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Is Episodic Gaming Already Starting to Suck?

Is Episodic Gaming Already Starting to Suck?

Now that June is here, we’ve reached the halfway point of Hitman ‘s content itinerary. My initial review of the game as it debuted was favorable. This game’s framework is excellent; the bones are beautiful here, folks. From this point on we’re counting on Square Enix and IO to provide us with really strong post-launch content. Having played through every episode extensively, I thought this would be a great point to pause, reflect on Hitman as it’s played out so far, and consider whether or not it’s worth going all in for the full experience or save some money by picking and choosing which episodes you’ll enjoy.

As you may know, the full Hitman experience will be spread out over 7 episodes, 3 of which (including an extensive tutorial included with the intro pack) are currently available. Each episode is set in a unique location, with unique targets to take out for the main mission and several additional challenges that you can complete once you’ve made it through. Each episode is pretty beefed up with content – more than you might expect for $10. Unfortunately, not every episode is worth the asking price.

The third and latest episode, Marrakesh , is by far the weakest entry so far. Having thoroughly enjoyed the game to this point, and having never played a Hitman game before, I’m realizing that there is a short list of characteristics and features that really make this game much more than a typical murder sim. Sadly, most of those features are hidden so deeply within the heart of Morocco as to seem absent altogether. I don’t feel the urge to go back and play through Marrakesh and attain mastery. That’s a huge problem considering that replay value is Hitman ‘s greatest strength. So what exactly went wrong here?

For starters, Marrakesh starts off making a point to restrict Agent 47. A quick toggle of your sensing ability shows your two targets, very far away, at complete opposite ends of a rather large map. A daunting sense of duty to begin your mission right away sets in – it’s an uncomfortable urgency because you feel like otherwise, you’ll spend forever completing the mission. No matter which way you set out, though, your paths are blocked by different types of guards. Standard Hitman stuff, you’d think, as you usually have to discreetly take out a person or two and change uniforms in order to access restricted areas.

Is Episodic Gaming Already Starting to Suck?

The problem with the city of Marrakesh is it’s so densely populated. No matter where you go there’s a set of eyes, or hundreds, noticing everything you do. This forces you to spend a frustrating amount of time finding a viable means of infiltration. Once you finally make it into the buildings sheltering your unsuspecting targets, there are still tons of similarly dressed personnel who will see through your disguise and take an interest in you. This forces you constantly creep and duck out of sight instead of doing what makes Hitman fun: planning and carrying out your assassination in wacky and creative ways.

Marrakesh also isn’t as beautiful or detailed as the previous settings in Paris and Sapienza. If you watch the launch trailer you’ll see a beautiful lantern shop in the heart of the crowded city, and that small shop is by far the most interesting part of the map. Everything else is dull: dirt, clay, stone, iron. Part of what made previous episodes so repeatable, apart from the creative hits and escalation challenges, was the simple joy of exploring every nook and cranny of a massive, ornate museum in Paris and that thriving coastal village of Sapienza. There’s pretty much 0 aesthetic draw to Marrakesh to entice players back to its civilian infested marketplace.

This doesn’t bode will for Hitman . Generally speaking, I’m okay with the episodic format. It gives IO more time to polish, fine-tune, and respond to player feedback as the story unfolds. In this case, the trickling down of new content is going to hurt hesitant onlookers. Marrakesh has left a bitter taste in our mouths and now we await the next episode with adjusted expectations that were previously only enthusiastic. At this point, I can soundly recommend that the curious consumer avoid episode 3. The first two episodes are absolutely worth your money, and that $20 will bag you a ton of great content and keep you busy until the next installment, which will hopefully fare better than the last.

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