Hitman 3 review – a wild bacchanalian backdrop to bloody escapades

PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC; IO Interactive
Industrialised murder probably shouldn't be this entertaining, but this final part of the trilogy is a minor masterpiece

It is when I am shot by two armed guards while attempting to steal a banana from a desk that I realise Hitman is a game of contradictions. On one hand, it is a deadly serious assassination sim; on the other it is a slapstick comedy, where you can disguise yourself as a chef and knock someone out with a bottle of merlot. Industrialised murder probably shouldn't be hilarious, but that's video games for you. This is the beautiful paradox of the whole series.

The set up to Hitman 3 is exactly the same as the previous two instalments of this reenergised stealth adventure series. Deadly protagonist Agent 47 is given a series of assassination targets, each located in a different open world environment, whether that's a towering Dubai skyscraper or an abandoned warehouse in Chongqing, China. You just show up and take care of everyone on the list.