Hitman is flaming hot again in Bangkok, as the previous episode, Marrakesh, is likely to have been a minor blip to the impressive standards the game has achieved so far.
The main mission of this episode, titled ‘Club 27’, starts with Agent 47 admiring the luxurious Himmapan Hotel and its beautiful surroundings. Unfortunately for him, his trip to Bangkok is one of business, not pleasure, as the ICA has assigned him with the mission of killing rock star Jordan Cross and his corrupt lawyer Ken Morgan.
Agent 47’s trip to Italy in Episode Two is seen by many as the most interesting installment of the hitman’s episodic adventure so far, mostly due to the accessibility and variability of its environments. As seen with previous games in the series, Hitman maps are at their best when they can be explored easily and feature alternate routes to the objective. Unfortunately 47’s mission in Bangkok is hampered by the fact that you’re surroundings are constantly working against you, as most rooms you’ll find are inaccessible without the likes of a specific keycard, thus making exploration feel limited and somewhat discouraged.
Episode 4 ramps the difficulty up a notch, most notably during Bangkok’s version of the acclaimed “Silent Assassin, Suit Only” challenge, which may prove too difficult for the average player. One of the mission’s main obstacles are the densely populated rooms you’ll have to get through, which is no easy task without a disguise. Add on-top of that the extremely high security and the short number of routes to the objective, and you’re left with a hefty challenge.
Episode 4 also consists of a decent escalation mission, and a challenging featured contract. The new gear unlocked through mastering Bangkok is a useful addition, especially a certain new amusing distraction which we’ll leave up to you to discover. Thankfully, the loading times, stability, and user interface of the game all continue to improve as new episodes are released.
If Bangkok had more to explore it could have potentially rivaled the best maps in the series, but despite its level design issues Episode 4 is still an enjoyable and challenging addition to the game that contains satisfying features, and interesting secrets to discover.
