Wondering if Hitman 3 is open world is not the most outlandish thing to ponder. The series has been synonymous with freeform stealth gameplay and that naturally implies some sort of open world. So is Hitman 3 open world?
Is Hitman 3 an open-world game?
Hitman 3 is not an open-world game in the typical sense. It’s not like Grand Theft Auto 5 or The Witcher 3 where there is one big map where the player can roam around as they please. Those games and other titles like them are in a different league of their own.
However, Hitman 3 does share sandbox elements of those games and is much more open than other titles. Hitman 3 features six maps, most of which are of a fairly decent size and are quite expansive. These maps let Agent 47 go where he wants (disguises usually help with this) and use the many tools strewn across the environment to kill or manipulate his targets. This is where its openness comes into play. The games give players a few objectives and then encourages them to finish those missions however they see fit with only a few restrictions.
For example, players get a task to kill two characters in the Mendoza, Argentina level. They can shoot, stab, crush, blow up, strangle, and impale them however they please with the many hazards across the vineyard, party, and estate. But there are also multiple mission stories that play out and give unique and more guided ways to kill such targets. One of the Mendoza ones revolves around cracking a safe and digging up dirt on a target before turning that dirt in to his wife. The player even has the freedom to improvise within these stories as well and can crack the safe, turn it in, and then just shoot him anyway.
IO Interactive could make the next Hitman more of a typical open world as that would be new for the series, but it is unclear when that next game will be coming out or what it will be. However, focus is what makes these environments feel so alive and why it is regarded so highly.
