The final season in the trilogy will premiere on January 20 HITMAN – World of assassination… Company IO Interactive provided editors GameMAG.ru the opportunity to see an early version HITMAN 3and today we are happy to share our impressions based on several assignments.
Literally from the starting logo, where familiar music does not play and the overall design is dominated by black with a bright red tint, the game makes it clear that a rather dark story awaits us.
Like the second season, this part has minor changes in the gameplay, but global for speedrunners and absolute newcomers to the series. Indicators have become brighter and more informative, and this is evident from the familiar training mission of the ICA Facility. The player is led by the hand and shown all the sights of local systems to achieve objectives on assignments. The interface has undergone a wider customization – at any time you can turn off information that does not interest you, up to turning off all old and new indicators, which will complicate the first pass.
But in terms of designing patrols, the game was slightly weakened. Guards rarely move from room to room, leaving too much room to maneuver, and corpse boxes can now be found around every corner, which may not be to fans of the previous two seasons.
But what has remained unchanged is the Danes’ signature humor and impeccable visual style. Even going through the rather gloomy second mission “Dartmoor”, you can find funny tests on the map that will definitely put a smile on your face.
The developers at IO Interactive managed to partially recreate the technology of reflections in real time – without using RTX cores. Realistic reflections on surfaces are amazing. And most importantly, this setting practically does not load the system.
With attention to detail, the authors seem to breathe life into huge locations. The interiors are so meticulously filled that you start to believe that these are real places. After some high-profile releases from major publishers, it’s surprising that this beauty was created by an independent company. The overall visual creates an incredible atmosphere – at first you just walk around and look at the signs, textures, restaurant menus or portraits on the walls. The last time I did this in The division 2…
The main building in Dubai, where the first mission unfolds, rises above the clouds. It is both a majestic and monumental building. There was nothing like it before in the series. It’s a pleasure to explore it. And the mansion in Dartmoor will give you goosebumps. The Himmaphan Hotel has less to do with Traditions of the Trade as it has Dartmoor references to the Beldingford estate from Hitman Contracts. Here the developers play very well on the strings of the fans’ memories.
For the first playthrough, the developers neatly arranged story-focused moments. For example, missions have extended inserts, blocked equipment drops, unique starting locations, points of departure, or specific events or moments for full immersion. Choices have been added in some dialogs, but they do not affect cutscenes. And yes, there is good and bad news at the same time. Full-fledged cutscenes have returned to the game, but they are made on the engine, which is why some moments look funny – facial animation suffers in places.
Additionally, the developers have reworked the water system and improved the light sources. These HITMAN 3 innovations are now also available in past seasons. We really wanted to see the first implementation of rain in the trilogy, but the mission with it was missing in the preview.
There are some intriguing plot points in the latest official trailer, but we won’t write about them. Let’s just say that events are developing very rapidly, and there is a certain understatement in history. Perhaps the plot gaps remained in the book, as it was with the second season, where interesting details were described in the comic.
The main innovations are the camera gadget and shortcuts. Agent 47 takes the camera with him by default on every mission. It is tied to the mechanics of remote opening of certain windows, stairs, scanning documents, well, it can be used simply as a camera. In the latter mode, there are various filters, but the photo mode does not replace this. Ansel technology in GeForce video cards performs this task much better. IOI, 2023 in the yard, it’s time to add the photo mode to the game!
In-game shortcuts reward curiosity and stimulate replayability. There are several of them at the locations. It is enough to identify loopholes once, and they will be constantly available when replaying tasks. They allow you to slip through a huge section of the level and get to the positions of interest as quickly as possible. It’s a shame that these changes did not affect the first two seasons and are a gameplay aspect of only the third, although the tall grass added in the second season was successfully implemented in the first.
But the most interesting subject for discussion will be the new elements of interactivity, which first appeared in the third season. For example, at the first location, Dubai, to open a mini-map and a map in the menu, you will need to go to the stand with a diagram of the new building. Other types of interactivity are also present at other levels. These little things add impact to the gameplay on the first playthrough and leave pleasant memories.
From the funny: familiar items from the MK series will return to the game. The community reacted in a funny way to the pink number 2 stickers on the instruments in Season 2, and they won’t be in Season 3. Many gadgets have been redrawn, but the number 3 is present in the name.
The Common Challenges of the three seasons have received new icons, especially for the Challenges for the Silent Assassin rating. The interface was also slightly improved, and it began to look much clearer and more convenient.
The progression system has been redesigned and expanded – in the direction of simplification. Equipment unlocking is no longer tied to specific challenges.
On the scoring screen, you will be given ranks depending on how you completed the level. A similar system was previously implemented in Splinter Cell: Blacklist, where there were three styles: Panther, Ghost and Assault.
Exacerbation items are still here, and the readily available Sieger 300 Ghost in Marrakech is still waiting for its lucky one, who wants to get a sniper rifle into his arsenal as soon as possible. IO Interactive has also expanded its third season arsenal and introduced more sought-after weapons to eliminate targets.
Elusive targets have not disappeared either. This is the only temporary content left in the sequel. The conditions are the same: you have one attempt and a week to complete the order. In case of defeat, you will lose your reward forever. So this type of assignment should be approached with caution.
The developers decided to abandon the co-op and multiplayer, although the sniper missions from the second season are still available.
New gameplay
HITMAN 3 has every chance of becoming the main game of January. A cocktail of cool graphics, a good soundtrack and production, a twisted plot, an expanded arsenal, huge hours-long locations and an incredible atmosphere make the calendar days count down until its release. The new part feels like a full-fledged finale of the trilogy: all the cards are revealed, and the intrigue is heating up, and when the dust settles, 47 and the world that surrounds it will never be the same.
Read also: First Console Exclusive Xbox Series X | S In 2023: New Details And Gameplay Of The Medium Horror With Music From Silent Hill…
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