Hitman 2 (2018)

Note: This review contains spoilers for Hitman (2016).

After the release of Hitman (2016), IO Interactive split from Square Enix, their previous publisher, and got to keep the rights to the Hitman franchise in an unprecedented move. This led to their partnership with Warner Bros., which resulted in the release of Hitman Steelbook Edition and continued development of the World of Assassination Trilogy, including Hitman 2 (2018). Unlike its predecessor, Hitman 2 (2018) did away with the episodic structure and got a full retail release from the start. While Hitman 2 (2018) does feel very much like an updated version of Hitman (2016), it introduces enough changes to the formula that it feels like a better overall experience.

Continuing from the events of Hitman (2016), Agent 47 and his handler, Diana Burnwood, accept a contract from The Constant, the head of Providence, to figure out the identity of the Shadow Client, who had called in all of the ICA’s hits from the previous game. As 47 follows the Shadow Client’s trail, he learns even more about his past and eventually questions his loyalty.

Much like Hitman (2016), the game delivers the story in a way that you can skip it and focus on killing horrible people in creative ways. If you do pay attention to the story, however, it’s actually pretty interesting and advances the story in a meaningful way while introducing enough twists that keep the player engaged. For the sake of continuity, it also helps that the introductory cutscene includes a quick summary of where things stood at the end of the previous game.

Although the story as presented on the disc ends after the sixth campaign mission, it actually continues through two more missions if you buy the Expansion Pass, which I managed to get during a sale for $10 instead of $40. The two extra campaign missions not only add on to the previous end of the campaign, but set up the circumstances behind Hitman 3, which released over two years later. The Expansion Pass also adds four Special Assignments, each with their own interesting, self-contained storylines that show more of 47’s job outside of the Providence arc. The same could be said for the two additional Sniper Assassin missions, though the first one, which the game already comes with, actually fleshes out some of the background behind the first Prologue mission.

Like in the previous game, the story takes place across six sandbox style levels: Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand; Miami, USA; Santa Fortuna, Columbia; Mumbai, India; Whittleton Creek, USA; and Isle of Sgàil, North Atlantic. The Expansion Pass portion of the story adds two new locations: New York, USA and Maldives, Asia. Though these levels are a little more involved than in the previous game, mainly through new levels of interaction, their size remains very manageable while allowing a lot of depth in how the player approaches and eliminates their Targets. Thanks to a high amount of detail, each map also stands out from one another conceptually and visually. One of the most interesting concepts for a map was Whittleton Creek, which places 47 in a suburban neighborhood.

Whittleton Creek is an interesting concept for a Hitman level.

Gameplay is largely similar to Hitman (2016), but with a few improvements. For one thing, the UI is cleaner and the tutorial text during the Prologue level goes into more detail about the core mechanics. Opportunities were reworked a little, with the new label of Mission Stories and letting you set your waypoint preferences early on. If it’s your first time playing a mission, you can also choose to start with a guide, which places you into a Mission Story. When a mission ends, you can also choose to replay it but with one of the recommended Mission Stories already active, as it encourages multiple replays to get the full story of each level. If one level leads directly into another, as in the main Hitman 2 Campaign or between two of the Special Assignments, you can also choose to go directly into the next mission instead of going back to the menu first. During missions, 47 can now run and use Instinct at the same time, though now time moves at normal speed during Instinct rather than slow down. If the player is having a hard time with the game, there’s also a new Casual difficulty, which makes it less likely for the player to fail the mission, such as a lack of security cameras, but still leaves plenty of room for error.

Some new additions to the formula also add a new layer of depth to each mission and force the player out of the comfort zone they may have developed from Hitman (2016). Strategically placed tall grass not only helps conceal 47 at critical points, but also adds another spot for safe concealment of bodies and illegal firearms. On top of this, 47 can now finally blend in with crowds, giving the masses of a people in each level an actual purpose and adding another way to bypass Enforcers who can see through his disguises. Briefcases also make an appearance, letting 47 smuggle illegal items past guards while adding another item that he can throw or quickly subdue enemies with. The only potential downside to a briefcase is that you have to carry it throughout the whole mission if you want to use it, but I found myself always carrying the briefcase anyway. The best part about them is that if you smuggle in an item, it will now appear in the briefcase, which you can then take with you.

By completing a certain Challenge, you can also unlock a briefcase
that homes in on its target, even around corners and through walls.

While in the field, 47 has an increased level of interactivity with NPCs. Blending in while wearing certain disguises can have 47 serving customers until the intended Target shows up, which comes into play with assassinating a Target in Mumbai while disguised as a barber or poisoning a specific Target in Whittleton Creek while disguised as a waiter in a neighborhood party. Additionally, levels now have mirrors in certain locations, including bathrooms, through which NPCs can see your crimes. It’s not too big a deal if you’re alone with someone, but can get pretty tricky in more public spaces.

If you get the Expansion Pass, you also gain access to Special Assignments, which operate like the bonus missions from the previous game. Although these recycle the full maps from the campaign, this game pulls it off better by confining the new Targets to a single area of the map, meaning far less running around and a lower chance of running into the Targets from the campaign. However, you do still hear the same ambient dialogue if you pass by the right NPCs.

Hitman 2 (2018) also introduces a new Sniper Assassin game mode that supports both single player and multiplayer. In this mode, players are restricted to a sniper rifle and can’t move from the starting spot, but they have infinite ammo and can view the entire map from afar. Completing Challenges and improving your Mastery of each level lets you unlock additional sniper rifles and ammo options, though unfortunately only for that specific map. This mode also adds an extra challenge with a swaying sight that you have to steady with a pressure-sensitive trigger button, as well as taking bullet travel time into account. Though this mode is interesting and provides another glimpse into the scope of 47’s job, there are only three maps, two of which are behind the paywall of the Expansion Pass. These are Himmelstein, Austria; Hantu Port, Singapore; and Siberia, Russia.

Sniper Assassin adds a unique multiplayer mode.

In a fun twist, Hitman 2 (2018) has an interesting interaction with Hitman (2016). If you previously played the original game, you can redeem Legacy items in the sequel, which includes the Requiem Pack items (provided you also downloaded a free piece of DLC specifically for that). Through Hitman (2016), you can also redeem a free Legacy Pack for your version of the game, which lets you download and play the entire campaign and all of the bonus missions (sans The Sarajevo Six) in Hitman 2 (2018) with all of the new features. If you didn’t play the previous game first, you can also more or less buy the game through the Hitman 2 (2018) store and play it within the same game. Both games also use the exact same Prologue, including cutscenes and missions, but incorporate the new elements so it doesn’t feel too repetitive.

On the flip side, however, Hitman 2 (2018) still wants you to play Online and make an IOI account. While you can avoid the latter entirely, the game actually mentions that it distinguishes between Online and Offline progress. Since I played while connected to the internet the whole time, I can’t comment on what happens if you switch between the two modes. Elusive Targets also returned, but retained the same problem with lack of repeats, meaning that people playing the game now have permanently missed several exclusive rewards.

Much like the gameplay, the graphics are pretty similar to the previous game, though certain details are a little mixed, especially in the Legacy levels. At the time I played the game, I didn’t think any changes really got in the way of my enjoyment, but the quality of the lighting and special effects would depend at least partly on the individual. The same could be said for the sound design, though it also didn’t significantly affect my overall enjoyment of the game outside of somewhat quieter dialogue in Legacy levels. That said, I noticed some texture loading, which seemed a little more emphasized in the Legacy levels (ex. taking longer to load a newspaper texture). That said, as someone who has attended a number of conventions, mainly San Diego Comic-Con, I wish other events were as organized as the race in the Miami level. Those lines on the ground would really help with outdoor crowd control.

This level of direction would be really helpful.

Likely due to a change in budget, the story cutscenes use mainly stylized static images. These still look good and fit the tone, but it feels good to see the fully animated cutscenes return for the Golden Handshake and The Last Resort missions from the Expansion Pass. The music also has a somewhat different style, but it’s still in the spirit of the series. I especially like the main menu track, which sounds more calming than the one in Hitman (2016), but does a great job getting the player in the mood for their upcoming missions.

Although Hitman 2 (2018) repeats some of the same mistakes as its predecessor, it’s still really fun and the new gameplay additions help the experience feel fresh even in the Legacy levels. Built-in access to the previous game is a huge plus that makes this an easy recommendation even to people just starting their Hitman journey.