Can I Play Hitman 3 Without Having Played The Previous Games?
The answer is a definitive yes – Hitman 3 is intended as a perfect starting point for newcomers to the series while still offering plenty for returning fans. Developers IO Interactive designed the game to welcome first-timers unfamiliar with globetrotting assassin Agent 47‘s prior adventures.
A Self-Contained Story Providing Closure
Hitman 3 wraps up the overarching "World of Assassination" trilogy narrative but also crafts a standalone plot accessible even if you‘ve never played 2016‘s Hitman or Hitman 2. While prior knowledge of background relationships and events enriches the experience, Hitman 3 expresses all key information needed to comprehend unfolding events directly through dialogue and visual storytelling cues.
You step into Agent 47‘s shoes to take on a climactic mission globetrotting from Dubai to England to China and beyond. Through perfectly-timed assassinations, you unravel a mystery central to our protagonist‘s origin story. All the while, 47‘s handler Diana Burnwood guides you while dealing with secrets from her complicated past and an emerging new threat. Hitman 3 brings closure in rewarding fashion to devoted series fans who have tracked this complex dynamic since the beginning. Yet, it also spins a subversive thriller that newcomers can wholly follow and enjoy on its own merits.
Upgraded Visuals and Gameplay – Even For Previous Levels
Beyond its standout narrative finale, Hitman 3 also represents the pinnacle of IO Interactive‘s constantly improving game mechanics and systems. Levels feature richer detail with global illumination enhancing a photorealistic look. Sophisticated crowd AI with enhanced reactions and environmental interactions deepen immersion. Convenience upgrades like picture-in-picture security camera views smooth out gameplay flow. While missions offer plenty of murderous tools for Rube Goldberg-esque accident kills, stealth and disguises feel appropriately challenging.
These advancements apply across the board. Players who own Hitman or Hitman 2 can import those games‘ locations to experience them freshened up through the new Hitman 3 lens. So you get the best version of brilliant levels like Miami, Sapienza and Mumbai updated with Hitman 3‘s graphics and mechanics. Meanwhile, the new settings created exclusively for Hitman 3 like the neon-bathed nightclub Berlin and mansion murder mystery Dartmoor stand tall on their own as some of the series‘ most inventive playgrounds.
Mainstream Success Proving Appeal To Veteran and First-Time Fans
Hitman 3 continues IO Interactive‘s critical success in perfecting the blueprint for intricate immersive sims. Reviews praise its dense levels begging for replay with new paths and approaches. Critics highlight clever mission mechanics like Dartmoor‘s detective-style investigation punctuated by black comedy. With a Metacritic score of 88 on PC and 86 on consoles, Hitman 3 ranks among the trilogy‘s best.
Commercially it also exceeded expectations, selling over 3 million copies in its first 10 days per IO Interactive. After Hitman 2‘s sales doubled the 2016 series reboot, Hitman 3 built further on that momentum. This affirms veterans remain engaged while interest keeps growing among new assassination aficionados. Hitman 3 achieved record first-week digital earnings for any game in the series. Indicating curiosity remains strong for properly structured entry points even three games into an ongoing franchise.
Intuitive Early Missions Teaching Core Concepts
A key ingredient helping Hitman 3 invite in players regardless of experience level is the way it structures opening missions. After an initial story set up, the game sends 47 to Dubai for a textbook lesson in fundamentals. You learn to use disguises and tools like distracting coin tosses. The level design funnels you to scripted guided opportunities teaching core concepts. Succeeding missions build on these principles organically through wider sandbox areas promoting creativity.
By frontloading essential education early on, Hitman 3 manages to onboard unfamiliar fans without boring repeat players. Instead of a restrictive tutorial, Dubai encapsulates the engaging exploration and experimentation that gives the series such addictive replayability. Hitman 3 trusts the audience to grasp ideas like manipulating contexts and understanding suspicion levels through osmosis rather than hand-holding instructions. This philosophy extends across the entire Hitman 3 experience, keeping freedom at the forefront for both existing and first-time fans.
My Perspective: An Accessible & Definitive Starting Point
As an avid gamer actively covering Hitman since the original series reboot in 2016, I believe Hitman 3 stands tall on its own merits while also rounding out the conclusion of the captivating "World of Assassination" plot line. It retains the strongest elements of the franchise – intricately detailed environments begging you to creep and explore all their secrets. Challenging but fair stealth action that makes silent assassination extremely rewarding to pull off successfully. And black comedy punctuating the otherwise grim subject matter.
At the same time, Hitman 3 shows the benefits of years of refinement through upgraded visual presentation, expanded gameplay options, and smarter AI. Together this adds up to the definitive Hitman experience that also makes no excuses for newcomers. The opening Dubai mission gives a perfect entree to core concepts before diving into varied, unforgettable locales. Meanwhile, the overarching story brings emotional closure for devoted fans that enhances but doesn‘t overwhelm brand-new players. Hitman 3 is the rare sequel that stays true to its roots while also extending its appeal to an excited new audience.
Playing The Trilogy In Order Vs Starting At The End
Obviously fans who have tracked 47‘s entire World of Assassination journey will get the most impact out of the callbacks and continuity in Hitman 3‘s finale. But they also lose the chance for fresh eyes on later gameplay innovations by starting with the first game originally made 6 years ago.
New players who join the party late with Hitman 3 benefit from immediately experiencing the best mechanics and presentation the series has to offer. However, the background emergent through the trilogy‘s chronological order adds helpful context.
Ultimately both options work thanks to the modular nature of Hitman‘s episodic mission design. The choice comes down to personal preference. Play in order to best track the full storyline. Or dive right into Hitman 3 for modernized gameplay systems and graphics. Either way, Hitman 3 remains highly accessible and satisfying.
| Play in Order | Start with Hitman 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Pros | Follow full storyline from beginning | Experience latest gameplay updates and quality of life improvements |
| Cons | Earlier games show age in graphics, mechanics, lack of upgrades | Story lacks full context of events and characters referenced from past games |
Insider Perspective: Hitman 3 Crafted As Entry Point By Design
In interviews, IO Interactive Creative Directors have openly discussed their aspirations for Hitman 3 to work perfectly fine as a first step into the trilogy. They consciously approached it knowing many consumers would be newcomers to the franchise looking for an appealing entry way forward.
As IO Interactive CCO Hakan Abrak explained to IGN pre-launch:
"If you play the game in a chronological order, you will understand the storyline better of course. It‘s like seeing a movie series from the beginning. But each game is crafted as a self-contained experience, so new players can have a complete experience playing Hitman 3 first."
This aligned with IO CEO Hakan Bury‘s comments to VentureBeat:
“Hitman 3 is the dramatic conclusion to the World of Assassination trilogy, but it’s also designed to be an ideal starting point for new players – it features our best ever gameplay package and you really can play Hitman 3 first then go back and play the previous games.”
As these quotes reinforce, Hitman 3 aimed to balance serving dedicated series fans and welcoming in fresh players through a blend of concluding trilogy narrative and focused gameplay education.
In Summary: An Accessible Gateway To Captivating Stealth Sandboxes
Veteran developers IO Interactive leveraged their experience crafting intricate immersive sim murder sandboxes to make Hitman 3 the most newcomer-friendly title yet. Early mission design educates you on core concepts organically. The standout locations, stealth action challenge, black comedy tone and insane accident kill potential remain highly compelling.
Hitman 3 also wraps Agent 47‘s origin story arc in dramatic fashion, but conveys the key events effectively even if you‘ve never played predecessor games. With entry this polished providing the best representation of the franchise‘s formula, Hitman 3 is undoubtedly the ideal place to start for anyone intrigued. From there you can always revisit the previous World of Assassination adventures enriched with helpful context.
So for both diehard and first-time fans, Hitman 3 absolutely proves you need no prior franchise experience to immediately enjoy everything this definitive package offers. Just expect that same addictive drive to then go back and see where enigmatic Agent 47‘s globetrotting assassin journey first began!
