Hitman: Sniper Challenge, the standalone mission leading up to Absolution, gives players an introduction, a peek if you will, into a whole new world envisioned by IO Interactive, as the assassin we’ve come to know goes back to his visceral roots. Coming as an exclusive to those who’ve chosen to pre-order the fifth in the series, this morsel of a game brings in new elements while using key aspects that have made the series such a hit. The downloadable version for consoles was released in mid-May, while PC gamers were made to wait till August 1. In this review we give you an idea of what to expect come November 20, 2012.
The entire story mission takes place with 47 constrained to a non-descript ledge of a Chicago high-rise. The high-profile target is extremely private and has an entourage of bodyguards with him at all times. But nobody is out of reach for the agency. And, as the CEO of a weapons manufacturing company, the client wants his passage from this world to be a fairly public one. Players have but a 15-minute window, during the company’s annual retreat, to quickly, and without attracting too much attention, take out all 15 targets.
The fact that you have to play a single mission several times over seems like a daunting task in the beginning, especially when you check the list of unlockables and the kind of scores they demand. But once you start to find your assassin feet and wiggle your toes a bit, things get a lot more interesting. Of course, it also helps to master the hair trigger mechanic. Moving kills give bonuses, chaining a series of quick killshots together amounts to a few extra points, as does concealing bodies. And you will need all the extra points you can rake up. But all things considered, gameplay is very restricted, although it does allow for sweeping variation.
An addition to the series is the ‘Instincts’ ability, which allows 47 to keep track of and pick out his targets as they move about. While it reminds us of Arkham Asylum’s Detective Mode, it is relatively minimal. Simple, relevant and direct sums it up quite well. Another treat is the hair trigger mechanic which slows down your breathing for a short time, making the riffle steadier and more accurate. But this takes some getting used to, and after playing the mission over and over for what seems like a million times, you won’t really need it. But who knows? It may find its place in Absolution.
Gameplay seems to point you in the direction of fast kills, strung up one after the other. While this is challenging, it is also far from the man we’ve come to know as the silent assassin, who would go to painstaking, time-consuming lengths to achieve things like making sure no one misses a waiter. This small game, in terms of how the gameplay pans out, reminds us of the 2007 movie which brought us Timothy Olyphant’s shaved head, exaggerated gait and fierce attacks. There is the slightest hint of emotion from the otherwise instinctive killer.
Creative variation is the crux of the experience. You have to think up new ways to take down an enemy and keep him out of sight. And there are quite a few. Since you can’t physically conceal a body, you must use your environment – the environment at your disposal rather – to serve your purpose. Shooting a guard standing at the edge of the terrace in the base of the head will cause him to be thrown over, thereby effectively eliminating unwanted attention. And although very noticeable blood stains remain, the other bodyguards don’t think much of it, carrying on unsuspecting. Even if you drop a body into the water it goes unnoticed. Things like these take away from the realism you might expect, but it would probably be a lot harder to get through the mission undetected otherwise.
Apart from the targets, there are several things in the game’s environment that require careful attention. Easter eggs, rubber duckies and such. And then there is the elusive Mr. X, raising several conscience-pricking questions. And after the developer has come out and stated that Absolution won’t see all its players completely through, we have little doubt that fans of the minimally tattooed agent will see out the rooftop mission with nothing short of perfection.
Final Word: Hitman: Sniper Challenge allows but a sampling of the assassin’s abilities and is a nice way to lead up to Absolution. It forces players to keep going in order to unlock features such as controlled breathing and faster and smoother reloads in Absolution. What it doesn’t provide is a complete sense of satisfaction that has followed 47 in practically every venture to date. Truth be told, we just can’t wait for Square Enix’s next offering. But until then, Sniper Challenge will have to do.
Graphics: 9/10
Gameplay: 7/10
Environments: 9/10
Replay Value: 9/10
Overall (not an average): 8/10