The hitman with the smoothest, sleekest bald in the world returns in a new chapter developed by IO Interactive and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Two years after the first season, which saw a clear change in the distribution formula of the game, we put back the thousand role of Agent 47. The title of this review by Hitman 2 says it all: this is indeed one anomalous review, Because drafted by an incapable. Yes, I am not a phenomenon in stealth video games, videogame ineptitude that is amplified in titles in which an average action approach can only lead to nefarious effects.
I also mentioned this to the editorial staff, during the delivery of the key: "Are you sure you want to put your credibility in my hands?". They were very sure, they were happy. Here I am reviewing Agent 47's latest efforts.
Hitman 2: on the trail of the Shadow Client
I will be incapable, but at least I can follow the plot ... maybe. But first let's take a step back: Agent 47 works for the ICA, an organization that tests various subjects to discover "new talents" in the art of murder. Agent 47 immediately hits the upper echelons of the company, including Diana Burnwood, the one who supervises the tests. The challenges he is subjected to for him become as easy as drinking a glass of water: his cold blood, his apathy and his impassive gaze are details that cannot leave indifferent. The ICA begins to suspect that that individual has already been an efficient hitman for another organization in the past.
This is no time to be picky and so Agent 47 is trained and then thrown into the field for high-risk missions. In Hitman 2, the missions that we are going to face are, as usual, scattered around the world and see us engaged in the elimination of sensitive targets, which, one after the other, falling like flies, form a trail that, in the hopes of the ICA, will have to lead us to the identification of a notorious Shadow customer.
That's not all, of course. Agent 47, slowly, kill after kill, will also get closer to secrets that lie in his dark past.
The art of assassination
Now comes the best part, that is, the evidence that I myself will have to give you about my total inability to play Hitman 2 ... but also those that testify the excellent work done by IO Interactive. The word art is not put there by chance: it is too easy to be bullies with weapons drawn and an extraordinary resistance to enemy blows. In Hitman 2, killing is serious and it must be done following very precise rules but which, at the same time, do not limit our range of action. At the beginning of each mission, we will be given details about our target (s) and where we will be moving. Before starting it we will be able to choose a limited number of items to take with us, like a lock pick (my number one choice in any mission, because a closed door is always nerve-wracking), a fiber cable to strangle unsuspecting victims and other nice little things.
We can also decide to carry a weapon, such as one silenced pistol, or have it left by the ICA in some specific place where we will then go to retrieve it. We can then choose the initial dress we prefer to wear so as not to arouse suspicion (you know how it ends, you start dressed as a respectable man and you finish the mission dressed as a giant parrot). We also choose the point on the map where we want to start our exploration. During the first run, the options will not be many, but the better you are, the more objects, weapons and places will be unlocked during the briefing.
Exploration, why use this term? Because Hitman 2 isn't structured like a pig in a poke that allows us to get straight to the point and get away with it. You have to observe, listen, go around aimlessly, even for half an hour if necessary. I tried several times to run, like a doped speedrunner, towards the target to end the hostilities as soon as possible: poor deluded. They filled me with lead before I could even pull out my business card: "Agent 47, led by an incapable and cowardly". I told you, I'm not a top. However, this pushed me to do better, because if there is one thing that works perfectly in Hitman 2 it is the feeling that every failed attempt is, in fact, a step towards success.
Let's mix with the crowd. 
Search! Don't get caught with the mouse in your mouth.
Make the world your weapon
After having witnessed my departure after a dozen times already in the first mission, I decided to make my own the slogan of the game: Make the World Your Weapon. Calm and cool. Let's explore, we discover new areas of the map, as if we were in an RPG, let's see what happens. It happens that the first results begin to manifest themselves: I don't die after 20 seconds and that's already a long time, I wander around the crowd of Miami and I find that by listening to the right conversations or reading the right documents I can unlock Stories, that is, mini-goals that, if followed carefully, lead me straight to the target. For each character to be assassinated, different stories can be unlocked, capable of leading us to the elimination of him along different paths.
The exploration also helped me to discover the free zones, the manned areas and what clothes to wear on every occasion. Yes, because a Mumbai I tried to enter my target's office dressed as a resident of the suburbs of the Indian city and was immediately stopped by the security officers. Well, I don't argue with security: better isolate one of them, kill him and disguise myself in his clothes. Done, I go into his office and shoot him down and then hide the body. Good job, inept. In that same mission, however, I demonstrated my lack of foresight in pure stealth like Hitman: to get to the second target, I had to undergo a search and there I sweated cold because I had the silenced pistol with me. They discovered me and chaos worthy of a Bollywood masterpiece broke out.
Don't worry: I had saved just before (on a professional level the saves are unlimited, if you play at the master level, however, you will not be able to save when you want). Before the search, I I start in a secluded alley and throw the weapon. I go back to the guards and pass without problems. Hitman 2 is this: planning. The possibilities offered are almost infinite and a situation that at first sight cannot be resolved can be unraveled with a spirit of observation and a careful analysis of the environment. Being able to complete a mission in a clean world gives you enormous satisfaction, but dying over and over again it is never frustrating. Hitman 2 is fun even when it fails.
The enemy AI suffers from ups and downs, especially at a professional level, going from zero to one hundred in a short time, but the structure of the levels is such as to make up for any shortcomings. The longevity of the game is high not for the quantity of missions, but because each of them can be replayed dozens of times and never be the same as the previous session. Trying different approaches will unlock Stories, new items and weapons for use in subsequent missions. However, longevity is also influenced by the skill of the player: by virtue of these different approaches, a target can be eliminated in ten minutes or in an hour.
The eye also enjoys
Taking your breath away is one of Agent 47's objectives and he succeeds very well also from a technical point of view. The graphics of Hitman 2 are truly a feast for the eyes. Exploring the locations in which the story unfolds is useful for fulfilling the mission, as we have said, but it is also a pleasure. If we were not hitmen, but simple tourists, we would get lost in the markets of Mumbai, between dense vegetation of Santa Fortuna in Colombia and in the crowded Formula 1 pits of Miami.
Each environment is recreated in detail, offering the real feeling of having crossed the ocean. Residents of each area dress and behave in a way consistent with the environment. After learning to take advantage of the options offered by these open mini-worlds, I found myself glancing at a glimpse or strolling down a small street with quaint houses, despite having a person to kill. The water yield is also excellent, the plays of light are of the highest level.
The animations are a bit woody in the shooting phases, but those must be reduced to a minimum.
Hitman 2 is pure stealth that pushes you to hone your skills. Each failure will make you a better hit man, without ever making the gameplay experience irritating from start to finish. Hitman 2 is a thoughtful and damn fun game, even for the incompetent. If we then add a wonderful technical sector, we can say that IO Interactive has hit the mark without missing the mark.
