Hitman: Episode 6 - Hokkaido (PC) Review

Here's a brief summary of Agent 47's final job for lazy readers: it's good, but not exactly the grand finale that people hoped for. Don't expect intricate level design, new gameplay mechanics, or a rise in difficulty. Like all Hitman episodes so far, Episode 6 - Hokkaido is "just another level," albeit a great looking one, since it's a super-ultra-oh-my-God-high-tech Japanese medical facility on top of a mountain, with a gargantuan snowy volcano in the distance, and fireworks and sky lanterns coming from below.

After stopping all that laughter from seeing our protagonist dressed in a kimono, the player must terminate two lucky fellas: one moving around the place with two bodyguards, and one lying on the surgeon's bed - a surgeon that is a highly sophisticated AI that likes to multitask, since it's also responsible for keeping everything secure. Don't get your hopes up, however. Snooping around doesn't involve anything special. The AI-locked doors are just a fancy way of saying "That's a door. Find the key."

The problem with the "just another level" nature of this episode is that, in terms of challenge, it's highly anticlimactic for the end of a season. That comes in stark contrast with Episode 5 - Colorado, or the still-best-of-the-bunch Episode 2 - Sapienza, where things were a little trickier, making the player explore, examine, and think far more than in here. In fact, those who like creating piles of knocked-down people and putting them into restrooms will find this the easiest level to do so.

Let it be said once more, though: this is a good episode, just a tad disappointing as a swan song. As a side note, its completion concludes with a cut-scene that is, without any exaggeration, the best in the whole game, since it makes you eager to know more about what goes on - not to mention that it involves one of the most promising characters yet. The bad news? It's great, but it's only great as an intro, and will anger those who wanted the last episode to try a bit more lore-wise.