Hitman: Episode 3 - Marrakesh (PC) Review

The fun in Hitman lies in the multiple ways that it's possible to infiltrate, approach a target, and then send him/her to the afterlife, as well as the sheer magnitude of the game world offered. Does this happen in Episode 3 - Marrakesh? Yes, yes it does. The level is enormous, divided between various sections ranging from Moroccan marketplaces and bazaars, to Swedish embassies and war-ravaged schools, and the opportunities to choke, poison, stab, and shoot the head honchos are aplenty.

The thing is, though, that the fun in here has to do with another thing: immersion, and, frankly, Marrakesh just doesn't have what it takes. The briefing is quite promising: a banker hidden in the fortress of the Swedish embassy with an angry mob and lots of trigger-happy soldiers outside, as well as a coup started by another dangerous man on the other side of the city. At first glance, this feels as if it would be better than the Paris and Sapienza chapters, since this is a place where the air smells of war.

Unfortunately, the expected tension is nowhere to be seen. The greatest example is the embassy, which is way too easy to infiltrate, and, once inside, just feels like a slightly messed up office building, with lots of indifferent NPCs inside, as well as some police officers who feel more like security guards. Secondly, it's too easy to find a military outfit, which will enable entering more than 50% of the various sections around the two targets.

Design-wise, Marrakesh, besides looking less varied than Sapienza, also feels less open-ended, with fewer entryways to each area, and lots of ledges that seem as if Agent 47 can jump from, and yet can't. As mentioned before, this is still a fun episode, yet quite poor when compared to the beautiful and exciting second chapter. Oh, and as for the plot, some more names are mentioned, and it's easier to make some assumptions this time around, but, as whole, it's still nothing more than a prosaic mess.