Hitman 1 also known as Hitman 2016 stealth video game that was developed by IO Interactive and was released episodically for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One from March to October 2016. The game, which has six episodes, is the sixth mainline entry in the Hitman franchise and the first installment of the World of Assassination trilogy, taking place six years after the events of Hitman: Absolution (2012). It follows professional assassin Agent 47 as he goes on a worldwide adventure and solves a mysterious series of seemingly unconnected assassinations. Hitman features a number of large, open-ended sandboxes that Agent 47 can freely explore. The game presents the player with various assassination opportunities, many of which are unconventional. IO Interactive introduced a “live component” to the game with new content being regularly delivered in downloadable form.
Square Enix set up a Montréal studio to work on the next Hitman game, but IO Interactive returned to lead the game’s development following the under-performance of Absolution. The title was conceived as a re-imagining of the franchise as the team attempted to integrate the gameplay of Absolution with the open-endedness of earlier installments of the series. According to the team, Hitman is a puzzle game with action and stealth elements; the developers refined the simulation and artificial intelligence of each level. The game adopted an episodic model and the team envisioned the game as a service. It was marketed as a “World of Assassination” and provided a platform that would expand and evolve over time, and inspire a trilogy of games.
Upon its release, Hitman received positive reviews; critics praised the game’s episodic release format, locations, level design, and its replayability but criticised the always-online requirement and excessive handholding. The game under-performed commercially and caused publisher Square Enix to divest from IO Interactive in May 2017. Following a management buyout, IO retained the rights to the series and partnered with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment to produce a sequel titled Hitman 2, which was released in November 2018. The World of Assassination trilogy is set to be concluded with Hitman 3 in January 2021.
Hitman is an action-adventurestealth video game in which players control a genetically enhanced assassin called Agent 47 from a third-person perspective as he carries out assassinations of various targets across the globe.[1] As in other games in the Hitman series, players have a large amount of freedom in their approach to their assassinations.[2] Players may use weapons including explosives,[3] pistols,[4] assault rifles,[5] and long-range sniper rifles;[6] they may also assassinate the target at close range using bladed weapons or throwable items.[7]
Agent 47 is vulnerable in a firefight; thus, eliminating targets silently is preferred. He can use his specially equipped garrote wire to strangle his victims[8] or disguise his killings as accidental deaths, such as poisoning the target’s food[4] or drowning them in a toilet.[9] The game also includes scripted opportunities that require the completion of multiple tasks. Players can eavesdrop on conversations from non-playable characters (NPCs) to obtain clues about the location and routine of targets, and uncover opportunities for creative infiltration and elimination.[10] For example, Agent 47 can tamper with a chandelier, causing it to fall and kill a target.[11] 47 can collect items to use as improvised weapons, access previously restricted areas, knock out NPCs, or create distractions.[4] Completion of mission challenges, such as killing targets in unconventional ways, discovering unique items, and gaining access to new areas, enables players to progress through the mastery levels for each location, with rewards such as advanced weapons and gadgets, agency pick-up locations for stashing gear, and new starting locations for that level.[12][13]
Each episode in the game features a sandbox-type environment the player can freely explore. Players can incapacitate specific NPCs and wear their clothes as disguises, which allow Agent 47 to access restricted areas, initiate conversations with targets or other NPCs, and perform actions that would otherwise be highly suspicious. Some NPCs, referred to as “Enforcers”, will see through 47’s disguises.[14] Agent 47 can try to blend in to prevent this from happening.[15] Levels can accommodate about 300 NPCs, each of which reacts to the player’s actions differently and has their own unique routines.[16] Acting strangely, such as crouching or taking cover in a crowd, will raise suspicions.[10][4] If 47 tries to enter a restricted area, he may have to be frisked by guards, requiring him to discard weapons or illegal items before being searched.[5] The artificial intelligence (AI) of NPCs has several alert phases. Guards will escort Agent 47 from a restricted area if he is found trespassing and his disguise may be compromised if a NPC sees him perform an illegal action. An alert guard will first try to arrest 47, but if he resists or tries to run, they will open fire on him.[10] Guards can be distracted[10] and Agent 47 can hide the bodies of incapacitated individuals and other evidence to avoid alerting other NPCs.[17] Agent 47 can also enter Instinct Mode, which highlights the locations of the targets, as well as useful items, guards, and other important information.[18] After killing his target, Agent 47 needs to locate an exit to complete a mission. A player’s mission performance review is rated with a five-star rating system and is influenced by factors such as time elapsed, the number of non-target NPCs killed, sightings of 47, appearances on CCTV cameras, and discoveries of victims’ bodies.[19]
IO Interactive introduced a “live component” to Hitman; new content, which was regularly delivered in downloadable form, includes time-limited missions called “Elusive Targets”. If a player fails to kill an elusive target before the mission expires, or alerts targets and allows them to escape, the targets will not return. Players are rewarded for successful killings with cosmetic rewards. Unlike the main game, players cannot save their games when they are completing the Elusive Target missions.[20] “Escalation Contracts”, which are contracts created by the developers, include stages that require players to complete tasks such as assassinating a target using a specific weapon or disguise. By completing a stage, players progress through the escalation and the level of difficulty will increase with new challenges to comply with or changes to the level.[21]Hitman: Absolution‘s Online Contracts mode also returns in Hitman,[22] allowing players to assign up to five NPCs as assassination targets, set requirements for their killings, and share their contracts with and compete with other players.
