Hitman has been on a bit of a break. Whether he just wanted some time off to relax, or if it was so he could polish each and every weapon he owns in some hidden container somewhere, he’s on vacation no longer. Agent 47 is returning in Hitman Absolution and I got the chance to chat with Hakan Abrak, Lead Producer at IO Interactive about their upcoming title.

David Howard: Hitman Absolution was only revealed recently, how long have you been working on it, waiting, eagerly to tell people about it? I suspect it was difficult to keep it under wraps with it being such a popular franchise with so many fans wanting a new title for quite some time.

Hakan Abrak: Well, as you said, it’s been some time since the last one, Hitman: Blood Money, so it’s been really hard to be working on the next Hitman and not being able to talk about it. That said, it’s finally out there, we’re now showing the game to people and getting their feedback, which is getting passed on to the guys back home and it’s just an awesome feeling.

As we’ve touched upon it’s been some time, five years in fact, since the last Hitman, games have moved on quite a lot in the period, with regards to style and gameplay. One thing that a lot of people have wanted to find out is about the level of freedom and choice in the game. It’s something that is becoming increasingly popular now, with it having a big effect on all genres. Something like RAGE, which isn’t a traditional shooter in that it’s room-to-room-to-room, you have this more expansive environment to explore so you have the choice over where to go and what to do. The Hitman games have always allowed for choice when it comes to how to complete a mission, is that something that we can still expect in Absolution?

Yeah definitely. This is the absolute core of the Hitman franchise with the freedom of choice, and that is the same for Absolution. It is still very much the core of our game and on top of that we try to make the options more apparent. It was maybe sometime difficult as sometimes in video games you can just be dropped in the middle of the level with a lot of choices and different ways of overcoming the challenges that you face. This can make it very difficult for the player to see what to do and we have tried to make it easier to see now what the different options are. We have different approaches in play style in place now so that if you want to have the stealth assassin way of doing things, and you have possibility of a more violent approach as well. This was perhaps not the viable before where you made an action and then there was no way back, so we’re giving the opportunity to make that a choice for the player to have as well. What play style do you wan to have: do you want to be the ultimate stealth assassin, or do you want to be a more violent, gun-blazing assassin, or the possibility to switch between the two. We give rewards and achievements for that, so you can have both a compelling and engaging experience if you take one play style, the second, or the third. On top of that, there are different routes to take, different moments and ways to solve challenges in the game. So yes, the freedom of choice is the real essence of Hitman Absolution.

With the few screenshots that we’ve seen so far [and now from the teaser gameplay trailer] there’s certainly a darker, grittier theme. With previous Hitman’s there have been some quite bright and vibrant levels, with big spaces of greenery as you’re more exposed outside. Is the general tone darker in Absolution, or does that just happen to be what we’ve seen?

What you’ve seen in the early Hitman games you can expect in this one as well. So in Hitman you visit different locations and you will do that in Hitman Absolution as well. What we’re showing at the moment is dark and rainy Chicago, but you will also come to more brighter, contrasting environments, and later one, as we show more and reveal more, you will see those very different and distinct locations. About the dark and twisted part of it, the story is different. The story telling and pacing was built around a hit; so Diana would give you a hit and then another hit, with the game built around that which would set the pacing of the story telling. So it’s different with Absolution as Agent 47 has been betrayed and he is on the run, so he has to make the decisions himself. It’s a lot more personal story, a darker story as well in many ways, and you get a lot closer to him and find out who he is, what is his ambitions, etc. In Hitman Absolution, it’s Agent 47 who is making the decisions and what’s next.

“In Hitman Absolution, it’s Agent 47 who is making the decisions and what’s next.”

So it’s all about his story, rather than playing our someone else’s story.

Precisely. You still have those crazy moments and stories with NPCs who have their own lives with their own stories to tell. That is very dependant to the way you play though, you’ll get a compelling experience if you go one route, but you’ll get another experience or moment if you take another. In that there’s a great replayability, you can go back and get another story about this lady talking about her tax problem or something, which you would not have seen if you’d have gone a different way. Another thing I want to mention about the playing style; we’re very proud of our new music system that we’ve developed for our new engine. It’s a very organic system so if you play a more violent approach it’ll be more heavy riffs on the guitar, whilst if you play silently you’ll get music at a different pacing, and you’ll hear your heart pounding if you just got away. So if you play it extremely one way you’ll get a completely different musical experience than if you play it the opposite way.

So your choices won’t just be about what happens on-screen, it’ll be what you hear and what you experience as well.

Exactly.

“ We created something called an “Attention Meter” which alerts you as to your visibility, so if you’re in the peripheral vision of someone and about to be spotted you’ll know.”

You’ve already mentioned the dark and rainy section in Chicago, and the brighter, more vibrant places, will those difference have an effect on gameplay? Will you be able to hide better in shadows?

There are different ways of doing the stealth genre; our way is not dependant on being completely unseen in shadows. We have another mechanic around it though. Before it was very binary, so it was very difficult to position yourself, knowing if you were in a save-zone or not. We created something called an “Attention Meter” which alerts you as to your visibility, so if you’re in the peripheral vision of someone and about to be spotted you’ll know. From our research and feedback, it has an amazing effect on gameplay. First of all, it communicates to you if you are well-hidden, or if you’re just about to be spotted. Second of all, when you build in the music, the heart-pounding and things, you can actually create a great tension moment for players. If you’re about to be discovered you need to decide, ‘do I take this chance to move, or leap over to another bit of cover, or do I have to back up a bit?’ It’s a great mechanic that creates a lot of tension.

For me personally, there was a level I have always remembered from Hitman where you have to eliminate a high-profile figure in a well-guarded house. The obvious option is to dress up as the postman to infiltrate the gates, but the reason I remember it is I tried it ten different times and did it ten different ways. I impersonated a cook, distracted the guards to sneak in, ran in guns-blazing; each attempt was completely different. That variety was unique, and with the focus on freedom and choice is that something you’ll be encouraging players, to try different scenarios? Perhaps via something like a New Game+?

We really appreciate our fans, and we really appreciate that they’re still posting YouTube videos of different ways of taking out the targets. It’s amazing to see that they’re coming up with things that even the developers didn’t think of. Obviously this is something that we appreciate and support in Absolution. Other than having the freedom the different ways of doing things, you’ll also have some features supporting this replayability. I can’t speak about it any further just now, but of course we see the great value it is, so we really want to support that to make it easier for the player to enjoy the different pathways.

“If you want a truly cinematic experience, if you want a truly epic experience where the core of it is to play the ultimate assassin, that core fantasy, then you must play this.”

With this being the first Hitman on the PlayStation 3, have there been any things that you’ve been able to do that you perhaps weren’t able to do with previous Hitman titles?

The possibilities we have with the new engine are because technology is a part of IO’s DNA. When we started out with the creative process early on it was pretty apparent that we have to build a new engine from scratch. Obviously though, it is very challenging to build an engine and a game at the same time, but a lot of possibilities and opportunities come from that in terms of pushing what is possible from the technology of the PlayStation and the Xbox. With the features we’re supporting A.I. is very important for us. So is the disguise and the impersonation, putting more layers to that and obviously when you work so closer together, with the tech part and the creative part, some magic happens. You can achieve the ambitions you set out for. It’s been great to have a new engine that gives us these opportunities, and also this new engine is future proof, so we’re also looking forward to new games in the Hitman franchise on new platforms, on new generations.

What about for players that have never played a Hitman title before, sell it to them; why should they think ‘I must play this game’?

I think if you want a truly cinematic experience, if you want a truly epic experience where the core of it is to play the ultimate assassin, that core fantasy, then you must play this. To play as an assassin who can impersonate people with disguises, with various abilities at his disposal, then, if you want to have this experience, I believe we’ve created something that is spot on.

You mentioned disguises so can we expect wigs?

*chuckles* Well, we have more than 350 characters in the game, with disguises for all. As I mentioned, we’re putting in more layers, it’s not binary any more. One disguise can be better than another with many different variables. Plus, our new instinct feature enhances the disguise gameplay as well. You’ll want to act your disguise, so for example if you’re a doctor you’ll have a little notepad which you can scribble in, if you’re a policeman you can speak into your radio, all to act your disguise. We have so many of these little things for all of the different disguises. That’s what I mean that it really delivers the experience of the ultimate assassin, who knows his way around, how to go unnoticed and how to blend in.

Hitman Absolution is due out next year on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC.