Although many were sceptical about the episodic format that Danish developer Io-Interactive has chosen for Hitman, the truth is that the first two episodes have been pretty good so far. This also is a bold experiment for a major AAA game, as aside from Telltale’s adventure series like The Walking Dead or Dontnod Entertainment’s superb Life is Strange, few big developers have dabbled in the episodic format to date.
Although the Hitman reboot has not failed to impress thus far, as the first two episodes have featured missions set in lavish European locations like a Paris fashion show and a beautiful Mediterranean coastal town named Sapienza (a fictional location). The latter in particular is a big murder sandbox, offering multiple approaches to finish off the target, from using a sniper rifle from a good firing spot to dressing up as a cook and dealing with the victim up close and personal, for instance…
Io-Interactive also teased that aside from dealing with a mission’s standard objectives (like putting down a biotechnologist in Sapienza), players would also be able to hunt down “Elusive Targets”. The first of these targets will make an appearance on Friday the 13th (not a lucky day), and players will surely find that dealing with the mark will be quite a challenge.
For starters, once this “elusive man” appears on the Paris map, players will have a maximum of 48 hours to finish the mission, as he’ll be gone by Monday. Also, Agent 47 won’t be able to use Instinct Mode or the mini-map to track his target down, as he won’t appear in either according to the game’s official website.
Players will receive a reward for completing these Elusive Target contracts, and completing 5 will get players the signature suit from Hitman: Absolution, while completing 10 will get you the equivalent suit from the great Hitman: Blood Money. And this surely is something that Hitman fans will likely be looking forward to over the course of the game’s upcoming episodes, with the next one (set in Marrakech) likely arriving this June.