After a 300+ hour journey to complete every challenge and achievement[i.redd.it], I finally feel qualified to speak on the Hitman games. Hitman is a very unique series, more akin to a puzzle game than anything else. As much as IO Interactive may try to draw in a larger audience by marketing the franchise based on it's action elements, playing that way is boring and unrewarding. The real joy in Hitman comes from gaining complete mastery over it's complex sandbox levels. Learning how to tweak the smallest piece of the simulation for the largest result, or frantically attempting to recover from a blunder while still trying to retain that coveted Silent Assassin rating, it all makes for a very rewarding and satisfying experience. It's been my favorite series for years, and this current "World of Assassination" trilogy is proving to be the pinnacle of the Hitman franchise.

For as much praise as I can give the game, it has a fatal flaw. Hitman is not easy to pick up and "just play". In today's world, most modern gamers expect to be able to rely on the muscle memory we have drilled into our heads from countless shooters, RPGs, and other common genres, but none of that applies here. As a result, most people I've encountered are unable or unwilling to give the game the time it requires to truly understand how to play. It's a shame to see such a brilliant and unique game get passed over time and time again simply because it's too unfamiliar for most. IOI has tried their best to remedy this by adding as much hand-holding as they can and by making the tutorial levels free to play, but sadly I don't think it will ever be enough to truly catapult Hitman into the mainstream.

So, do I recommend it? Unequivocally, but, should you buy it? Actually, no, for a two reasons. First, the tutorial missions are completely free, and they're a fairly good, if not simple, indicator of what you'll experience for the rest of the game. Second, Hitman 3 exists, and all the levels from Hitman 1 and 2 can be played with it's upgraded engine. Currently (August 2021), you can only get it on Epic Games Store, but I would expect it to come to Steam some time early next year.

After a 300+ hour journey to [url=https://i.redd.it/3czg9r027dk71.png]complete every challenge and achievement[/url], I finally feel qualified to speak on the Hitman games. Hitman is a very unique series, more akin to a puzzle game than anything else. As much as IO Interactive may try to draw in a larger audience by marketing the franchise based on it's action elements, playing that way is boring and unrewarding. The real joy in Hitman comes from gaining complete mastery over it's complex sandbox levels. Learning how to tweak the smallest piece of the simulation for the largest result, or frantically attempting to recover from a blunder while still trying to retain that coveted Silent Assassin rating, it all makes for a very rewarding and satisfying experience. It's been my favorite series for years, and this current "World of Assassination" trilogy is proving to be the pinnacle of the Hitman franchise. For as much praise as I can give the game, it has a fatal flaw. Hitman is not easy to pick up and "just play". In today's world, most modern gamers expect to be able to rely on the muscle memory we have drilled into our heads from countless shooters, RPGs, and other common genres, but none of that applies here. As a result, most people I've encountered are unable or unwilling to give the game the time it requires to truly understand how to play. It's a shame to see such a brilliant and unique game get passed over time and time again simply because it's too unfamiliar for most. IOI has tried their best to remedy this by adding as much hand-holding as they can and by making the tutorial levels free to play, but sadly I don't think it will ever be enough to truly catapult Hitman into the mainstream. So, do I recommend it? Unequivocally, but, should you buy it? Actually, no, for a two reasons. First, the tutorial missions are completely free, and they're a fairly good, if not simple, indicator of what you'll experience for the rest of the game. Second, Hitman 3 exists, and all the levels from Hitman 1 and 2 can be played with it's upgraded engine. Currently (August 2021), you can only get it on Epic Games Store, but I would expect it to come to Steam some time early next year.