Pros & Cons
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- Fluid sniping controls.
- Detailed visuals.
- Rifle customization.
- Encourages smart play.
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- Repetitive missions and environments.
- Limited concept can't sustain a whole game.
Any mobile gamer looking to check out the adventures of bald, barcoded assassin Agent 47, star of the Hitman franchise, now has two divergent options to choose from. 2014's Hitman GO, one of the best iPhone games, reimagined the series's stealthy murder sequences as a classy, abstract board game. By comparison, Hitman: Sniper ($4.99) is a lot more conventional, boiling gameplay down to a succession of sniper rifle challenges. But even if the premise is stretched a little too thin, Hitman: Sniper isn't entirely without tricks.
Dead Aim
Missions in Hitman: Sniper play out basically the same each time. You're safely perched on a distant mountain aiming your sniper rifle at a luxurious house full of unsuspecting marks. You then have a handful of minutes to complete a few objectives, including taking out the target.
The unexpected complexity of the mission design does a fantastic job of initially hiding how repetitive the structure ultimately is. The large house is stuffed with different rooms and elements. Guards walk along set paths and respond to disturbances in predictable ways. Constantly revisiting the same location lets you fully learn its intricacies and plan strategies appropriately. The experience is remarkably similar to the feeling of cold, lethal, brilliant domination you get from an actual Hitman game, even though all you are doing is sliding a reticle and tapping a button.
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