HITMAN: World of Assassination 📽 Through the Lens

📢 SECURITY BREACH! SOMEBODY KILLED THE DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS! I REPEAT! SECURITY - 📢

Wonder who that was. 😎

You read that right ladies and gentlemen, today we are tackling the sandbox murder game - Hitman! One of the most unique and refreshing franchises on the market. Specifically, the newest installment (or the newest 3 installments but we'll get into that).

Thus❗️ In this edition of Through the Lens 🎞, we'll be taking a look at IO Interactive's flagship killing simulator from 2016: Hitman: World of Assassination Roll it! 📽

🔶 UP TOP 🔶

As we do, I bring to you, the soundtrack (boo). For your listening pleasure while you are commencing your reading pleasure.

The soundtrack Is suspenseful, eerie, dangerous, and badass. Not sure if you would listen to it while studying or playing something else, but while plotting how to commit your next assassination? It's pretty good. 😆

This is a playlist link, so the tracks will change as you listen.

_{Compossed by the amazingly talented Niels Bye Nielsen}

So this will be an interesting article since we are technically covering 3 games. Or 2.75 games. 😅 So we got a lot to talk about in this one.

First of all, I haven't finished one of these games, but I have played a lot of the missions and I have watched the rest being played. In addition, I played the previous Hitman games when I was a kid, and I enjoy this franchise immensely so I got a lot of thought. 🤔

So let's get to it while this coffee's still hot! ☕ //that's just a metaphor folks I don't actually drink coffee

🔶 REVITALIZATION 🔶

Before we do anything else we have to set the scene. Hitman is a very specific franchise. The gameplay and mechanics it has cannot really be implemented in any other game without it being... well Hitman. As such the fanbase is very dedicated and very loyal to these mechanics and directions.

So, when Hitman Absolution released - people we pissed! 🤬 We're talking about driving to Square HQ with pitchforks type of pissed. And yes, my next article will be on that game so we'll dive into why that game flopped as hard as it did next time. Until then let's just say Hitman Absolution was an action game, and something totally new to the franchise.

People wanted Blood Money. 💸

So the normal 2-year cycle of making a Hitman game got bumped up to 4 years as IO figured out what exactly made a Hitman game. They came out with Hitman 1, and the start of this new journey was rocky, to say the least. And while these problems I think are more the fault of Square than IO, the game suffered.

• Always on connection required to play; 😡
• Episodic content release which left people feeling unsatisfied; 😩
• Buggy, unresponsive, unfinished; 😤

All of these issues would eventually be rectified with the release of Hitman 2 and 3 - which were released in the normal market cycle format. But I remember the discourse around Hitman 1 was really bad at the time of its release.

So what is this World of Assassination thing? Well, once Hitman 3 was released, the smart folks over at Square decided to package all three games into one product. Losing some missions along the way but we'll just slide past that. Currently, it is impossible to legally buy Hitman 1, 2, or 3. You have to spend the extra money and buy World of Assassination. 😬

And yes, the overall deal is better than if you wanted to buy them individually. But still... people don't exactly have 100+ $ to spend on just one title. And in general, removing choice is never good. So this is an objectively stupid move. But Square is gonna Square. And besides Final Fantasy they have been shooting themselves in the foot so much that I'm surprised they're still walking. 🚶‍♂️

So yes, this franchise has been hampered by executive decisions, and its image is kind of tarnished. But that's not the developer's fault, nor the game's. We'll judge the games based on their merits, based on how good of a Hitman game they are. And for the sake of clarity, I am talking about all 3 new releases here, and if I mean a specific game I will directly mention the title.

So how did these games revitalize the franchise exactly? Well for one thing - they are Hitman games. The devs went back to their roots and produced for us a modern Hitman experience that appeases the most hardcore Hitman fan. They are honestly a marvel in design (this is coming from a design nerd) and I would like to explain to you all why:

🔶 ASSASSIN 🔶

Hitman games begin and end with their level design. And as an avid fan of level design myself (I don't think anyone has ever uttered those words before) I cherish Hitman's levels. And with each installment in this new trilogy, the team over at IO tries out something new. This is imperative to make a Hitman game.

We will get back to the level design, but what about the overall game design? You have the same bag of tricks as always: disguises, interactable objects in the environment, silent takedowns, assassination tools, overhearing information, etc, etc.

In order to complete a level to its fullest you will have to use everything at your disposal. And more - your ingenuity. 💯

And more importantly, all of them work as they have always worked. Or rather, they are all Blood Money influenced, which for many people is their favorite Hitman game. Again, I will talk about why Absolution's systems missed the nail on the head in that column, but let's just say if you wear a disguise in this one, guards can't notice you. Which is how it should have always worked Absolution!

There is a boundless amount of ways to kill your targets, even more so with a procedural generative system that lets you replay maps but with different objectives. NPCs talk about very pertinent information just as Agent 47 passes by. YOu better listen or risk missing out on possible side objectives. And that's one thing about this franchise that I love: pay attention or get rekt kid.

Now, about that level design. There are so many levels we could talk 'bout but I decided we tackle Miami.

• A living, breathing race track filled with all the accessories imaginable. Dense crowds, commercial stands, development labs, pit crews, you name it;
• Two targets with vastly different assassination methods;
• Modular in the best kind of way. The player is able to change the parameters of the map in a plethora of ways;

The map is alive. No other way to explain it. We get to witness what a real racing event looks like, while trying to kill several people, of course. And there isn't another level like this in the entire game. Each level Is unique in its design approach. Making each a different challenge for Agent 47.

Agent 47 is the character's name btw. I just realized that I only just named him. So, yeah. That's you. You are Agent 47. Congrats.

🔶 LEGACY 🔶

This game's legacy only continues to grow with each new satisfied Hitman fan that plays it. Yes, Square dropped the ball as they are wont to do. But there is nothing to do about that from the side of the developers. They can only focus on giving us the best Hitman product they can.

This is the best Hitman game. Sorry Blood Money fans, but the formula is just too refined in these games. The bugs are ironed out at this point and the level design is second to none. There are better levels and there are worse levels. Not saying every mission is a 10/10. But the consistency cannot be undermined.

If you have never played a Hitman game and want to know what all the fuss is about start with this title(?). There are plenty of difficulty modes to accommodate the biggest newcomers to the series. It sucks that at the end of the day, some content was cut because of the bundling of the three games, but overall you're not losing much.

And if you do enjoy Hitman, this game has so much content. Seeing as how its three games combined. So yes, this is the best Hitman experience out there and you should most certainly try it for yourself. 👊

Thank you for reading, you rock! (and maybe roll) 👏👏👏

Shout-out to the 🍕PIZZA🍕 gang, 🤙 gang. 🤙

Hey folks. As you can see I had a lot of thought about this one. 😅 And I have a lot of thoughts about our next Through the Lens as well - Hitman Absolution. Hoping you join me for that one as well!

What's your favorite Hitman level? I have to commend Paris, which is the firs official Hitman level of this trilogy, and Berlin as well for the uniqueness in its approach. There are so many though...

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Hope everyone is having a fantastic day! 🙌🙌🙌