Can we abilities redeem a different breed of Agent 47 for series fans?

The mission is simple: rescue a young girl from an orphanage that’s been overrun by violent, masked mercenaries. But when a representative from IO Interactive plays through this level twice in order to demonstrate the breadth of strategy that Hitman: Absolution will offer, the pair of approaches we see couldn’t be more distinct.

The first time around, Agent 47 creeps and skulks through the orphanage’s blood-stained halls, sticking to cover, crawling through air vents, and taking care to avoid being spotted by making timely dashes from point to point. Eventually, 47 quietly subdues a guard and hides the body ir. a laundry bin, stealing his outfit in order to walk among the rest of the hired killers undetected.

The second playthiough, however, is carnage. Where before guards were overcome with sleeper holds, now necks are snapped and bones are broken in savage takedowns. The stealthy 47 improvised his way from room to room, throwing toys to distract his foes, and borrowing syringe-based sedatives found in the medical wing. His violent alter ego is equally happy to make use of items left lying around, but it’s the fire axe he seems to prefer. Previous titles saw 47 fumble up close — at least when he wasn’t attacking from behind — but melee combat in Absolution does a better job of preserving its star’s proficiency. There’s a hint of QTE about the takedowns, though, with split-second slowdown telegraphing when it’s time for you to land the next blow.
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