The latest installment of the HITMAN franchise is upon us. HITMAN 3 is out now and IO Interactive is labeling this as the end of the trilogy.

HITMAN 3 begins right where HITMAN 2 finished off with Agent 47 and former colleague Lucas Grey getting ever so close to closing in on the Partners and The Constant.

I have to hand it to IO Interactive, they sure have created an outstanding Hitman experience with this franchise. Building on its already solid foundations from the first two titles, even sharing the same stealth mechanics and user interface, demonstrating some amazing and very clever level design I’ve ever seen. The HITMAN series has always been about dropping you into these levels, handing you a target, then leaving it up to you as to how you go about successfully taking out your contract.

HITMAN 3 lets you explore and complete missions across the globe ranging from a traditional manor estate in the British countryside, an underground facility in China, to a luxurious hotel in Dubai. Missions can be approached in so many different ways, with all the tools and situations you need within each level.

As well as features and game mechanics found in the first two games, HITMAN 3 also introduces a few new features, one being Agent 47’s camera gadget. Using the camera you’ll be able to scan for clues indicated on your mini-map which can provide you intel of people and locations, or in some cases, open locks.

But without a doubt one of the most notable and game-changing features added to HITMAN 3 are “Persistent Shortcuts”. As you play, unlocking certain doors or accessing ladders, allowing new paths to become available to you on later runs, providing you quick and straightforward access to targets.

Accessing some of these doors though will require access codes, so it pays to explore as much as you can, as well as listen carefully to conversations around you in case you hear someone mention a door code while talking to other NPCs.

Now, before I finish up I would like to point out that if you haven’t played the previous two HITMAN games before, HITMAN 3 isn’t an ideal place for your HITMAN journey to begin. Luckily if you own the previous two games, HITMAN 3 allows you to play every past level in the trilogy right from its menu screen.

And there we have it, folks. HITMAN 3 concludes the current HITMAN trilogy. HITMAN 3 features amazing level design, gorgeous locations to explore, and more ways to take out bad guys than you can poke a stick at.

Written by: MKAU Gaming