By Adele Chapline Smith | Catholic News Service
NEW YORK (CNS) — The latest iteration of a franchise that’s now more than 20 years old, “Hitman 3” (IO Interactive) finds its protagonist, an assassin known only as Agent 47 (voice of David Bateson), working to dismantle a secret organization and avenge himself against his former employers.
Mechanically and visually, the game is well-executed. But it’s a mixed bag morally and, although free of any sexual elements, has a potential for violence that makes it unsuitable even for many grown players.
Globetrotting 47 travels from the glittering skyscrapers of Dubai to seedy, abandoned warehouses in China, eliminating high-value targets at every stop. Thus, while his adventure encourages curiosity and study of this stealth title’s beautifully detailed world — typified by an ornate British mansion filled with secret passageways — his picturesque journey also is a killing spree.
Together with his friend and ally Lucas Grey (voice of John Hopkins), 47 is angling to bring down the leaders of Providence, a furtive society that controls the world from the shadows and has been manipulating governments since the end of World War II. 47’s toolbox contains a wide array of guns and melee weapons. He also can employ subtler methods, strangling and poisoning some of his opponents.
While controlling 47, players can take out civilians, either intentionally or inadvertently. But doing so will have a negative impact on their progress, affecting the rewards they receive and the level of difficulty they face. Similarly, the game’s highest score is accorded to those who opt for nonlethal speed runs.
For those who make a different choice, however, some excessively gory images await. This is especially true with regard to the disposal of dead bodies — which can simply be stuffed into cupboards but may also be put through woodchippers, compactors or even an enormous grape press.
As for 47’s motives, they are ethically tangled, to say the least. On one level, he’s pursuing justice and rooting out a corrupt conspiracy. But his drive for personal revenge is inextricably interwoven with this more laudable crusade. Gamers, accordingly, will need to assess his story with the same discernment they deploy in making the decisions that will fundamentally alter the content they confront.
Playable on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch, Stadia and Windows.
The game contains pervasive but optional graphic violence with bloody effects, a vengeance theme, drug use and considerable rough and crude language. The Catholic News Service classification is L — limited adult audience, material whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Entertainment Software Rating Board rating is M — mature.
Smith reviews video games for Catholic News Service.