Hitman 3 is a franchise I love. I can sink so many hours into the game, finding new ways to finish missions, or taking on silly goals like knocking everyone on the level out. Well, IO Interactive has done it again by releasing the Freelancer mode, which brings a whole new element to how Hitman is played.

Freelancer is the new game mode added to Hitman 3, and it plays a lot like a rouge-like in the Hitman world. After the events of Hitman 3, resident bald badass, Agent 47, has taken on new contracts with the help of Diana.

While no longer being backed by the ICA, players will be starting from the bottom with access to a pistol and one of three random items. You will need to build your arsenal by finishing missions and returning to the new safe house with any weapons and gadgets you find, but be warned, if you fail a mission, you will lose whatever you bring with you.

There is also a weight capacity in the Freelancer mode, so you can’t just simply bring everything you have with you to get the job done. Where the rouge-like element comes into play, is that you can no longer restart a contract or load a save.

If you mess up, you are done, and you will need to keep going with the loss of gear or have the next mission be harder as you have alerted the targets of your existence, and some contracts may even result in a failed campaign, but it will prompt the user if that will be the case.

The contracts are broken up into sections. For example, the first set always has three missions but the third mission will be a leader contract which plays very differently for Hitman players. The leader contracts will start like normal but you will have multiple targets highlighted in purple instead of red.

You will be given some details on the target, like what they are wearing, whether they have any tattoos, and their traits, like if they have a cold or have a sweet tooth, so it always ranges.

Stalking targets and watching them is key for this as the decoy targets will be wearing everything that matches up the clothing intel 90% of the time, so you are keeping an eye out for the traits as the main factor to picking the correct target. In addition to having to stalk people, you will now have a roaming NPC that will spot you regardless of what you are wearing.

This is the lookout, so depending on the pathway it uses, it may be worth the time to take them out of play as they can cost you the contract if they blow your cover. When you have been discovered all the targets will attempt to flee, and it then becomes a shooting gallery, and you’re left hoping you get the leader before they manage to escape.

Some assassins are bodyguards for certain targets, and during my first leader contract, I was told an assassin was nearby, and when I worked out who they were, I was like, “Oh, this is clearly the leader since they have protection with them.” Big nope.

After each contract, you can open a supply crate that will offer you three gadgets to pick from and add to your collection, but when you finish a leader contract, 47 will be rewarded with a special crate that holds a weapon that can range from melee to sniper rifles, so it is a great reward for work done.

When you finish a contract you will also gain Freelancer Mastery Experience which can unlock more features for the Safehouse, mostly cosmetics like artwork, or changing cars and bikes in the garage around, but it also offers extra weight increases for items and weapons that can be taken on a job.

Hitman 3 Freelancer is an amazing DLC drop that has been a great new take and experience on how to play Hitman. I am falling in love with the game all over again, as there is a new challenge on offer for me to master. Amazing work to IO Interactive on this content, and a big thank you for providing a code for review.

Written by: Shane Walsh