Hitman 5 – Absolution: Latest Title Seeks To Blend Stealth and Action Elements
Hitman Absolution’s Lead Producer, IO Interactive’s Hakan Abrak, recently spoke with a video game blog about game balance in this upcoming stealth game title. He said that he was quite aware of the criticism arising from the issues regarding the balance between action and stealth in Hitman Absolution.
Some critics have gone to the extent of accusing IO Interactive of having “sold out” and throwing away stealth gameplay to focus on shooting and other types of gun and run action. Abrak clarified matters by saying “First and foremost, what we’re trying to convey is that Hitman is still very much about stealth… In earlier installments, if you went into action, every enemy would come after you – you felt like a failure, like you had done something wrong. We really wanted to do that differently here, so if you play action, we think it should be a compelling experience and we think we’ve achieved that. If you want to switch between stealth and action, you should have the freedom to do so.”
If Abrak and his team at IO Interactive is successful in achieving a smooth and seamless blend of action and stealth, this may mean a great positive step for this franchise. Many observers hope that pulling off such an interesting blend of stealth and action would result in a more cinematic feel to the game. Regardless, players must be made to feel that their actions are rewarded and each hit appears like an accident-in keeping with the assassination theme of the game. A key component of the game’s appeal is that prior titles punished players who leaned to heavily on an action “gun and run” approach. The verdict is still out on whether Hitman Absolution will be able to successfully merge these two often conflicting game sensibilities – action versus stealth.
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