izigame.me

Replayabilty - The Game: Episode 1

First of all - this Hitman game...is probably not what you expect from a Hitman game - if you're an old time veteran of the series.
Most of the missions from old series - pretty linear ones with straight things you CAN, you CANNOT and NEED to do
Most of the times you do things in certain order and head for an exit and that basically it
But this game...its more like - a sand box game.
You're dropped in a pretty big locations. You're given 1-4 targets and basically - you're free to do whatever you want and how you want.
Tons, and I mean TONS of various ways to complete the mission. From classic fibers and 1-shot only to massive mayhem through sheer firepower or hillarious accidents that will make your day.
But...its kinda sounds like Blood Money or even Absolution?
So heres the big twist - in this game theres not so many missions and they are barely tied by the plot (it really almost non existent if you dont pay attention). You can complete every mission REALLY fast and just end it there. So in the end - this game can be pretty short and funny experience about wide running bald man.
But in reality - Devs want that the player discovered most of their missions - there are tons of weapons, easter eggs and so on. The problem is - you need to replay each mission hundreds of times to unlock some of the good stuff. And while some missions are fun this way - others may look kinda Grindey.
In some way - its kinda Rogue-like vision of Hitman if you prefer.
Its not an action game - since the player is really limited in packing his weapons
Its barely a stealth game since after Absolution, most of the guards dont mind you sneaking around.
So its more like - a really big and expensive puzzle game with the elements of a Killer Simulator.
Pretty smart idea for this series if you ask me.
But now the bad part - as I said before - plot is kinda boring and non-existent
Replaying missions can be fun - but when you play them for the 10-th time or play "alternate" missions on the same locations...you feel robbed.
Oh and also - Main Menu interface. It took me a while to realize where's the campaign, what to do next, in what order, and where is the exit button. The UI is all over the place.
And yes, sometimes optimization is weird - to say the least.
And thats basically it
Graphics are great. level design is simply gorgeous, each mission is like an eye candy. OST is epic and after this game - I feel that the James Bond IP is in the good hands now.
As for the character design - I gotta say, 47's VA - made his best this time - really charismatic
As for the targers - most of them are boring and forgettable
But the NPC's dialogues - is something else and really immersive

Improvements after Absolution

its the same Absolution, but now without segmented levels of the locations.
Now some guards will not care about your disguise, while others are smarter and will cause a headache.
Shooutouts become easier, since health regen is real this time
There's only 2 levels of difficulty
The plot is not so cringe as before.
Online Mode - Contracts - is now working here but...its a specific kind of entertainment.

Elusive Targets

Biggest trolling from IOI yet - they put missions at the release and then remove them forever for lulz.

TL;DR:

There is nothing much else to say about this game - since its that good if you give it a chance.
It looks good, fun to return to it. But if you dont care about replaying - its not gonna make you happy. Probably.
Another problem - its episodic and expensive as hell - both in development and for the buyers.