Hitman GO takes the franchise to the land of digital boardgames. Is it worth your time or should it have stayed in the true realm of console and PC assassins?
The Hitman series had its first release back in the year 2000 and introduced gamers to the stealthy assassination action by one of the best in the business, Agent 47. The series had always been a third person action game designed for consoles and the PC, but Square Enix decided to create a title for mobile platforms. With the tens of millions of smart phones and tablets in circulation, that definitely wasn’t a bad idea, and in 2014 the mobile based puzzle game was released for both Android and iOS. For those of you that have yet to play the game, it has now been released for the PS4 and the PS Vita, with updated graphics, and we have taken it for a spin on both.
Hitman GO is a turn based puzzle game that is set within the confines of a board game. It is your task to guide Agent 47 through a series of grid-based levels. Levels are composed of nodes and lines, and presented like a board game with characters modeled as miniature figures. Enemy characters can be dispatched by moving onto the node they occupy during a turn, similar to chess. Most levels have several routes available for completion.
Levels become more complex as the player progresses, introducing different mechanics and new types of enemies. Each enemy type is dressed in a unique color, allowing the player to recognize their movement patterns. Some enemies remain static or rotate on a single node, while others will patrol the board along a specific route. Later stages may require the player to collect keys located on the board and unlock doors that block access to the level objective. Trapdoors connect one location on the board to another and allow the player to move between them during a turn. Some nodes contain potted plants, the player will not be detected while occupying these nodes. Colored disguises can be found and equipped to let the player walk past an enemy type of that colour without being detected. There are throwable objects that are used to disrupt and change enemy behavior patterns. Firearms can also be found on certain levels, they are used to shoot targets or obstacles from a distance.
Most levels have bonus objectives such as collecting a briefcase or finishing the level without killing anyone, and completing these will reward the player with stars, which in turn go towards unlocking the next chapter of levels. As fans of the Hitman series, we found it a little odd that not every level can be completed without killing someone and some levels require death to someone that isn’t the target. Agent 47 has always had the ability to leave non-targets alive, or at the worst incapacitated, so this was a little disheartening. While Agent 47 is a cold blooded killer, he always had the choice of compassion for those he wasn’t specifically paid to kill.
The original mobile title released with five levels, with two DLC packs coming later that were inspired by Hitman: Blood Money and Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, but Hitman GO: Definitive Edition comes with all seven chapters ready for you play, with a grand total of ninety-one puzzles. If you own both a PS4 and a PS Vita, the cross save function will allow you to pick up where you left off with whichever console you have time for.
When we first heard about a mobile, turn based version of Hitman, we weren’t exactly hyped about it. To us, Agent 47 was an assassin best played in a third person world without being confined to turn based gameplay. What we found with Hitman GO: Definitive Edition was a relaxing and entertaining entry into the series that has given us hours of fun and enjoyment.
The game’s low price of $7.99, and even a Platinum trophy for you folks that are into that, means this is a game you’ll be happy have in their library.