Agent 47 has a long journey behind it. With already six adventures on PC and home consoles to his credit, we can easily admit that our favorite bald guy is one of the greatest video game icons of his time: he even received – or undergoes, it depends – two adaptations on big screen, portrayed by Timothy Olyphant and Rupert Friend respectively. The mythology of the contract killer and his ultra-secret agency is now well anchored in the cultural framework, even to the point that his famous barcode today is almost mystical: we will never get tired of it and, clearly, the last Hitman of 2016 had largely made us reconnect with the original codes of the saga. This new episode does not seem to derogate from the rule by following exactly its predecessor: let it be said immediately, its main and almost only difference lies in its capacity, complete from its launch. For the rest, we clearly have the impression of getting down to the 2016 opus... and that's not a bad thing in many respects.
EYE FOR EYE, TOOTH FOR TOOTH
If IO Interactive did not ultimately opt for an episodic model, everything leads us to believe that this strategy was indeed the one defined at the start of development. Downloading the game in its dematerialized version clearly indicates the color: we do not install one and the same title, but each mission independently of each other under the single tab HITMAN 2. Once the adventure has started, everything is sectorized as was the previous software and we quickly realize that all of its game design has been taken over, piece by piece, in order to deliver a sequel in total continuity. Our assassin therefore picks up his plot exactly where it left off, through narrative slideshows (in 2018, seriously?) with, at the key of the multiple assassinations and undermining of secret organizations, answers on his mysterious origins . This second game, which could literally have borrowed the subtitle of "Season 2", also ends on a forced cliff-hanger which clearly indicates that IO Interactive is already working on a new burst of episodes: a skeleton not really the most convincing at the dawn of the new generation of consoles, if not to say old-fashioned and overrated. It's a shame, because with more work on the writing and staging, the title could have really taken the guts: it prefers, however, to focus on what had already been the strength of its big brother, know a level-design to die for and an exquisite freedom of play.
KILLING IS PLAY
The campaign is therefore distinguished by its six unique episodes, all settling in very distinct settings and with their own atmospheres. We will therefore go to Miami for a car race, in Colombia in the jungle of the Delgado cartel, in India in the human overload of Mumbai, in the United States in the charming pavilions of Whittleton Creek, on the rocky and secret island of Sgaìl or even, at the very beginning of the game, on a night beach to infiltrate the villa of a dangerous henchman. Very clearly, the different levels of HITMAN 2 form its indisputable strength by relying on deep, varied and above all intelligent universes. Exactly like its predecessor, our objective is to eliminate one to several precise targets before extricating ourselves in the most total silence. To do this, it is possible to use absolutely all the scenery to your advantage, either by following scripted missions point by point, or by leaning on your one and only flair. Once again, HITMAN 2 seduces with its complex infiltration mechanics and its innumerable possibilities: pretending to be a seller of pastries and poisoning his target? Check. Take the role of a barber before slaughtering his victim on his chair? Check. Trick the self-ejection of a plane before exploding its unfortunate host in the air? Check. The ways of assassination are numerous and above all monstrously enjoyable, without reinventing anything. The game walks in the exact footsteps of its ancestor, with the difference of some in-game features (the possibility of seeing your enemies move in windows in real time) or an AI that we are told has been reworked (and which, however, is very far from perfect). Being such a predator provides an indescribable pleasure, rubbing shoulders with our most primal carnivorous instincts. The formula still works as well and will make the hearts of the most hunters speak.
LICENSE TO GUN
If the first run is traveled relatively quickly with less than ten hours of play in Normal mode, it would be foolish not to specify how the game of IO Interactive was designed: everything is bet on its replayability. It's very simple, HITMAN 2 is a title to be savored over the long term, which explores our patience and requires knowledge of the irreproachable levels to appreciate its full potential. A real scoring game, our skills are analyzed throughout to collect experience points that will unlock many rewards, allowing you to approach the levels completely differently. Thus, it will be possible to leave with such items in your pocket rather than others, to place strategic objects in specific corners of the map, to start the mission from a specific location, to embark on a particular costume... In order to carry out the dozens of assassination methods offered, to obtain all the rewards linked to special deeds and, therefore, to obtain the best score and the best completion rate, each card requires hours and hours of trial and practice. Add to that the Master difficulty mode - which adds more guards, security cameras or attention from NPCs -, the possibility of awarding or accepting online contracts on the heads of various snowmen, a side campaign with four new levels (and quite honorable) or, frankly, all the episodes of Hitman 1 (for an additional €29,99, attention), and you have a skillfully dosed difficulty/longevity according to your personal objectives. Killing discreetly and without collateral damage is a real job.
DON'T DIE ANOTHER DAY, DIE NOW
Alongside this more than acceptable lifespan, we can note the Sniper Assassin mode, already available for some time, which takes up a few tens of minutes and allows the game to be aired thanks to single or multiplayer missions where we must eliminate three targets and their bodyguards within a given time. A little succinct although appreciable: we will mainly fall back on Ghost, a real online and original competitive mode in which we will be put in opposition to another Agent 47. Be careful however, it is not a question here of eliminating his competitor but, in reality, to kill the most targets set in the main levels, and before him. In this way, everyone evolves in their own world with a view of the ghost of the other in real time: a race for an entertaining watch and a laudable concept, although the potential is still a bit messy and quickly exploited. Likewise, temporary targets return, the first of which being none other than Sean Bean and whose mission will be available in two weeks, at the time of this writing. Difficult to spit in the soup so far, even if it is difficult to raise the head of the extraordinary depth of the single-player campaign. Despite everything, HITMAN 2 sins a bit with its engine, a definitely aging Glacier Engine 2, and some pesky collision bugs. However, let's try to put things into perspective since the whole thing turns out to be much more solid than what we were presented with during our last preview: the game is ultimately very stable, the rag-doll is less a little less catastrophic than expected and the whole sets is searched, alive and mastered. Nevertheless, it is going to be urgent for IO Interactive to bring a makeover for its next installment because the graphic and architectural formula is really starting to crumble. It's time to move up a gear gentlemen, and not to rest too long on your achievements before you lose the indulgence of your community...
