Hitman Absolution (PC) Review

Unlike so many rigidly-scripted scenarios in many games, Hitman Absolution is a title happy to hand the initiative to the player, who carries the responsibility of taking out targets. The manner in which they do that is completely up to them. It's without doubt one of the finest and most satisfying aspects of Absolution. Watching a disguised Agent 47 opting to push a target over a railing, or watching from afar as a carefully planted explosive erupts beneath the unsuspecting enemy is as fun as it sounds, and definitely encourages players use all of their creativity when setting up an elaborate hit. That's not to say those daunted by the extensive options at hand can't simply take care of matters from close quarters, whilst they acclimatise to their surroundings, of which they will sneakily traverse through many, such as factories, police stations and back allies, to name but a few.

Roaming through the world will come naturally to anybody who has played a handful of modern third-person action games. The nature of the dash and cover mechanics make controlling Agent 47 as seamless as ever. In fact, the quest around enemies has been aided by a new instinct system, allowing one to follow the movements of others through walls. It's a simple enough mechanic, but one that employs another dose of stealth, as players try to evade their foes. Fans will also be pleased to find that disguises make their way back into Absolution, becoming an essential part of Agent 47's resources, though be warned, as they won't work on people wearing the same outfit, resulting in being under instant suspicion. As players complete each stage, they will be scored by a point system, encouraging them to assert their creativeness when dispatching their enemies, and their associates too.

The sheer amount of ways to execute enemies and the scenarios that evolve from those possibilities are undoubtedly Hitman Absolution's strongest point. Just wait for the sight of Agent 47 scurrying through fields disguised as a scarecrow as he attempts his next kill. It's a real shame, then, that such inventiveness is paralleled with some pretty uninspiring storytelling by comparison. This iteration sees Agent 47 having to protect a young girl from old acquaintances and mobsters. Many of the missions simply require stealthily sidestepping enemies in search of various exits. Most of the time, in order to achieve this, the plan will be to perch and watch enemies through the instinct abilities, as well as the map, in order to decide when to eventually make a run for it.

Many will point to the save system, or lack thereof, as one of the biggest disappointments to be found in this package. Having in-level manual save points means playing through many of the same parts over and over, and in many cases, listening to a long-winded character spilling backstory again, unable to skip before finally progressing. This defect has had a clear detrimental effect on the level layouts, in that everything has been divided by so many checkpoints, leaving many sections with not much to do at all.

It is a relief, then, that there is a contracts mode to speak of. Here, players have the opportunity to choose a level and weapon to carry, as they make their way through a level to dictate through their actions what constitutes a successful execution. Once the targets and means of executions have been set for a playthrough, other players will be able to download that scenario and attempt to pass, by matching what deems to be a success as set by the previous player. It should be interesting to see how creative a tool this will become and how it will affect the longevity of Absolution.

It's a pity Hitman Absolution is tainted slightly by the flaws it possesses, especially as something like the save system could have been so easily rectified. However, even with some gripes to bear, the game still offers a lot of excellent gameplay, with plenty of invention, humour and fine execution. Fans will ultimately welcome the return of Agent 47 and hope that his next outing won't be another six years away.