Hitman Absolution hands-on

Hitman Absolution sniper

If you ever get a chance to poison a fish, do it. I learnt that during my Hitman Absolution hands on. Poisoning fish is super effective.

Chinatown is swarming with punters and washed with red lighting. As Agent 47, I'm squeezing through the crowd - suit and red tie intact - on the way to kill the king of Chinatown. He's about to die, but there's two questions: whether I'll make it out alive, and how I'll kill him.

Instinct mode is helping with my infiltration, making my target glow red and points of interest glow yellow, including the path of enemy NPCs. It's a filter I can toggle, just like the one Batman uses in his most recent games. But, according to executive producer Luke Valentine, that isn't IO's main point of influence: “instinct for us wasn't about those games at all. It was a response to the mini map in the previous Hitman games where you - well I - would spend about 50% of the game watching green triangles move around the map.” Whether players love or hate the assistance will probably relate to their experience of Hitman. Exactly how you're restricted will depend on your difficulty setting of choice. I'm playing on normal, but it goes all the way to Purist. Io are keeping the subtitles quiet, for now.

To be honest, It's a silly place for the King of Chinatown to hang out. The place he eats, a hole in the ground he could feasibly fall through, the apartment block overlooking a pagoda - they're all glowing politely when viewed through Agent 47's eyes. I make a mental note of each one, then wander towards his pagoda for for a close-up. I disable infiltration mode after a few steps: it makes the world saturated, so detail is lost. It seems a shame to waste Agent 47's infamous pate: it's never looked this shiny and high-res.

En route I poison some fish at a nearby stall. Why? Because I can't resist on-screen prompts. Also: I've checked this level's list of challenges; it's taught me the King of Chinatown eats fish, drinks coffee, and walks near manholes. It's also hinted at possible firearms somewhere in the level. Possible intel that he enjoys pina coladas and walks in the rain are yet to be confirmed by IO.

After pacing through the crowds I end up near the entrance to an apartment, guarded by a lonely cop watching TV. He's distracted, but not distracted enough to let me past unmolested. I sabotage a nearby fusebox then edge past as he fiddles with his TV. It's a simple, obvious solution, but this is only Act 2, and I get the feeling that IO are easing me the mechanics. I hope so; the apartment is unlocked, and a sniper rifle sits on a desk next to a security tape. It almost feels too convenient: surely a famous drug lord would be a little more worried about his own safety? Still, I'm not one to turn down a free lunch, especially when that lunch involves killing people. Both Agent 47 and I love security tapes and guns, so I pocket them both.

In the apartment up above the King of Chinatown's central square, someone's left a window open. I've got access to two of Absolution's new mechanics: a cover system and slow mo. The cover system feels nice and light, and fortunately not overly spongey. Get into a crouch and walk behind cover, and 47 will cleverly keep his body out of sight: you won't need to wedge yourself against a wall to avoid detection when room-hopping. Combined with the sniper's zoom, my mark is going to be hard to miss.

But the king has moved from his pagoda. Even with instinct mode enabled, I'm struggling to spot my target. But I needn't panic; after a few seconds of looking down the scope, an on-screen prompt congratulates me on a clean murder. The silly chap wandered off, ate my poisoned fish, and collapsed amid the crowd. And I haven't even fired a shot, but my work here is done. It's time to leave. Man, I am good.

By this point, Chinatown is in chaos. Cops are searching for suspicious-looking men, and I look remarkably suspicious. I flick back into instinct mode to detect their future paths and keep my head down. Instinct mode highlights a rope. Following it up, I spy some fortuitously-placed sacks of corn suspended on a pallet above a gaggle of cops. Ignoring obvious questions - who puts these things here? - I shoot the rope, dropping the heavy bags on the heads of the hapless police. They are knocked out of action, and I get the hell out. Now, it's time to check my score, which might be a bigger deal than you think. For more on that aspect, click here .

Latest in Third Person Shooter
Storm trooper hero
Another live service shooter is getting shut down, this time before it even launched on Steam
Marvel Rivals characters - Hulk with his hands out as if he's grabbing the camera.
Marvel Rivals' growing roster of heroes scares me, but the game's director seems sure that all is under control: 'Everything is progressing smoothly'
Titus in Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 3 reveal promo image
Praise be to the Omnissiah! Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 3 is officially in development
Marvel Rivals characters - Captain America running towards the camera.
All Marvel Rivals characters - current and upcoming heroes
Marvel Rivals Human Torch
Marvel Rivals is carrying on the tradition of chaotic patches after buffing two of the most annoying heroes, but I main one of them, so I'm not complaining
Mech in dry dock with person standing on catwalk underneath
How long can a live service game last? Theoretically, 'forever,' says Mecha Break developer: 'The last game I was in charge of has been alive and well for 16 years'
Latest in Features
Monster Hunter Wilds' stockpile master studying a manifest
Monster Hunter Wilds' new gyro controls are a fantastic option for disabled and able-bodied players alike
A busy marketplace in The Bazaar.
The Bazaar could be the future of autobattlers, if it stops strangling itself to death with its own microtransactions
Marvel Rivals characters - Hulk with his hands out as if he's grabbing the camera.
Marvel Rivals' growing roster of heroes scares me, but the game's director seems sure that all is under control: 'Everything is progressing smoothly'
Rainbow Six Siege year 9 season 2 key art - two Rainbow Six Siege operators facing each other
'Siege 2 was never on the table': Rainbow Six Siege X director explains why the 10-year-old FPS doesn't need a sequel
Gallica and the protagonist from Metaphor: ReFantazio.
The best deals in the 2025 Steam Spring Sale
Hands pushing poker chips on a table
Winning $2.6 billion in this poker videogame has completely ruined fake poker for me