Hitman 3
Gameplay
As with previous games in the series, each location (with the exception of the Romania mission), is a large, complex sandbox environment that the player can freely explore for infiltration and assassination opportunities. Players will gradually discover "persistent shortcuts", creating pathways that can be used in future playthroughs. With the exception of the Berlin level, players are assigned several assassination targets, which can be highlighted using 47's instinct vision. Instinct vision highlights all relevant items of interest. Using stealth tactics are key to 47's success. 47 can gain access to restricted areas of the game by obtaining a disguise either by incapacitating non-player characters (NPCs) or by finding it somewhere in the map. Eavesdropping on conversations between NPCs can open up new ways for assassinations. Players may encounter several "mission stories" in each level, which serve as a set of guided instructions that reveal opportunities for unconventional assassinations. To avoid detection, players should avoid performing actions that would be deemed as suspicious, such as crouching or running in the open. The player's disguise may affect what actions a player may perform. For instance, dressing as a guard allows 47 to wander around the map with guns and weapons without drawing attention from other characters. Some NPCs, called enforcers, can see through the player's disguise. Guards have several states of alert level. Some may be suspicious of 47, who must attempt to blend in and mingle with the crowd to avoid drawing further attention. If the player is spotted performing an illegal action, 47 may be compromised and guards will begin searching for him. To avoid this, he must incapacitate the witnesses or change his current outfit.
Gameplay modes
The roguelike mode "Freelancer" was introduced in 2023. In this mode, 47 must take down several crime syndicates as a freelancer, without the help of the Agency, and players cannot save the game during missions. Players must eliminate four Syndicate leaders to complete the mode, after first eliminating the lower members of each syndicate in separate contract missions before the leaders are lured out. The player's contract, the assassination conditions, and the player's starting location are randomly generated. When a leader is lured out, a "Showdown" mission becomes available, and 47's handler Diana informs the player of four physical and three behavioral characteristics of the leader. Players can use their "suspect camera" to identify the syndicate leader in a level. Each syndicate has a unique "syndicate type" which rewards a particular playstyle. Completing missions earns the player Merces, which can be used to purchase weapons and gear. In each map, players can earn extra Merces by eliminating Couriers and opening safes. They can find Suppliers who sell unique Freelancer weapons. Some weapons collected in a map may be brought back to the safehouse for use in future missions. As Mastery Levels increase, 47's safehouse, which serves as a hub space for the mode, gradually expands. If the player fails a mission, 47 loses all of the equipment that he brought with him and half of his Merces reserve. Future locations become more guarded, as the syndicate members become aware of 47's presence. If the player dies or fails a Showdown mission, the player's progress is reset.
Plot
During the events of Hitman 2), Agent 47 and his handler, Diana Burnwood, defect from the International Contract Agency (ICA) and join forces with rogue mercenary Lucas Grey to track down Providence, a secretive alliance of corporate executives, politicians, and industrialists collectively wielding political, military, and economic influence. In the game's final mission, the trio kidnap Arthur Edwards, Providence's intermediary known as the Constant, who identifies the three Partners controlling Providence: Carl Ingram, Marcus Stuyvesant, and Alexa Carlisle. Edwards, however, later escapes captivity and seized the Partners' corporate assets for himself. In Hitman 3, 47 and Grey seek revenge on Providence for turning them both into assassins through childhood conditioning and genetic experimentation, while Diana is motivated by the death of her parents—unaware that 47 carried out the killings while under Providence's control.
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