Hey guys, back here once more to give my opinion and review for a game. We have taken a look at this before, but this is the second episode so it deserves a review too, right? With a handful of devs opting for the episodic releases these days, you’re probably wondering what I’m talking about, right? The game under review, or episode under review I should say, is Hitman episode 2 Sapienza. I don’t need to touch on the basics of the game as I did that in episode 1 and the core gameplay hasn’t changed, but this will be a review on the episode and the episode alone. In other words, it won’t be as long as my first review. So here we go!
Right off the bat you’re taken into the fray…. of reading the paper. The first time you play the mission your starting point is on a bench reading a newspaper or blending in as they say. Sorry but I feel like this was a cliché opening. It seems to happen a lot in movies. Anyways, it isn’t long before opportunities start revealing themselves.
You can choose to explore it or not, much like in episode one. It’s up to you how you want to approach this, and that is Hitman’s defining factor. The many many MANY ways you can get in, take care of your target and/or objectives and get out. That doesn’t change with this episode. If anything it’s even more expanded than the first. I was overwhelmed with choices which wasn’t a bad thing.
However, I found myself finishing this episode a slight bit quicker than the first. No worries, though, that’s what replays are for. And replay I did. I got quite familiar with the area and what to do and when to do it. The time it will take you on your first play through will depend on your approach of course. You can wrap it up rather quickly by simply subduing a guard with a rifle and then going in Rambo style. Of course, what’s the fun in that? Unless you’re into that kind of thing ( You naughty, battle hardened, kill everything, gamer you). Regardless whatever approach you take you won’t be disappointed.
There are a few new ways to get rid of bodies here. A wood chipper or plastic tub of acid if you feel the need to be downright gruesome. But aside from hiding, or in that case disposing of bodies, there are some rather quite enjoyable ways to eliminate your targets. See if you can find and use the exploding golf ball. That was one of my favorites.
The stage this episode is set in is made to look vast and open. But once around the place and you’ll soon see it feels rather confined. That’s my only real complaint with this episode. Everything else seems to be improved from the first episode. From the number of ways to kill your targets down to the disguises, you can dawn.
Also, to add to what’s better from the first episode to this one, it seems the game is running much smoother. I did not encounter any game breaking bugs or odd glitches like I did the first episode. That made my experience much more enjoyable. However, it is still required to be online the entire time to get the full experience such as using (I believe even unlocking) different starting points for the mission, weapons, and your starting disguise. If you read my review of Hitman episode 1 then you know how I felt about this. If not, you can find that here. In short, I do not like it. I don’t think I ever will, to be honest. Aside from that, the gameplay is as solid as ever and the fun to be had is hours upon hours. Not bad for an episodic game. Here is hoping episode 3 is just as much fun as this one was.
Until Next Time,
Stay Safe and Happy Gaming!