What Elements Make a Great Hitman Game?

Cue the beautiful, yet slightly unsettling, Ave Maria.

An article by Hank: Twitter / Twitch

Nothing warms a gamer's heart more than dropping a pixelated piano on someone, or spiking a wedding cake with poison, or even dressing like a scarecrow and snatching up unsuspecting victims in a cornfield.  That's right, boys and girls, if you didn't know already a new Hitman game has been announced from those wonderful developers at IO Interactive.  So this December, gamers everywhere can strap in and hopefully have the most fun that can be had in pixelated assassinations.  But between Hitman: Blood Money (2006) and Hitman: Absolution (2012) sat a lengthy six years, and die-hard fans of the superb (yet slightly outdated) Blood Money were somewhat dumbfounded when it was announced that Absolution would be an easy welcome into the Hitman world with the added Intuition system, new Disguise mechanics and even *gasp* checkpoints.  And in less than six months, IO Interactive will release a new Hitman game and attempt to appease long-time fans and new-comers alike.  But the question is: What are the elements that make a great Hitman game?  How can IO Interactive keep from veering off the tracks?

"Dammit, Lady, you said you didn't feel good.  Just give me one burp and I promise it'll help."

SOMETHING FRESH:

When you're a developer or a creator of anything—and you've done that anything a few times over—there's always a feeling of having to reinvent the wheel.  Make that "something" feel fresh.  Feel revived.  And when that feeling comes, here's what a creator should do: take all the new ideas, write them down, stick them up on the fridge, stare at them for a good long time, and then douse them in gasoline and set them on fire.  Because completely changing something isn't what fans of that something want.  For instance: The Splinter Cell series was awesome…right up until the point they took Sam Fisher's patented outfit away and stuck him in the sunlight.  They even gave him slow motion shooting abilities, virtually making him a Rambo instead of Sam Fisher.  Ubisoft basically took all the main elements that made Sam Fisher…Sam Fisher, and flushed them down the toilet.  So what are the elements that the Hitman franchise is really known for?  Large sandbox environments, incredible—yet whacky—kills, and stealth.  That's the basics.  Those three things should be kept no matter what is done to the game.  Because the secret is fans of a video game don't want a completely new experience.  They want the same experience they felt when they first played the original game, just enhanced for the current video game times.  If you're going to change something so much that it doesn't resemble the original form any longer, then slap a different name on it and sell it as something new.

"Sometimes people throw out the silliest things.  Why just yesterday, someone tossed a perfectly 

good Cappuccino maker...and now this." 

FREEDOM:

If you think back to all your favorite moments from Hitman: Absolution or Hitman: Blood Money, what do you remember the most?  Do you remember the claustrophobic hallways and tiny checkpoints you had to get through in Absolution?  Or do you remember the pixelated playgrounds in Blood Money?  Most gamers will remember the do-anything playgrounds that were prevalent in Blood Money.  Why?  The Freedom.  Sure, Absolution had some nice updates to combat and graphics, but nothing in that game came close to the amazing environments of Blood Money.  Being able to go anywhere and do anything at any time is a staple of the franchise.  This is the heart of Hitman.  Oh…there are three targets to take out?  Cool.  Letting the gamer decide who dies first is the key to making a Hitman game feel like a Hitman game.  The greatest feat Blood Money ever achieved was talking to your friends and finding out they took a completely different route to a level than you did.  The shock that anything could be done to obtain the Silent Assassin rating and that no two gamer's play-throughs would be exactly same is the key to victory.  Creating checkpoints and tiny hallways and linear environments takes everything that is pure about the Hitman franchise and throws it out the window.  One of the best moments in Absolution was the cornfield, and not because of the idea or the environment or the crazy nuns…no, it was a great moment because the level was large and you had more freedom to take out your objectives.  If this new Hitman game wants to recreate that magic, then freedom is the key.  Do away with checkpoints.  Allow the player to decide when they need to save and who they need to kill.

"Will you quit squirming!  This is the only way to get rid of the hiccups." 

HUMOR AND WHACKY KILLS:

Every time someone mentions Hitman, the next thing out of someone's mouth is a ridiculous assassination they pulled off.  You never hear someone talk extensively about how they just snuck behind someone and pulled the trigger.  Why?  Cause that's not what makes Hitman…Hitman.  Sure those moments happen, because they might be necessary to move forward on a mission, but it's the humorous situations and crazy environment kills everyone talks about.  Remember that time 47 snuck into a hallway and lumped an idiot over the head?  No?  Okay.  But you do remember knocking on a van and offering poison-laced donuts to unsuspecting agents now don't you?  Or entering a Christmas party as Santa Claus and injecting a sausage with sedatives.  Why do you remember these moments?  Because they're unique and frigging hilarious at the same time.  It's the unique kills or accidents and the dark humor that makes Hitman remain Hitman.  Sure the story can be a little dramatic at times or maybe even sad, but never forget to inject the gameplay with a little humor to make it memorable.

STEALTH:

This is the biggest factor of the Hitman franchise.  Any fool can go Rambo style, pull out an Uzi, and gun down every moving thing on a level—not that there's anything wrong with that.  But the real Agent 47 is all about stealth.  Not being scene.  Having targets virtually disappear and no one knows how or why it happened.  This is Hitman.  And adding slow motion shooting or the ability to go full commando is not necessary to a Hitman game.  Leave that for the hundred other games that'll come out.  If you want a Hitman game to succeed, it has to have uniqueness.  Not match every other game on the market.  So the addition of close combat kills and a cover system were excellent upgrades in Absolution, because they kept the stealth vibe.  But being able to gun down enemies in slow-motion does not.  Sure, 47 might be in a sticky situation and have to resort to over-the-top violence, but every level/environment and target should be able to be dealt with by using only stealth…should the player wish. 

"Alright, hold still."

"Are you sure about this?"

"I guarantee you, enough of these bad boys and it'll look like you have a full head 

of hair again. Trust me." 

CONCLUSION:

Sure there are other factors that can be improved and/or talked about to create a great Hitman game, like the disguise and scoring system or maps or dealing with witnesses, but to make a Hitman game still feel like a Hitman game, just three simple elements are needed:  Sandbox environments, unique kills, and stealth.  If IO Interactive sticks to these basics, the next Hitman game should appeal to all audiences and even feel fresh amidst all the Rambo-style games that will be adorning the shelves this Holiday Season.  Here's hoping IO Interactive knocks it out of the park.  Do you have an opinion or disagreement about the above?  Or want to share your favorite Hitman moment?  Feel free to vent in the comment section.  Thanks for reading.