Hitman: Episode 5 - Colorado (PC) Review

All previous episodes felt like they took place in pretty much the same kind of environment: a small urban area where simple folk would walk about, a building with all sorts of people working in, ranging from employees like chefs, cleaners, technicians, and so on, to armed security, and, somewhere in there, a few lucky people waiting for Agent 47 to help them… sleep better. Episodes like Paris and Sapienza offered some good hitman fun, but the rest were just ok.

Colorado might not be stylish like those settings that feel as if they came straight out of a Bond flick, but that's good, because it's finally time to change things, and boy, what a change is that! While this episode takes place in the USA, the developer chose not to offer a boring and been-there-done-that place like a big city or something, and instead went an atmospheric, beautiful autumn landscape, and a dark, cloudy sky that gives this land an everyday, yet unique vibe.

The real difference, however, is how this level structured. Instead of a hotel or mansion with multiple levels, this is more straightforward, since it takes place in a big round field. However, this place turns out to be the most hostile yet, because it's a farm-turned-military-camp, with four, read that again, four targets, nearly everyone on sight being an armed guard, and almost every single door and passage having two or three of these trigger-happy people close by.

Agent 47 will have to be on his toes from the very beginning here, because, unless he finds a disguise, he will be shot on sight, no questions asked. Even if he gets one, though, this remains the tensest of Hitman's levels, and that's a really, really good thing, because the previous two episodes had a more laidback feel, not to mention that, since there weren't as many guys with guns around, it was sometimes possible to shoot the target, and then simply run for the exit.

Besides the new ways to do some killing, or the new unlockable gear, there's - finally - a better focus on providing a plot. There's more to eavesdrop here (almost from every guard duo), and, instead of simply walking away after doing what has to be done, Agent 47 will finish the level with an in-game cut-scene that will give some clues about what's going on - and while it's too late to fix the story portion of the game, this small event manages to makes it all a bit more interesting.

If there's a flaw here that will be that, since this is a military base, there's not much going on, which makes this episode feel the least organic in some ways. More specific, in previous episodes people would not just stand like guards besides a pathway, but actually move around the place and do certain tasks. Even the four targets rarely do something more than just follow their predetermined paths, something that gives to this episode a less dynamic feel.