This review is based off the Xbox One version of the game
Hitman Episode 1:Paris is the latest entry into the Hitman series, as well as the first to utilize the new episodic format, a move that was met with outrage by fans when developers IO Interactive announced the change earlier this year.
Sure, the episodic content will put a damper on any fan wanting to experience more than one full mission a month, however, between a complete lack of content, idiotic AI, and a game-breaking always online system, I can promise you that an episodic format is the least of your worries regarding this horrendous mess.
To say that Hitman is shaping up to be one of the worst games of 2016 would be a massive understatement.
Missed Opportunities
For a game that is split up into seven episodes, you would expect that the content would be pretty bare, as is the case with most episodic games. Even taking that into consideration, Hitman Episode 1 just seems more like a demo for a more fleshed out experience.
This first episode comes with two training missions that are laughably short and then only one main mission that is akin to a traditional Hitman experience. With each episode coming with a single main mission from here on out, IO Interactive has attempted to emphasize replay value.
Ultimately this attempt is a failure as one can hardly consider different starting positions as “mission variety.” The only exception to this is the returning Contracts mode that allows players to create their own levels and assign targets.
The implementation of the new Opportunities system also makes it nearly impossible to pull off your own unique assassination in favor of a guided script that holds your hand thus making this game seem like a linear game set in a sandbox environment. For newcomers, the inclusion of this system will be a helpful guide to get closer to your targets, but for more experience players, this crutch ends up being more of a handicap. The targets tend to follow a consistent looping path that never changes unless one or more of these ‘opportunities’ are started or completed. If you stay in your base tuxedo outfit and wait for the perfect opportunity to strike, you will most likely never complete the mission or will have to suffice for a less than stealthy attack.
For a game series that is known for commending creative hits, this new system comes as a harsh slap to the face for those wanting more freedom after Hitman: Absolution’s linear gameplay.
Like shooting fish in a barrel
The Opportunities system may hold your hand, but more times than not it seems the game itself tries excessively to make sure you do not fail, as the AI for the guards makes them more akin to bumbling idiots.
In an accidental moment in which I threw an ornate clock at a guards head, the only thing the game registers is that the clock made a noise when it hit the floor, completely disregarding the fact that I literally chucked the damned thing at this guy's face. This may seem like an isolated incident but when you shoot a target from the second story right next to a guard, you expect the guard to react more so than just shaking the situation off but you’d be dead wrong as I calmly escaped with little hassle. Screams of terror are apparently isolated in the room it originates from as guards just outside of a closed door apparently are hard of hearing and don’t bother checking where it originated from.
Oftentimes you will find yourself in disguise attempting to blend in with your surroundings as you slowly inch your way towards your target. However, depending on what your disguise is, different individuals will still question your unfamiliar face. Once discovered, these guards will begin to yell at you to stop and are supposed to start investigating the area if you run off. You’d imagine that these guards would not be merely confused by a sudden escape into a nearby room, but they do, and then put minimal effort in tracking down a potential trespasser. In a day and age where developers are able to program impeccably smart AI systems like in Alien: Isolation or The Last of Us, it blows my mind at how brain-dead IO Interactive made their NPCs.
Going dark
As much as I had issues with the bare-bones content and the idiotic AI, Hitman Episode 1 is still a fun, albeit mediocre, game.
That is, of course, when you can actually play it.
For some reason, IO Interactive thought it would be an amazing idea to have a typically offline single-player experience be always online. Normally this would not be a problem, but when your game servers are constantly crashing during release week, it kind of turns into a game breaking experience. You may find yourself only 15 minutes into a session when the game boots you immediately to the main menu after a disconnection. Sure you could pick up right where you left off in Hitman’s offline mode, but do not expect to have any progress saved, as progress is only tracked during an online session.
I understand that this was probably implemented to keep cheaters off of the leaderboards, but that is no excuse for having two separate save files that can only be played online or offline. The fact that you have to deal with constantly crashing servers to even progress is probably the worst sin this game commits and it consistently left a sour taste in my mouth.
TL;DR
Ultimately, Hitman: Episode 1 is an unplayable mess in its current state and blight on the series’ rather stellar record. If games with idiotic AI, minimal content, and constant disconnects are your thing, then by all means you will fall in love with this title. However, at the end of this horrid experience of a game, I came out wanting to not drown rich spymasters in a toilet, but rather drown myself to escape this piece of garbage.
+A return to huge, open environments
+Easy for newcomers to pick up and play
-Braindead AI
-Minimal content by even episodic standards
-Servers disconnect way too much
-Basically unplayable in its current state
All images from Steam page and official website
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