Hitman gets new life

The latest Hitman game is fun however the wait between episodes can be quite annoying, even with the small challenges and player created content available in game. However, the latest new addition to the game might just be its best feature yet.

While I have certainly enjoyed my time with Hitman, it wasn’t until now that I really got that thrill of going undercover to take out one specific target. The new ‘Elusive Targets’ are time bound missions that appear only for 48 hours after which they are gone forever.

That’s not all as you only get one attempt at your target! Regardless of whether you die or the target leaves the map (yes, that’s a thing now) you only get the one shot at completing the missions, making a much more rewarding mission than any regular part of the game.

What makes Elusive Targets extremely interesting to play isn’t just the looming threat of failure but rather the fact that you actually have to work for it. While the first Elusive target came with a big PR and social media announcement, future ones won’t be ‘advertised’ and will come with minimum intel.

As I went in for my attempt on livestream with dozens of viewers watching, all we knew was what the character looked like; an art forger wearing funky goggles and an apron followed by a body guard.

After 20 minutes of exploring every corner of the mansion I finally found a room filled with art supplies and easels and concluded that this was the room he was most likely to be in, however I still had no idea about the character’s movement patterns and timeline; folks on chat started giving suggestions so I went back to canvasing every corner of the house.

After a few close calls with guards who met an unfortunate end, I finally ran into our friend Sergei Larin the forger and his guard in the very room we expected him to be in. Two quick shots and before their bodies hit the floor I was off to the nearest exit as the chat exploded.

As the final score screen came up I was immensely satisfied with myself until I saw my score; it was a fraction of what the highest scores on the leaderboard were and I wanted to go back for a more efficient play through but couldn’t; therein lies the beauty of Elusive Targets.

Not only can you fail, you can’t go back to improve what you’ve done or learn from your mistakes. It forces you to think of contingencies, play more carefully and even approach situations in different ways. I feel this is the true Hitman Experience and I for one cannot wait for more.