The Hitman franchise is known for its genius use of creativity and sandbox playgrounds. After recently concluding ‘The World of Assassination’ trilogy, the series returns to mobile with Square Enix Montreal’s Hitman Sniper: The Shadows.
Hitman has thrived on mobile. Between Hitman Go and the original Hitman: Sniper, Square Enix Montreal has toyed with the possibilities of how the universe can take the core DNA of Hitman and put it right in your pocket. Following the success of Hitman: Sniper, Square Enix Montreal is back with a spin-off of the universe established by IO Interactive’s latest trilogy.
Whereas every Hitman title focuses on the iconic Agent 47, Hitman Sniper: The Shadows instead focuses on a band of sniper assassins led by handler Diana Burnwood. In this shooting gallery-style game, players assume the role of one of the assassins and complete a series of contracts. As with all Hitman titles, the open-ended gameplay loop encourages imaginative eliminations, leading to high scores.
While gaining early access to the game, I spoke to senior producer Simon Doongoor about the title’s design philosophy and how the studio worked closely with IO Interactive to develop the new entry in the series.
Hitman Sniper: The Shadows centers on the group of assassins known as The Shadows. As Agent 47 is currently out of the picture and his whereabouts are unknown, Burnwood — voiced once again by Jane Perry — calls upon the team. They are instructed to deal with a global matter involving a new criminal network rising in various locations around the world. Responsible for death, destruction, and crime, The Shadows must silently eliminate all threats.
Fans of the series will recognize two of the six agents that The Shadows is comprised of. Agents Knight and Stone were first introduced in Hitman 2’s Sniper Assassin mode. The two are joined by original newcomers Soji, Kiya, Kolzak and Espelho. Each character has their own unique backstory that fits within the established world. Having prior knowledge of Knight and Stone, it’s interesting to learn more about the two.
“We got to work closely with IOI on this, to ensure that these four new characters, obviously with Knight and Stone, fit the DNA of a Hitman universe, and so we’re really excited about that.”
The crux of Hitman Sniper: The Shadows sees players tackling contracts from the outskirts of a condensed map. Armed with a sniper, I methodically began picking off armed guards, setting off traps, and eliminating my target. Fans of the original Hitman: Sniper will feel right at home. We see the same core gameplay here, only expanded with new creative possibilities and larger environments.
As I sat atop a hill on the Canadian Storm Mountain map, I overlooked a lodge where influential politicians and industry titans met for a party. As I began to systematically eliminate the guards over a series of individual missions, I started taking note of distractions and accidental kill opportunities. For example, in the unfortunate event a guard is smoking against a glass balcony pane, a single bullet shot makes it appear as though he fell. Shooting an electric heater lamp causes an explosion, incapacitating those nearby.
Body disposal opportunities are also abundant on the map. For instance, shooting the door on a van comically opens it. This allowed me to shoot a guard and watch him tumble right inside, away from on-lookers.
“The sandbox levels are the pillar of the gameplay for the Hitman universe. I think there are two things that helped us get to where we are right now. Number one is in leveraging what we learned from Hitman: Sniper. Number two, and most importantly, is the fans. We went back and forth with it with tons of players to make sure that we offered as much as possible.”
Completing a singular run of a contract is never enough. Anyone who’s played a Hitman title knows how important replayability is. Hitman Sniper: The Shadows doesn’t quite have the same open-ended possibilities. However, there are plenty of ways to approach a level the second time around. Each agent offers its own level and expertise. Knight and Kiya, for instance, benefits from hitting headshots. Stone’s skill is accidental kills, on the other hand.
Each agent comes with its own customizable and upgradeable loadout designed to “change a player’s approach to a contract,” as Doongoor explains. The option is there to return to previous contracts and attempt to complete optional objectives down the line. “What’s great about that is it’s a good entry-level for new users coming into this unique type of gameplay.”
On top of levelling up agents and taking on new contracts, Hitman Sniper: The Shadows features its own PVP-style mode. This mode sees two opposing players battle for high scores. As I dropped in with another player, it was a race against the clock to eliminate targets and complete optional objectives. A lot of it is very much the same model that the campaign offers but when seeing your opponent’s score at the top, the competitive spirit in me was more involved. PVP is a new path for the Hitman Sniper series. However, it appears as though Square Enix Montreal wants to keep an eye on the reception of it to better support it in the future.
“As we launch, more users are going to come in, and they’re going to offer their feedback as well. So we’re really going to follow their feedback because again. They’re going to be instrumental to the success of this game.”
Hitman Sniper: The Shadows also incorporates daily and weekly assignments. These reward Star Tokens alongside playing the campaign and PVP modes. You’re then able to unlock crates for agent outfits, new weapon parts, etc. As expected crates can also be purchased by using real-world currency. Thankfully, the microtransactions have not been aggressive in my experience thus far.
Hitman Sniper: The Shadows is available on iOS and Android.
Image credit: Square Enix Montreal
