Welcome to EXPlay, (Explain & Play) the review series where we care not for scores but tell it how it is when it comes to every game we get our hands on, whilst also taking the time to include some lengthy gameplay, to give you the reader, the chance to shape your own impressions and views whilst watching and reading.
In this explanatory review, we’re covering the Hitman: Blood Money – Reprisal by developers IO Interactive and Feral Interactive:
Hitman: Blood Money – Reprisal (The Explanation)
The third-person action stealth game, Hitman: Blood Money – Reprisal is out now on Nintendo Switch! Having seen release on mobile devices late 2023, it has finally settled onto Switch and we can jump into the world of Agent 47 and his exploits once again. Hitman: Blood Money – Reprisal is an updated port of the original 2006 game Hitman: Blood Money. This new version features new visuals, UI interface, a new minimap, to keep you ahead of the game, and other QoL improvements that have been implemented in later Hitman games including Hitman: World of Assassination.
In Hitman: Blood Money – Reprisal, the exploits of the cloned assassin Agent 47, are told through an interview between journalist Rick Henderson, and ex-FBI Director Alexander Leland “Jack” Cayne. Jack shares highly confidential information with Rick about a task force he put together to try and bring down the mysterious agency that Agent 47 works for. Having failed exponentially and losing many agents of his own in the process. Jack focused his team’s attention directly on the masterful assassin directly. The missions in the game are Jack’s version of events of Agent 47’s exploits, although he doesn’t have tangible proof to tie the Hitman to any of the hits, or does he?
The main objective in Hitman: Blood Money – Reprisal is to successfully complete contract hits as stealthily as you can. Each mission is a sandbox in which you can move around try different routes to reach your targets and kill them personally or use the environment itself like pushing guards over railings, planting a mine on a chandelier winch and detonating it when the target is underneath, or even poison their food or drink so that when they ingest it, you have already fleed the scene.
Alternatively, you can just strangle your targets with fiber wire or shoot them point blank or at range with a sniper rifle but doing so runs the risk of being detected or increasing your notoriety. Your notoriety level is what makes the difference on whether you are detected by guards or innocent bystanders sooner. You can pay bribes to lower your notoriety level after completing a mission but the higher your notoriety is, the more you will need to pay out to wipe the slate clean.
Usually, your targets will be moving around in restricted areas. In order to get close your your targets and move around more freely in restricted areas, you will need to change your attire to match those in the area, usually be finding an outfit in a quiet room or by taking it off a subdued guard or bystander that you have either killed or sedated. You can’t just leave naked bodies lying around either, as they can arouse suspicion and alert nearby guards to strange goings on. You can dispose of bodies in large containers like bins or chests but they aren’t always readily available in places where you need them. Instead, try to make kills in areas where there are containers or where there is next to no foot traffic so you can leave the body hidden in a room where nobody will look.
When it comes to the game’s difficulty, stealth is not only key, it is essential. Each mission can be played on a series of difficulty modes with Rookie being the easiest and Pro being the hardest. Each difficulty has a set of parameters that include but not are limited to, the amount of times you can save mid-mission, the increase in AI behaviour, Agency Assistance, Notoriety In-effect, etc. This means that playing on easier difficulties is more lenient on you getting caught trespassing in restricted areas whereas higher difficulties will have guards and NPC’s more suspicious of your actions.
As each mission is a contract, you will earn money for every hit you do along with extra cash being given, for how well you pull off each contract without being detected or with how clean the kill was by making it look like an accident. The money you earn for missions can be used to lower your notoriety (as mentioned previously) and for upgrading your weapons and you equipment. On the loadout screen before you begin a mission (you’ll be given the option of choosing a sidearm, concealable weapon, and a heavy weapon), you can customize your loadout by pressing X. From here, you can purchase upgrades like silencers, laser sights, higher magazine capacity, health boosts, body armor, and more. More upgrades will become available later in-game so be sure to drop by on the customization menu to see what new perks are available.
During my playthrough of Hitman: Blood Money – Reprisal, I engjoyed the level of creativity and freedom that I had in order to successfully complete a contract. I do love action games that are focused on a more stealthy approach likethat of Metal Gear Solid and Mission: Impossible (N64/Sony PlayStation). Having only played a little bit of Hitman: World of Assassination at a friend’s house (hey MYT, if you’re reading this), my interest in the Hitman series was certainly piqued and it was by his recommendation, I put in a request to review this game. I am glad I did because Hitman: Blood Money – Reprisal is a very good game and while it does have some glitches that need working out (one of which being some strange Pixelated garble that appears during prompts at times) I will certainly be jumping back into this game again and again to see what other creative ways I can come up with to take out my targets.
If you enjoy action stealth games but didn’t want to pick up Hitman: World of Assassination of Switch because it is a Cloud game only, Hitman: Blood Money – Reprisal is a great way to get that fix and is a pretty decent title on its own merits with more than welcome modern features that compliments the gameplay of the original game that will appeal to new players and fans of the original alike.
Hitman: Blood Money – Reprisal (The Gameplay)
Game Specifications:
Developer: IO Interactive , Feral Interactive
Publisher: Feral Interactive
Platform: Nintendo Switch (eShop)
Category: Action, Adventure
No. of Players: 1 (Single System)
Release Date: NA| EU: January 25, 2024
Price: $29.99
File Size: 4.4 GB
Nintendo.com Listing
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