5 most innovative Hitman Trilogy Levels (and 5 most boring)

With the launch of the first Hitman reboot, developer IO Interactive successfully established a new trilogy in 2016. Starting off with a game simply titled Hitman™, this series brought all the best features from past games, as well as new ideas and innovations.

With the release of Ambrose Island, Hitman 3's DLC count reaches 22, a feat not completely new to the series. However, much has to be said about the details and level design of the trilogy’s missions, which feature some of the best work from the franchise.

Many of these stages are innovatively designed, allowing players a level of freedom not seen before in the Hitman series. Here are five of the most innovative levels from the Hitman trilogy, and five that are quite boring.

Note: This article reflects the writer's opinion.

5 ingenious level designs from the Hitman trilogy

1) Dartmoor

Hands down the most innovative level in the Hitman trilogy. Dartmoor’s best quality is not even the main objective of eliminating the target. Instead, players can choose to take part in a murder mystery, find the culprit, and either expose them or frame another individual.

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The mission takes place in an ancestral manor in Dartmoor, England, where Agent 47 is sent in to eliminate Alexa Carcisle, the matriarchal leader of the Carlisle family. However, there is unrest in the household, as the eldest male figure was found murdered just the night before.

Agent 47 can disguise himself as a detective and interrogate house members, find clues, discover secret corridors, and collect evidence to figure out the identity of the killer. With this level, IO Interactive has proven that they can make a great Sherlock Holmes game if they want to.

2) Mendoza

This is the final open level in Hitman 3, and takes place in Mendoza, Argentina. As Agent 47 and Diana Burnwood head to a vineyard party, they must work together to eliminate the last two targets who stand in their quest to bring down the secret organization known as Providence.

This level is rather unique in the history of Hitman games, as it features Agent 47’s handler Diana as an NPC. The best part is that she can assist Agent 47 indirectly if the players are so inclined, while not incriminating herself.

It has some of the most fun gameplay in the series, as Agent 47 follows Diana while she lures a target across the map and sings praises of the legendary assassin. The level also includes a dance between the iconic duo.

3) Haven Island

Some of the best Hitman levels are set in hotel environments, and Haven Island takes things to greater heights with an island resort in the scenic Maldives. Players have to eliminate three different targets, who are located across three islands. One island houses a public resort while the other two are restricted.

This is possibly the most beautifully designed level in the series’ history, and gives a tremendous amount of freedom and replayability value. It was the second DLC level released for Hitman 2 and the final content update for the game.

While all three targets can be brought into the same room and eliminated at the same time, taking them out one by one is also a valid tactic and offers more choice. Players can also test out their sniper assassin skills as a tall tower offers killshot options for all three targets.

4) Hokkaido

The final mission in the main campaign of the trilogy's first game is titled Hokkaido. It takes Agent 47 to GAMA, a luxury private hospital and resort in Japan. Here, he must eliminate Erich Soders, a corrupt ICA head set to receive a heart transplant.

This level does not include any traditional doors that can be passed using a lockpick. Instead, the high-tech facility uses RFID tags on staff, patient, and customer uniforms to designate a clearance level. Doors open automatically depending on the clothes Agent 47 wears, which makes disguises an important tool.

It also features a rather unique kill. Locating and disposing of Erich Soders' new heart before it reaches him will effectively eliminate the target, with no one being any wiser as to the identity of the actual culprit.

5) New York

This is the first DLC mission for Hitman 2. It takes place inside a large banking facility in New York. Though there is only one target to eliminate at this level, it includes the added objective of recovering some data from the bank servers.

While the main target kill offers its fair share of freedom to players, the added objective of infiltrating a bank and retrieving sensitive data makes this level unique.

Players can recover the data either by retrieving three backup drives held by three senior staff members, or by infiltrating the underground vault in the bank and taking the actual drive from the servers. This gives a heist-like aesthetic to the mission and offers a great change of pace from the usual gameplay.

The developers fully intend for this turn of events, playing into the heist motif entirely. The scene is witnessed by a pair of robbers in the lobby restrooms, who are also preparing to storm the bank.

Players can get an achievement called Oceans 47 if they infiltrate the bank vault.

5 rather underwhelming levels from the Hitman trilogy

1) Carpathian Mountains

Carpathian Mountains (Image via IO Interactive)

IO Interactive decided to do something new in Hitman 3’s last level by creating a divisive level for the playerbase. Regardless of how players felt about the different level design, it was still a rather boring undertaking when compared to other levels in the trilogy.

Agent 47 is tasked with making his way down a moving train and across different compartments filled with enemy soldiers. Due to the linear structure of the level, it lacks the open-endedness that is iconic to the Hitman franchise.

The players are also robbed of their usual gear and weapons. Thus, they have to pick up items from their surroundings and use them in offensive and defensive maneuvers.

2) Hawke’s Bay

The first stage of Hitman 2 is a tutorial. It is the blandest level while also possibly being the most atmospheric. Set in a private beach housing with just one property on the shores of New Zealand, this mission sees Agent 47 infiltrate the empty house and recover certain files.

However, once the owner arrives, along with her security, Agent 47 must eliminate her and exfiltrate from the site. Aside from showing the player the ropes, this level does not contain much in terms of spectacle.

The tutorial does not handhold or railroad as much as the one from the first game, and serves as an actual assignment. It introduces new mechanics featured in Hitman 2, such as being able to hide in foliage, new camera grids, and an improved UI.

3) ICA Freeform Training

ICA Training Facility (Image via IO Interactive)

This is the very first mission in the Hitman trilogy. While it is a great tutorial to introduce players to the new game, it is just plain stale. The Freeform Training stage is quite a small level, set in a mockup of a cruise ship, which Agent 47 must infiltrate and eliminate a target.

Due to the nature of this level, players have very little freedom and must always perform certain actions to gain access to the ship. Once inside, there are a few possibilities to choose from, and getting a silent assassin rating on this mission is quite easy.

4) Bangkok

This level is one of the best in the first game of the Hitman trilogy, but falls short of being the best due to its premise. In this mission, Agent 47 heads to The Himmapan Hotel, located on the Chao Phraya river in Bangkok, Thailand.

The two targets are a musician and an attorney. There are a number of different ways to take out each target. But aside from that, this level offers nothing new in terms of ingenuity.

This level almost feels like a direct adaptation of a mission from older Hitman games. Iconic levels like Traditions of the Trade or Death on the Mississippi from Hitman: Contracts and Blood Money provide a much better experience.

5) Colorado

Hitman is traditionally a stealth game series known for giving players a lot of freedom to approach a target in different ways. However, the Colorado level from the first game in this new trilogy detracts from both these trademark features.

This level crawls with a private military presence and the entirety of the map is a restricted area. While a disguise will get players into the compound, taking out four different targets silently is next to impossible.

Players can take out each target by following different mission stories, as shooting any weapon in the area will have the entire compound of soldiers hunting down Agent 47. Sniping is a viable option, although there is always a chance of soldiers spotting the player and engaging them in a gunfight.