Hitman: Absolution is extensively thought to be the ‘black sheep’ of the sequence due to its give attention to cinematic storytelling over participant freedom. That is very a lot nonetheless the case with this recent launch on Swap from Feral Interactive, however now that unique developer IO Interactive has righted the ship with the superb World of Assassination trilogy, it’s a lot simpler to look again on Absolution and higher admire it for what it’s – form of like Resident Evil 6.
Does that imply it’s excellent? No, removed from it. However it’s a captivating detour for Agent 47 that also gives ample enjoyable whereas laying foundations for later titles, together with the upcoming 007 First Mild.
Like earlier entries, Absolution requires you to find your targets and dispatch them with as little fuss as potential (whereas continually evading the po-po). Nailing a excessive stealth ranking is what it’s all about, however in case you choose to go in weapons blazing, that’s an possibility. In any other case, sneaky little ‘accidents’ are sometimes the perfect plan of action, and you’ll activate Intuition Mode to spotlight enemies, objects, and traps to assist formulate a plan.
Disguises allow you to entry areas that may in any other case be off-limits, however most of the guards can see by way of your outfits (not actually, cheeky) and uncover your true id. Intuition Mode comes into play right here too, so by holding down ‘R’ whereas in an enemy’s line of sight, you can also make your self inconspicuous sufficient to slide by.
In contrast to World of Assassination, Intuition Mode is finite. Counting on it an excessive amount of will deplete your provides. Taking out guards and finishing challenges will replenish it, however I counsel utilizing it sparingly and as a substitute rely by yourself senses to scope out alternatives; it’s far more enjoyable that approach.
Ranges are total smaller and extra compact than what you could be used to. IO Interactive focuses much more on telling a coherent story, and it reveals within the construction. In different Hitman titles, you’d spend a whole lot of time strolling out within the open and mixing into your environment, however in Absolution, sneaking round and hiding behind cowl is usually extra advisable due to the close-quarters environments.
This annoyed a whole lot of people again in 2012, and the sport was extensively criticised for its total linearity when in comparison with earlier entries. This hasn’t modified, however there’s nonetheless a good quantity of choices out there when deciding method your targets. Know what you’re getting your self into and also you’ll have time.
Efficiency is precisely what I imagined it might be. You’re 30fps with just a few minor hitches right here and there, notably in dense crowds. Textures and property have additionally been scaled again significantly, nevertheless it’s nonetheless a good-looking sport regardless, and the accompanying music is persistently nice.
Feral has promised a free Swap 2 improve in 2026 together with an additional Contracts Mode, so in case you’re joyful to attend till then, then by all means achieve this. However Hitman: Absolution on Swap is stable, flaws and all.
