Hitman 3 is getting a new roguelike game mode

IO Interactive has unveiled upcoming goodies for Hitman 3 as part of its Year 2 update and us PC gamers have been spoiled rotten.

As revealed in a stream, Hitman 3 is coming to Steam on January 20 after its year of exclusivity on the Epic Game Store, plus a trilogy bundle arriving on both platforms along with being available to Game Pass for PC members. Ray tracing is being added and Hitman VR—which was previously exclusive to PlayStation 4—is being made available for PC. 

By far the most interesting part of the stream was Freelancer, a new mode littered with roguelike elements. It sets Agent 47 up in his own customisable safe house, from which a variety of missions will be available to tackle. “You have to find some criminal enterprises that are destroying the world slowly and you have to choose which one you really hate and go against them,” associate game director Jonas Breum Jensen explained during the stream. “So really a campaign is a set of missions that spans across the World of Assassination.”

Each mission will drip-feed clues as to who the overall leader is until you finally face them in the final location. Principal designer Torbjørn Vinther Christensen says even then it won't be totally clear just who the big boss is, and you'll need to use all the intel gathered from previous levels to decipher who it is. “This feels very random when you play over and over again,” Christensen continued. “You can't really learn the missions. You have to think every time.” Leaders will also have deadly companions who are hidden from sight or other NPCs that can spook or alert the leader and encourage them to escape.

IO Interactive says the roguelike elements come in through things like the way it handles Agent 47's gear and weapons. Suppliers will be dotted around levels where you can buy tools and build your arsenal. Dying or dropping the item means it's gone for good, and you'll have to seek out a supplier again to replace it. 

Freelancer mode sounds like a helluva lot of fun—I love the idea of decking out 47's pad with a lavish home gym or throwing up some fancy lanterns in his garden. It's also sure to provide some challenge for those who've become used to memorising every inch of Hitman 3's more scripted story levels.

Hitman 3 Year 2 kicks off on January 20, with Freelancer mode set to arrive a little later this spring.