If there’s one thing the Hitman series excels at, it’s making repetition fun. So the next logical conclusion was always going to be a mode that could be a standalone game. A standalone roguelike. Freelancer brings the World of Assassination together in a way that only it could, offering up contracts across the world as Agent 47 aims to take down the criminal underworld.
The safehouse that is the hub of the mode starts sparse at first, with just the underground area to explore. Upon ranking up as a freelancer, more areas open up and new decorations can be placed around. The underground is where most time is likely to be spent, as this is where campaigns are managed, but it is nice to have the rest of the safehouse to explore. Finally unlocking the outside area of it is a treat, with a nice view of the mountains and lake where Agent 47 has made his home.
That view is always worth a visit if the stress of the campaign gets to you. Which it will. The tension is high without a silenced pistol by your side, forcing a creative hand when pursuing targets. And when you eventually do get your hands on a silenced pistol, the weight of its potential loss will always be with you. Always making you second-guess moves. That goes for any weapon or tool you decide to bring from the safehouse.
For me, my starting inventory for contracts outside Freelancer consists of a silenced pistol, lockpick, and knife. Silently unlocking any door is a great way to get around, and both knife and pistol are great ways to silently kill from near and far. With Freelancer, there’s always a risk to taking one of those with me, let alone all of them. So, my priority will always be on a close-quarters weapon. Which are easier to come by than either of the other two things.
With just a knife in hand, I observe my starting position at locations, hoping to cleanly get away and toward my first target. Sometimes that is easy enough. Other times I’ll be within a hostile area with guards close by. At all times though, that is just the start of things to worry about. After each successful campaign completion, the next will be harder, with more guards and security cameras to worry about. Especially in alerted territories, which will fail the campaign upon death.
Regular syndicate targets are similar to the custom contracts, with an NPC that already exists at a location becoming a target to hunt. They’ll still be difficult, especially if they’re among guards or in a group. But they can be dealt with. The showdowns with the syndicate leader will see a group of NPCs added to a location. All of them are potential targets, but it is your job to eliminate the correct one before the group decide to evacuate.
You’ll have the description of who the correct one will be, so you aren’t left completely clueless. So, while avoiding confrontation lest the entire group decide to evacuate, you need to get close to each member to determine if they match the description given. You also have a few tells, such as smoker or foodie, to look out for, and it is these that are likely to give them away more than their looks. Or… you can just fire at random and hope to get lucky.
I had a showdown at the Maldives, started at the shark suite, and had a syndicate member right in my sights on the entrance boardwalk. With a silenced pistol, it was easy enough to take a shot. Not even thirty seconds had passed, and the contract was already complete. It was then easy enough to head out away from the suite in the opposite direction and by the time the body was found I was close enough to another exit that it made no difference.
That sort of luck won’t happen all the time, though. At another of my favourite locations, I was within the party at Mendoza following a potential target as they wandered around it. I could see the indicator that told me an informer was close by, but I felt as long as I was within the crowds, they couldn’t possibly spot me. Until they appeared right next to me and almost immediately ratted me out. Cue mayhem as I tried to stay alive, shooting at all the syndicate members I could find.
You will fail. A lot. But the random elements allow for more creativity as you strive to execute the targets and get paid with whatever comes to hand. It’s unlikely at first you’ll be able to manage to complete some of the bonus objectives, as you won’t have the right tools. And do you even want to, if they involve making a noise? The same can be said of the prestige objectives, of which you’ll have the option of selecting one before heading out to a location.
The drive to be rich, to own all weapons, to complete the massive number of challenges Freelancer offers… whatever you want to do as a freelancer drives progression toward hitting that last level of mastery. And even then, you’ll likely still want to continue if the random elements of Freelancer have gripped you enough. As they certainly have done for me.
Images Taken From:
Hitman: World of Assassination | Original Screenshots
