Towards the end of January Io Interactive dropped their latest, and probably last, addition to the current crop of Hitman games in their newest mode Freelancer. As anyone that has played the games will know, the Hitman franchise is about infiltrating a location, assassinating your target and then exfiltrating the area, preferably all without being noticed or found. Easier said than done for sure, but one hell of a rewarding experience when done properly.
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Of course, the huge replayability of the games allows for multiple playthroughs in a variety of different styles, be it the silent assassin, the accidental murder of a target or guns-blazing, silence be damned approach, there’s more than one way to achieve your goal in the Hitman games, and Hitman: Freelancer not only adds to this, but ups the ante with some roguelike elements that’ll really test your abilities.
With each of the three games now playable in one hub, the campaign can be considered one gigantic story from the first level of Hitman (2016) to Hitman 3 (2021), a promise from CEO Hakan B. Abrak back in 2019 that has been brought to fruition. Throwing in Freelancer into the mix gives players a game that is already saturated with content, and gives it another spin, and even more replayability. In the days of constant sequels, pointless DLC and lootboxes and microtransactions, this is a welcome bit of fan-service.
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Hitman: Freelancer – Hard to Improve Upon
In short, Freelancer will hurt and probably more than the previous games ever have. With the new roguelike elements you’re given more control than ever before. You have complete control over every facet of every mission, from where you’ll infiltrate, to what weapons and tools you take (be careful, if you die, you’ll lose them forever), and the most important part of any mission, where you’ll exfiltrate. Choose wrong at any point and you’re in trouble. Choose right? You’ll feel like a God.
Freelancer is definitely a mode that should be approached after some time with the game, as new players to the franchise will inevitably grow weary and frustrated with the learning curve, but those familiar with the game will have a great time, and as already said, it’s adding even more replayability to an already hugely replayable game.
Hitman: Freelancer was played and reviewed on a code supplied by IO Interactive.
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