the game easier bc now every level must have a viable way of completing it SASO, but it is what it is.
I just went and checked. Meat Kings Party is also impossible SASO. You have to have a costume to get into the building, or you can start a gun battle at the front door, which not only blows SA but also signs your death warrant on any difficulty except the very easiest.
I responded to your “Suit Only is just an artificial difficulty that players force on themselves.” I agree that wearing disguises is core to 47’s character. My point was that so is SASO. 47 is always featured on game covers in a suit, does assassinations in only a suit, and just likes suits.
Kills and play styles were intentionally conflated because their canonicity is only dictated by: (1) Silent Assassin; (2) target(s) killed. There are many paths that lead to the goal of achieving those two objectives. That’s what’s meant by “viably canon”. SASO happens to be one such path.
The Legacy trailer is what “reasonably could’ve been” with a cinematic spin. If we treat it as absolute canon, then it, if anything, suggests that 47 has a clear preference for Suit Only. But I personally don’t treat the Legacy trailer as absolute canon in that way. It’s just a fancy suggestive hype trailer featuring possible approaches 47 could’ve taken.
I would probably agree that completing some missions suit only is absolutely in keeping with 47’s character but completing all missions suit only is not.
I still feel that if any given player wants to focus on suit only, that’s perfectly fine, but it’s not required.
I know it’s a bit hypocritical of me, since I participated on this aside at the start, but could we not transform this topic yet again into another “what is the canon of the game / SASO” debate.
I was quite fond to see a topic that was more player, and fun of the game focus.
So, shotguns, assault rifles, grenades, those damn exploding ducks, stuff like that – I effectively never use them (relative to how often I play stealthily with just a silenced handgun). They feel out of place to me in a Hitman game; always have. Furthermore, I have never done a full-blown “kill all” run in WoA (I’ve killed many, many NPCs in Patient Zero and in brief moments of catharsis before; but never actually all of them in a map). It’s just not my thing.
So, one idiosyncrasy of my general playstyle is that I more often than not find little joy in playing in a “loud” manner. I can’t use those weapons or play the game that way because it all just doesn’t gel with my idea of 47 or seem realistically canon.
That reminds me, I’ve also recently turned the mini-map and current item icons off because I figured I knew the maps well enough and those icons were cluttering the screen. Now it’s just a timer and the SA and difficulty icons that I use.
Personally while I find the minimap pretty useful and not that cluttering, I wish it was possible to have a more discreet timer, like a small display above the minimap or something similar. Those big numbers in the middle of the screen clash a lot with the rest of the UI (and before anyone asks, yes I know you can disable the timer, but I activated it because I wanted to have that function available :x ).
I don’t like timers and never have them visible, even in timed games if there is an option to turn them off. I never cared how long it took to finish the levels.
I would say that my play-style on a first map play-through is very much akin to the assassin Vincent in the film Collateral. For anyone who hasn’t seen it, Vincent enjoys improvising and considers adapting to changing situations (should stuff go south) a vital part of his skill set.
I would say that my first 2-3 runs on a brand new map are my most enjoyable playing HITMAN and whilst i do experience satisfaction in mastering a location, and completing challenges….that feeling of taking out a target after numerous compromises/adapting (been caught trespassing/crime noticed and dealing with it en route to mission success) is strangely the pinnacle for me.
Otherwise, I’m a very traditional player in items (22 or Black Lilly/FW/Lockpick/Stashed Sniper Rifle on location) are the go-to’s and I’m in a suit always which is Absolution or the Undying.
Actually, if IO could make a casual version of the Undying Suit (top button undone with no tie) so I could be full on Vincent…. That would be amazing.
Finally, I never run or Story based missions or special assignments. But always on Escalations and contracts because of the parameters.
Mostly, I don’t even notice the timer is there. When I do use it, however, it’s generally to calculate how long it takes something to happen for reference in a future run.
I figured I’d revive this thread instead of making a new one.
Even now, I’m still coming up with new ways to approach the game. Lately, I’ve created a new set of rules for myself that keep the experience closer to realism:
Don’t use KOs outside of combat and only use them as a temporary means of taking someone down before finishing them off. You can’t put someone in a sleeper hold or throw a brick at them and leave them unconscious indefinitely. This makes sedatives the only option for non-lethally incapacitating an NPC. If your run depends on taking an NPCs clothes without killing them, you’ll need at least one sedative to pull it off. This also creates a challenge in having to be very selective about which NPCs to sedate.
No bloody kills in areas where other NPCs travel. Play as though blood pools will be noticed.
Limited inventory depending on clothing. No more than one pistol for outfits with no jacket; No more than two pistols for outfits with a regular-size jacket, etc.; No holstering large items like crowbars, bricks, etc. unless they could legitimately fit under the clothing 47 is wearing, etc.
No repetitive distractions of the same NPC. A real person wouldn’t get up to check the source of a sound over and over again. They would eventually become suspicious.
Maintain more realistic distance from other NPCs for “silent” kills. A person getting strangled with a fiber wire 8 feet behind you would certainly be audible.
Avoid being seen up close by the same NPCs in different disguises/clothing. Play as though NPCs might notice that you’re the same person they saw earlier.
Don’t “consolidate” guns. If you’ve killed two guards and are going to hide their bodies and guns, hide the guns individually rather than picking both of them up and hiding the one gun.
Essentially, try to use real-life judgment to make your moves along the lines of real-life limitations.
Nowadays there are a couple of rules I try to follow when I play Freelancer.
Always leave Paris by the basement exit, after blowing up all the extinguishers and propane tanks there.
Unless I have objectives that prevent non-target kills, always leave Sapienza by boat after kicking a few members of the cap gang into the sea.
Always blow up an extinguisher near merchants after buying from them, unless I have objectives like no KOs and Perfect Shooter, or there are no extinguishers in the map (in that case a Kalmer dart in their butt will do). Try to hide the body when possible.
The last one in particular got me in a gunfight quite a few times, but it’s hilarious everytime
I mostly try to start SA (sometimes SASO), but end up getting spotted and just KEC the whole place. In ETs I have developed a method that, although usually gets non-targets, works very well. Basically I pick a briefcase, put a remote explosive in it, identify the target, drop/throw the briefcase near them and detonate. I won’t get spotted, because the explosive is inside the briefcase, and it always works.
In S6 for some reason I always do accident/SA.
And yes I like reviving topics.
