Hitman: The Bonus Episodes Review

After a year of constant monthly episodes, Hitman is now available on disc as a complete collection. To celebrate this milestone, IO have released three new bonus missions, two of which were available to some players last summer. It’s just the latest in the steady stream of updates that IO have pumped out throughout the year. Instead of new locations, The Icon, A House Built on Sand, and Landslide are instead remixes of two old levels, bustling inner city Marrakesh,and picturesque Italian hotspot Sapienza. Each mission does a great job of injecting new content, adding grisly new murder methods and switching up the geographical layout of each map. It’s great fun to visit these familiar locales under a different mission briefing, and soaking in their freshly invigorated atmosphere, The Bonus Episodes are still great fun to play, retaining the solid stealth action and crafty killing sprees that Hitman has down to a tee. But despite these vibrant reimaginings of the old maps, the missions feel fairly slight, the size and scope of the contracts reduced. Nevertheless, The Bonus Missions are still a quality addition to a massive game already bursting at the seams with content.

 Hitman has always revelled in dark humour, counteracting the grim business of contract killing with scarecrow costumes and exploding rubber duckies. The Icon continues this trend, dialling it up a notch with the arrival of egocentric movie star Dino Bosco, whose over budget superhero blockbuster has arrived for filming in Sapienza. Hired by producers tired of Bosco’s spendy ways, 47 is tasked with permanently ending the actors’ already failing career. The first thing you’ll notice upon arriving in Sapienza is how IO have cleverly reshuffled the now familiar map. The town square, previously a quiet place of reflection and ice-cream, is now a bustling centre of activity. The film crew have set up production there, the once open space now crammed up with trailers, props, equipment tables, lights, camera rigs, and, most impressive of all, an apocalyptic film set of flaming cars and rubble, towered over by a colossal mechanical robot. Crew members and security mill about backstage, whilst nosey bystanders crowd around the edges of the set, desperate to catch a glimpse of their favourite star. Sapienza was the standout level of Hitman 2016, and it’s great to see how these formerly peaceful areas have been transformed, the town feeling as fresh as it did in April last year.

The hit itself is also challenging. In a nice little wrinkle, Bosco is wearing a knock-off Iron Man suit, which just so happens to be bullet proof. Since headshots and sniper rounds are out of the question, you’ll have to get creative in the props department. Luckily for Agent 47, The Icon is a production heavy with practical effects, the set strewn with flamethrowers, explosive charges, and even gnashing metal teeth just waiting to be tampered with. With such alluring toys to play with, accident kills are the name of the game in The Icon, their spectacular pay-offs as blackly humorous as any of the franchise classics.Watching a budget Robocop get catapulted into a gaping robotic maw never gets old.

After the Hollywood excess of The Icon, A House Built on Sand dials it down to a more laid back pace. Set in a nighttime Marrakesh, the mission tasks 47 with ending a shady billion dollar business deal going on in the backstreets. If the craziness of The Icon references Blood Money, then this backdrop of corporate sabotage feels like a throwback to the restraint of Contracts. With two targets to stalk, and a final objective, the real star of the mission is the reimagined Marrakesh. The city of the “Gilded Cage” story mission was a sweltering, sunbaked metropolis, teetering on the brink of political revolution. By contrast, A House Built on Sand has a more relaxed air. The rioting crowd is now gone, replaced with market stall illuminated by neon signs and strings of fairy lights.Marrakesh originally offered one of the weakest levels in the game, partly due to the fact that the main mission took place entirely within closed off areas, leaving the markets and streets somewhat underused. Now, down amongst the alleyways, it’s a calm and peaceful exterior that hints at the shadowy criminal activities taking place behind closed doors. It’s reminiscent of the spy thriller atmosphere of Contracts.  Whilst there are now two targets to hunt down, they’re a fairly bland pair after the brash, spandex wearing Bosco. All in all, this Marrakesh mission feels fairly routine, offering less visual variety and gameplay surprises than The Icon. It’s a decent challenge in the reinvented map, but never rises above decent.

The final (and newest) mission, Landslide, whisks us back to the Amalfi coast, during a sun-drenched evening on the Sapienza beachfront. Suave mayoral candidate and mafia man Marco Abiatti is hosting a political rally on the promenade, and it’s up to 47 to make sure he retires (ungracefully) from politics. Like The Icon, Landslide closes off familiar areas and adds new features to some of Sapienzas’ more neglected corners. Previously, the promenade acted purely as window dressing for your main adventures in the Caruso mansion and secret bio-lab. Now, it’s centre stage, hosting a live concert, wine tasting and busy food market, teeming with well-heeled guests. Cameras pop and flash as Marco mingles amongst the crowds, shaking hands and kissing cheeks. The atmosphere is beautiful, really capturing the feel of an Italian summer sunset. It’s another great remix that forces you to study the layout of the map from yet another angle. New assassinations are plentiful, and there’s a good variety on offer, involving plenty of poisoned drinks and sharp stabby things. You’ll never look at a church steeple in the same way.