Hitman 3 | PlayStation 4 Review

Do you remember when movies would come to a close and they put “The End” just before the credits would roll? You know, the part where we all started getting up to leave the theater thinking to ourselves, man that sure was a crazy ending? There are even some crazy endings that don’t actually end just because the movie is over. One I recall specifically is much like at the end of Hitman2, where you discover you were actually a clone. 47 was brought up in a secret facility before becoming an assassin for Providence, an ancient secret society that controls everything around the world. It is also discovered that Agent 47 killed his handler’s parents earlier in his career. Shocker right?!

Enter Hitman 3. The third installment of IO Interactive’s World of Assassination trilogy. Much like the last two games, you play as the wickedly brilliant undercover shadow agent, Agent 47. Hellbent on finding the Constant who brainwashed 47 into killing Diana’s parents, the aforementioned handler. Although, the Constant has escaped and it is up to you and all your amazing skills you’ve learned along the way to find him. The target you need to eliminate is the Constant himself, Arthur Edwards. So I say to you, “The End” is just the beginning.

Element of Surprise

Much like its predecessors, Hitman 3 throws you into a story that is captivating, yet mechanically the same. Bringing all the same gameplay into the mix including the AI, interactive surroundings, and the occasional wardrobe changes to slip past a guard or two. Don’t let that hold you back though, as each mission requires a different set of skills to sneak past an unsuspecting victim or to kill your target.

Hitman 3 does, however, provide some new elements to the overall gameplay. One for sure is the camera gadget. This little item is a great way to hack certain windows to open, pick up intel to help find a different route in each mission, or to even identify your target so a sniper can take them out. Great addition to the already amazing stash.

The most notable change that IO Interactive has incorporated is shortcuts. The ability to bypass certain areas on consecutive runs through the same mission. On your first run, you may find a door that was once locked, but is now open for good so that you may use it during all your other runs. Making your ability to assassinate your target easier. I would say that gives you the element of surprise.

Gameplay

All six missions of Hitman 3 are captivating at every turn and utterly satisfying, warranting me to go back and do more. One such mission that truly sticks out is “Death in the Family.” In this mission, you are here to eliminate Alexa Carlisle, who faked her own death to hide from Agent 47. This mission starts you off at the end of a long road to a huge manor, Dartmoor. There you come across a man that looks like the epitome of a private investigator. Fedora style hat, glasses with a magnifier attached, beige patterned jacket, and rubber gloves. All he’s missing is the pocket protector.

This man is here to figure out who killed Zachary Carlisle, Alexa’s husband. The chance to sneak into this manor has been provided, as you can take out this PI and disguise yourself as him. After doing so, you can now roam freely around the manor without alerting guards or maids. Which gives you an advantage, seeing as the manor is well guarded.

Once inside the manor, you are escorted to the scene of the crime, Zachary’s room. It is only lit by the grey hues of the outside sky, with a lingering musk that one can only assume is the smell of death. He looks to be poisoned, but by whom? This is now your chance to personally become the best private investigator around, making you feel like you’re in the movie Knives Out. Secret passages, conflicting alibis, and interrogations that seem to get nowhere.

VR

I don’t want to dwell too much about the VR side of this game, but I feel like I need to give you some idea as to what you would be walking into. Obviously with the hype of virtual reality, many game developers are slowly gearing their games to support such things. IO Interactive is one of the most recent game developers to adopt the technology, and have put Hitman 3 into VR. After setting up the PSVR on my living room TV, booting it up, and hitting start the first mission in Dubai comes on.

I played it for like 5, maybe 10 minutes before I got tired of the glitching and constant mess ups with the movement. Every time I moved my controller, it would have a 5 second delay, and by that time I was already getting spotted or dead. I couldn’t choke someone with my fiber wire without accidentally punching them first, which gave me away. It took me longer to set up the PSVR than me actually playing it. I believe it is a huge, missed opportunity for IO Interactive and they should tweak it just a bit, making it more enjoyable. Although, it could be just me and my VR sucks.

Summary

If you weren’t impressed with the previous two games, it’s possible that Hitman 3 won’t fix that itch. If you’re not that person, proceed reading. 

For me, Hitman 3 is such a great ending to the World of Assassination trilogy. With its cunning missions, multiple ways of eliminating your targets, and just an amazing beauty that keeps you wanting to tap into your inner assassin. I only cry in silence as now we have to wait two years for another installment of the Hitman series. There are hushed whispers of this being the last we see of Agent 47. Maybe we will see another game, with another agent. Maybe IO Interactive wants it completely on VR once they get the hang of it, but I am only speculating. All I can say is, “The End” is only the beginning!

To hear me talk more about Hitman 3, be sure to check out Episode 331 of The Gaming Outsider Podcast around the 1:00:11.

This review is based on a purchased PlayStation 4 copy of Hitman 3. It is also available on Xbox, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows, and Google Stadia.