Hitman 3

In addition to the game's single-player campaign, many game modes from previous games return in Hitman 3. Escalation contracts are multi-stage contracts that get harder with each stage. They task players with eliminating targets under specific conditions, such as wearing a particular disguise or using a specific weapon.[20] Hitman 3 also features "Elusive Targets", which are time-limited missions that may only be attempted once. Elusive Targets are introduced in the game as regular updates.[21] Hitman 3 also introduced "Elusive Target Arcade", which is a permanent feature in the game. In Elusive Target Arcade, players must take down several Elusive Targets consecutively as the difficulty increases from target to target. Failing requires the player to wait 12 hours before attempting again.[22] The game also features Contracts Mode, where a player can select several targets across all the maps in the series, add extra complications like specific kill methods, and share their contracts with other players.[23]

The roguelike mode "Freelancer" was introduced in 2023. In this mode, 47 must take down several crime syndicates as a freelancer, without the help of the Agency, and players cannot save the game during missions.[24] Players must eliminate four Syndicate leaders to complete the mode, after first eliminating the lower members of each syndicate in separate contract missions before the leaders are lured out.[25] The player's contract, the assassination conditions, and the player's starting location are randomly generated.[26] When a leader is lured out, a "Showdown" mission will become available, and 47's handler Diana will inform the player of four physical and three behavioral characteristics of the leader.[27] Players can use their "suspect camera" to identify the syndicate leader in a level.[25] Each syndicate has a unique "syndicate type" which rewards a particular playstyle. Completing missions will earn the player Merces, which can then be used to purchase new weapons and gear. In each map, players can earn extra Meres by eliminating Couriers and opening safes. They can also find Suppliers who will sell them unique Freelancer weapons. Some weapons collected in a map may also be brought back to the safehouse for use in future missions.[28] As Mastery Levels increase, 47's safehouse, which serves as a hub space for the mode, gradually expands.[24] If the player fails a mission, 47 will lose all of the equipment that he brought with him and half of his Merces reserve. Future locations will also become more guarded, as the syndicate members become aware of 47's presence. If the player dies or fails a Showdown mission, the player's progress will be reset.[25][29]

The idea for each location in the game began with the team deciding on some keywords and phrases that would define the level's themes.[30] Each area in the game was designed to be a lived-in space, big enough for players to explore and express their creativity. As with previous games in the series, the team worked with contrasts. For instance, beneath the dark, rain-soaked streets of Chongqing lies a bright, hyper-modern research facility. Missions also contrast each other. For instance, the Dubai level, which is set during the inauguration of the Scepter, the world's tallest skyscraper, is immediately followed by Dartmoor, which features a historic mansion.[31] Game director Mattias Engström said that, whereas the Mumbai and Miami missions in Hitman 2 reached the limits of mission sizes, potentially overwhelming players, the team designed Hitman 3 with the understanding that "it's better to be a little sharper and more focused, to create a more polished and coherent experience". The levels in Hitman 3 are also more experimental in nature, with the developer changing up the gameplay formula in certain missions (e.g., the Berlin level), and implementing older ideas that they had not been able to implement (e.g., the murder-mystery in the Dartmoor level).[31]

Developers were inspired by immersive sim games in designing several new features, such as keypads and other items that create puzzles for the player to solve. The introduction of persistent shortcuts that can only be opened from one direction, but will stay open permanently in all future playthroughs, was designed to "encourage exploration, reward curiosity, and incentivize replayability".[32] Predictability and consistency were key factors for the AI, with developers wanting the game to be fun and interesting to experiment with even if it meant the AI seemed to be "stupid" sometimes.[33] Scripting for the game's artificial intelligence, however, required immense effort from the team. The team had frequent meetings to discuss changing target's behaviour, and spent a significant amount of time ensuring that the system and the simulation would not break, even if the player performs unconventional actions.[31]

One of the missions in the game is set in a wineyard of Mendoza, Argentina.

For the opening mission in Dubai, Engström gave the level designers and artists several phrases, such as "an inviting beginning", "open and airy", and "on top of the world" (which is the name for the mission in the game).[30] During development the team felt that the level was not living up to the "vertigo" and "verticality" keywords, and that the level would not give the player the feeling that they were high up on a massive skyscraper. As a result, the beginning of the mission was changed so that the player started outside of the skyscraper and working their way in, rather than starting by exiting an elevator into an atrium.[33] IO Interactive's art director and lead environment artist visited Dubai early in development to gather reference material.[31]

Dartmoor was based around phrases like "a house filled with secrets", "ominous", and "vulnerable".[30] The mansion setting was decided quite early on in development and features a gothic design inspired by detective fiction, such as Agatha Christie novels.[34] The linear structure of a murder-mystery caused IO to rework some of the mechanics and narrative paths, as they clashed with the design principles of replayibility and player freedom. The team experimented with using randomized culprits, but struggled to build a narrative. Despite the singular, fixed story, players are required to replay the level several times to get the full picture of the incident.[33] The player can also gather evidence to accuse different characters, resulting in different outcomes. The story required the detective disguise to allow free access to most of the level, contrasting with most Hitman levels, where the player has to avoid being detected.[33] The first version of the mission allowed the player full freedom to explore rooms and talk to people, but the player would not know who exactly they could talk to or which rooms were relevant. The team highlighted all of the people and objects of interest, resulting in a dull experience for playtesters, who would merely follow each icon and interact with all prompts. The final mission uses more subtle ways to guide players, such as through conversations between staff members and guards. Sound cues, such as a draft of wind through a room or the sound of ruffling paper, were also used to hint the player in the right direction towards clues. The addition of a secondary target, where the player would be asked to kill the true culprit, was considered but cut.[34][35]

The Berlin mission was based on the key words "loneliness" and "isolation".[30] The forest featured in the opening was deliberately designed to be cold and isolating to contrast with the rave found in the main part of the level.[31] IO sought to make the rave and music in the Berlin nightclub authentic.[30] The main level designer for the mission lives in Berlin and did location scouting for the level, taking reference photos and recording sounds.[31] Instead of using tracks from other sources, Hitman 3 composer Niels Bye Nielsen wrote the music that is played at the rave. The crowd NPCs are programmed to adjust their dance moves in response to the music as it builds.[30] Berlin features none of the guided missions stories found in other Hitman levels, and the player must identify the targets by themselves. While the team initially included a primary target, Agent Montgomery, and the other agents as optional targets, it later decided to leave the choice of targets up to the player. Initially, all 10 agents would show up in the game's instinct mode, but the team found that to be overwhelming for a first playthrough.[36] Berlin is the first level in the trilogy to feature armed targets who will fight back instead of running into lockdown. Earlier versions of the level included agents patrolling as pairs and targets immediately pulling out their weapon to shoot Agent 47 upon spotting him; the team deemed that design too punishing. Berlin was the most expensive level to make as a result of the development of new features, such as target identification and different methods of presenting information to the player.[31]

The Mendoza location was IO Interactive's first attempt to depict Argentina in the Hitman franchise. The original two ideas for the level were a "tango location set in Buenos Aires" or a vineyard in South Africa. Both ideas were combined and Mendoza was chosen because it is an internationally known wine producing region. The company went to great lengths to create a fictional location with authentic-looking terrain and vegetation, to show the winemaking process, and to accurately portray aspects of Argentine culture, such as tango and the drinking of mate. As IO Interactive's associate producer Pablo Prada is from Argentina, he provided insight for many aspects of the level. The real-life Villavicencio Natural Reserve was an inspiration for the architecture of the level. Professional dancers were hired for the tango animations and consulted about the music. The designers reused existing NPC Spanish-dialect dialogue, which had been recorded with Colombian and Mexican accents, rather than recording new NPC dialogue with authentic Argentine accents, due to time and budgetary constraints, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic. The company instead chose to focus on securing appropriate voice talent for the Chongqing location.[37]

Ambrose Island was added as a free downloadable content (DLC) as part of the Year 2 Update. The level is set during the events of Hitman 2. Live game director Kevin Goyon said that the team wanted to create a "pirate fantasy" and "to make a location that felt dangerous – but where 47 would belong". IO wanted to feature Lucas Grey and explore what happened to the militia after he left during Hitman 2. The team also explored the idea of rival factions, with the militia and pirates on the island, on the brink of a conflict. Goyon said that this allowed them "to create a rich lore and interesting situations".[38] The island location provided a natural way to define the boundaries of the map. In contrast to other outdoor Hitman maps, which revolve around built-up areas (e.g., Hitman 2's Santa Fortuna and Mumbai), Ambrose Island was designed around the natural rocky topology and jungles of the island, with much of the map consisting of natural environments. The topology and jungles divide the map into different zones, allowing the team to experiment with more verticality than usual on the map.[38]

In Hitman 3, the developers emphasized the game's story aspects and sought to create closure for 47's character.[39] The game incorporates hand-crafted moments designed around the first time playthrough, with the aim being to integrate many core story moments into the gameplay.[40] Hitman 2 established the major players, and Hitman 3 allows each of these characters to develop their own character arc and become more involved in both the story and the gameplay. Throughout all three games, Agent 47 is undergoing a period of self-discovery: learning about his past, rebuilding his relationships with other characters, and realizing his ability to exercise his free will. The Berlin level, in which 47 refuses one of his allies' advice to leave the compound and instead opts to eliminate the ICA agents sent to hunt him, was considered to be an important "character moment" for him, as it represents the first instance in which he must make a choice. The Argentina level represents the first time the player meets Diana face-to-face in the trilogy. At the end of the mission, 47 dances with Diana for a tango. IO chose to limit the player's outfit choices for this particular moment in order to maintain the atmosphere and not undermine the storytelling.[39] The Carpathian Mountains level, which was controversial for its linear design, was described by Engström as a "narratively driven set-piece that is setting up closure for the trilogy". The train was designed as a metaphor for 47 spending his life "following a path determined by others", with his stepping off the train at the end being symbolic of 47 leaving his past as a contract killer behind at the end of the story.[39] The game had a "more mature, serious, darker" tone when compared with Hitman 2, which features a more lighthearted tone.[1] The team took a more measured approach to the game's humor. While elements of lightheartedness are still core to the game's design, they are more likely to be discovered in subsequent playthroughs and are not as "front and center" as in Hitman 2.[41]

The game had six writers and a producer who managed the writing team. According to Forest Swartout Large, the game's executive producer, the dialogue budget accounted for a significant proportion of the overall development budget because the team had to write dialogue for not only the linear story, but also the emergent gameplay.[41] The game's cast include David Bateson as Agent 47, Jane Perry as Diana Burnwood, John Hopkins as Lucas Grey, Isaura Barbé-Brown as Olivia Hall, and Phillip Rosch as the Constant.[42] For the incidental dialogue, Bateson was instructed not to diversify his accent to fit the context of the situation. Instead, he was directed to deliver dialogue in a "delightfully wooden" way and deliver each line, regardless of how absurd it may be, seriously.[43] Bateson further stated that he wanted to "give [47] almost a kind of Frankenstein's monster feel to him".[44] Reflecting on the evolution of dark humour across the three games, Bateson said that "[it] has matured and evolved like a good cheese or a good wine, without the writers wanting to belittle or turn it into some kind of a lightweight comedy, because it’s not. People are dying horrific deaths. But it’s nice to have that dark humour".[45]

IO Interactive reduced the file size of Hitman 3—including the data for the first two games in the trilogy—to 60-70 GB, as compared to Hitman 2's 150 GB size. Engine improvements allowed IO Interactive to use lossless LZ4 compression. The team also changed their method for importing content from older titles, reducing data duplication.[46] In November 2020, IO Interactive announced that they had teamed up with Intel to optimise Hitman 3 performance on high-end CPUs with 8+ cores, which allowed the team to include more crowds and destructible environments. They also used Variable Rate Shading, a technique for improving rendering performance by dynamically changing the rate of shading in different parts of the frame.[47][48] More high-end CPU features were added to the game on 24 May 2022, including real-time raytracing and adaptive supersampling when using Nvidia DLSS or AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution.[49]

The idea to add a VR mode to the game originated in 2018, when a senior game designer brought his PlayStation VR headset into the office to show it off. People at the office "couldn't stop playing" the game Firewall: Zero Hour, which inspired the developers to make their own VR mode for Hitman 3. The VR team, which was made up of 10 to 12 people, believed that the game's level design suited the new perspective offered by VR, even though they were not designed with it in mind. The cover system was reworked, with players physically crouching to hide out of sight instead of locking into a cover system. They also enabled players to have free-form movement with the game's melee weapons, instead of using scripted animations.[33] Many items, which previously would have been quite small on the screen or obscured by UI, were redesigned to include more detail. The team used the holographic sights for aiming in first-person. Despite VR being designed to be an immersive personal experience, the team decided not to tone down any of the violent content of the game.[50]

Hitman 3 received "generally favorable" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[79][80][81][82] It has been considered by some critics to be the best entry in the series and one of the greatest stealth games of all time.[90][91][92] The game was praised for its gameplay loop, creativity, and level design. It was the best-reviewed game in the series.[93]

Nick Statt from The Verge praised Hitman 3 for being a cohesive and accessible experience, stating that "IOI has meticulously crafted ways to teach even the most bumbling, haphazard players how to become Agent 47 in mind and body". He compared the game's level to puzzles, writing that the game often invites players to understand its gameplay systems and exploit them in order to find success. He praised the game for allowing players to experiment with different approaches, making Hitman 3 a "a memorable and darkly comedic experience".[94] Edwin Evans-Thirlwell from Eurogamer wrote that Hitman 3 was most rewarding when observing the patterns of the game's systems and strategising novel plans, although he was disappointed that the game does not react to the player's actions in a significant way after a target has been killed.[83] While Jeff Cork from Game Informer liked the game's slow pacing and approach to level design, he felt that Hitman 3 was unlikely to convince players unimpressed with previous games.[84] Luke Reily, writing for IGN, wrote that "the slow-burn thrill of these games comes from planning, patience, and hiding in plain sight", and the game "rewards rational thinking over rushing", while accommodating players who enjoy more action-packed games.[87] Russ Frushtick from Polygon wrote that Hitman 3 frequently contrasted "predictable assassin-y stuff with true nonsense", and that the game's pairing of both seriousness and absurdity resulted in "high comedy".[95]

Some critics compared the Dartmoor level, which features an optional murder-mystery, to the movie Knives Out.

The game's level design received critical praise. Writing for The Guardian, Keith Stuart said that IO had successfully created several intricate locations for players to explore. He enjoyed the openness of each level, and wrote that modern Hitman games have become hugely replayable and "a benchmark for generous sandbox game design".[96] Evans-Thirlwell said that Hitman 3's maps were comparable in quality to its predecessors, and said that they were worth revisiting for their diverse assassination opportunities and side stories.[83] Hurley praised the incidental events featured in the game, which helped flesh out the game world. Reily wrote that the maps in Hitman 3 were among the best IO had created, praising each location's complex layout and verticality and the wealth of assassination opportunities within them.[87] Jeff Cork from Game Informer praised the levels for their consistent quality, and noted that despite the fixed gameplay loop, IO Interactive was able to introduce variety to mission design. He wrote that each level offered improvisational opportunities for players to approach their objectives.[84] GameSpot's Phil Hornshaw wrote that Hitman 3 was "full of fun and fascinating ideas". He also said that although the gameplay mechanics were similar to the earlier games in the trilogy, the game "finds new ways to challenge seasoned assassins purely through excellent design".[85] The Berlin level, which twisted the gameplay formula significantly, received critical acclaim.[97][98] Jeff Grubb from VentureBeat wrote that Berlin demonstrated the "maturity of the Hitman formula", remarking that IO Interactive no longer need to rely on mission stories to guide players, allowing players to enjoy a freeform experience.[88] The Dartmoor map was particularly praised for the optional murder mystery elements, drawing comparisons to the movie Knives Out.[99] The final level, set on a train in the Carpathian Mountains, was criticised for its linearity and as feeling out of place for a Hitman game.[83][100]

The narrative received mixed reviews from critics. Slatt enjoyed the larger emphasis on the game's story. He wrote that the game had successfully combined the engrossing story found in Hitman Absolution and the freeform gameplay found in Hitman: Blood Money. He stated that the stronger story in the game gave players a more clear purpose in assassinating various targets. He also praised IOI for making individual missions more story-driven.[94] Hornshaw praised the game for tying the targets to the game's story, resulting in more interesting characters and consequential missions.[85] Writing for VG 247, Alex Donaldson stated that the experience was more "directed", and that IO's attempt to turn Hitman 3 into an "epic story" largely succeeded, noting that it was significantly less silly than its predecessors.[89] Hurley also felt that the game "has a stronger narrative flow to locations and story beats". Stuart, however, found the story to be forgettable and formularic, especially in comparison with the emergent stories that the player can create on their own. He likened the game's narrative to "straight-to-Netflix spy thrillers".[96] Cameron Kunzelman from Vice criticised the game for being story-driven. Following the failure of Absolution in 2012, he wrote that the franchise was again repeating its mistake.[101]

The PlayStation VR mode received mostly positive reviews and was praised for its immersion, impressive visuals for a PSVR title and for supporting all of the maps in the trilogy. It was criticised for visual downgrades, including a lack of reflections and low draw distance. The control scheme, which utilisesa combination of DualShock 4 controller and motion controls, received mixed reviews.[102][103] The PC VR version released in 2022 was heavily criticised for not offering full motion controls or improving upon the flaws of the PlayStation version.[104][105]

Hitman 3 reached the number 1 position in the UK game boxed charts, with launch sales up 17% over Hitman 2.[106] IO Interactive also stated that Hitman 3 had the "biggest digital launch" for the franchise.[107] One week after the game had been released, Hitman 3's sales had already surpassed its development budget.[108] By April 2021, IO Interactive CEO Hakan Abrak stated that Hitman 3 had performed "300% better commercially" than its predecessor Hitman 2.[109] By November 2021, Hitman 3 was the most successful game from the franchise and the entire World of Assassination trilogy, reaching 50 million players.[110]

Hitman 3 received the "PC Game of the Year" award at the Golden Joystick Awards 2021[111] and the "Best Stealth" award from PC Gamer.[112] Several publications considered it one of the best video games of the year, including Push Square,[113] Electronic Gaming Monthly,[114] Time,[115] Ars Technica,[116] The Guardian,[117] IGN,[118] TechRadar,[119] GamesRadar+,[120] The Washington Post,[121] Edge,[122] Kotaku,[123] GameSpot,[124] Rock Paper Shotgun,[125] Giant Bomb,[126] VG247,[127] NME,[128] Eurogamer,[129] Gamereactor,[130] Mashable,[131] The A.V. Club[132] and Polygon.[133] PC Gamer placed the game 2nd in their 2021 "Top 100 PC Games" list and 5th in their 2022 list.[134]

The game was nominated for "Best VR/AR Game" at The Game Awards 2021 for its PlayStation VR mode.[135] Eurogamer's Ian Higton named it the best PS VR game of 2021[136] and it was also voted the best PS VR game of 2021 by readers of PlayStation Blog.[137] After its Steam release in 2022, Hitman 3 won "VR Game of the Year" at the 2022 Steam Awards.[138] IO Interactive was nominated for "Best Game Development Studio" at the NME Awards 2022.[139] An episode of the A Sound Effect Podcast featuring Hitman 3 developers titled "How Hitman 3's powerful sound was made with the audio team at IO Interactive" was nominated for "Best Game Audio Presentation Podcast or Broadcast" at the 2022 Game Audio Network Guild Awards.[140][141]