With the first Hitman making its debut in 2016, Hitman 2 is the second game in the latest Hitman series from developer IO Interactive. Continuing from Hitman, Agent 47 embarks on a mission to track down the mysterious ‘Shadow Client’. The gameplay is similar to that of the first game as the contract assassin travels to various locations around the world to eliminate high-profile targets. The episodic format is now discarded, and the player is introduced to a whole new story. This allows for the possibility to skip ahead to see more content and play on levels the player finds interesting. There are 6 distinct locations in the game, each more elaborate than the other in terms of design and complexity. These locations include a teeming Miami race track to the bustling streets of Mumbai.

While the plot line isn’t the most developed, the game does encourage curiosity as it creates the possibility for you to explore and provide multiple ways of completing your mission There are several additions to Hitman 2 like the picture-in-picture feature that lets you see the security camera display and the ability to blend and vanish into the crowd. The player also has a vast selection of tools and weapons to choose from and the suitcase allows the player to store all of the collected weapons. There’s also a multiplayer Ghost mode that allows the player to compete against other agents and take down multiple targets in a limited time. Though this is still in test mode, it will probably be changed based on players’ feedback.

Like any other stealth game, Hitman 2 requires a lot of patience. A small mistake on any level will ruin the mission and require you to start over. Unless the player uses the option of manual auto-saves, the use of strategic autosaves allows the player to continue without losing too much progress. However, in the highest level, the player is allowed only one save per mission. It is infuriating, nonetheless, to fail multiple times but it is often an indication that there are different approaches to the solution and situation.

Even though it demands accuracy, the interface is easy to interact with. One bullet gone awry and you’ll soon find yourself in a hailstorm of bullets, often resulting in failure of the mission. The only way to get good at it is to keep playing and practicing, which is also one of the hooks of the game. The need to complete the mission in the most efficient way possible becomes addictive when you’re given the unlimited possibilities to try new approaches every time.

Overall, the game has the best Hitman stealth action and is an experience that requires you to enjoy it in a slow and steady fashion. Like with any game, it has both positive and negative aspects to it. What makes it a memorable play, however, is its ability to encourage players to come up with ways to keep the violence to a minimum and focus more on the strategic and stealth aspect of planning missions thus differentiating it from other mindless killing games of its kind.