The stoic assassin is back in Hitman: Absolution, the series' first installment in over six years. Although it retains its unique identity, times have changed, and so has Hitman.
Perhaps the most immediately apparent distinction between Absolution and previous games in the Hitman series is the cinematic nature of the storytelling. The game weaves a tightly paced narrative, relying almost exclusively on in-engine assets powered by IO Interactive's new Glacier 2 engine. Diana Burnwood, 47's former handler, has betrayed the the ICA, and they've tasked 47 with eliminating the handler he once trusted. It's not long before the plot thickens and 47 finds himself embroiled in a much more complex affair.
The story is told well, with strong writing and excellent delivery by a talented voice cast. And what would a Hitman game be without a veritable menagerie of psychopaths to stalk and eliminate? Those are here, and they are more fleshed out than in any Hitman game previous. Characterization was something IO wanted to improve on with Absolution, and it shows.
As I noted at the outset, the last installment in the Hitman series was over six years ago. Naturally, then, one would expect game mechanics refined to match current standards. Hitman delivers on that standard with a host of key improvements and additions that enrich the Silent Assassin experience. Most notable is the addition of "Instinct", a mechanic which allows 47 to, through momentarily heightened sense perception, see enemies, points of interest, AI movement patterns, destination points, and more. Depending on the difficulty setting chosen, players will be given an Instinct bar that can be refilled as they accomplish certain feats, such as stealthily eliminating a guard. If you play on the Normal difficulty setting, you will find that Instinct is a convenient tool to be used sparingly. If you intend to walk past a group of potential hostiles, you may need to use Instinct to make yourself blend in.
Of course, sometimes stealth fails, and in these cases 47 is more than capable of lighting up a room. IO has supplied players with more than enough firepower to do the job. From assault rifles to shotguns to 47's signature silverballers, there is more than enough here to keep action junkies satisfied. This speaks to the beauty of the Hitman formula, which allows for flexibility in terms of playing style while still retaining the identity of the franchise as one primarily about stealth. In fact, although you can go in guns blazing, the game does penalize you for that.
The game is packed with content, taking upwards of 20 hours to complete. You can spend hours on just one mission as you struggle for that perfect playthrough. And because there are a number of different ways to approach a given mission, there is plenty of reason to go back and replay them. There are also hidden items to find throughout each mission. Players are rewarded for careful investigation, as everything from weapons to pieces of evidence can be found strewn around each of the game's environments. Collecting items can serve more direct gameplay purposes, but IO has also made challenges out of finding all evidence, weapons, and so forth.
It's not all positive on the gameplay front though, as Hitman: Absolution features some rather weak AI. You will find that guards just one room over will often not react to a loud gunfight next door. Also, enemies follow a predictable and easily exploitable pattern once alerted to your presence. If you manage to evade them for long enough, they eventually let their guards down. This may be a necessary concession, but this is the way game designers have been doing it since Splinter Cell, and I have to think that there's a more realistic approach than having guards just forget that a body is laying dead on the floor.
Another notable issue with the game is the lack of checkpoints. Some missions are long and complicated, and it would have been nice if we could have had a save anywhere option. An equally disappointing aspect of Absolution is the game's scaled back environments. Many missions take place in the same general location, but are broken up into chapters. Locales are also less varied both geographically and stylistically.
Visually, Absolution is a whole new beast from Blood Money. It's moodier, with a touch of neon accentuated by a dark lighting model. The game also makes extensive use of bloom lighting, which adds a visual flare not previously seen in the Hitman series. Characters and NPCs are modeled with great detail. Perhaps what makes the models so impressive is that there are missions in which you will encounter crowds numbering in the hundreds, with each NPC reacting realistically as you make your way past them.
At the end of the day, you either like stealth based games or you don't. And although you can play Hitman: Absolution as an action game, getting most out of the experience requires a lot of patient skulking. If you're looking to break up the monotony of the M-rated kill-fest with something that requires a greater degree of creativity and forethought, then I can give you a full-throated recommendation of Hitman: Absolution.