Hitman Sniper: The Shadows review – “Misses the mark by a long shot”

It has been quite a while since the last Hitman game came out on mobile. So when Square Enix announced at E3 they were gearing up for a sequel, players were excited. A few days ago, the company announced that Hitman Sniper: The Shadow will roll out on March 3. And as promised, the game was available for download on Google Play.

The download size for Android devices is about 650MB. Additional optional downloads can be made after you install the game. The UI looks ultra-modern, just what you’d expect from a 2022 game. The cutscenes introduce you to the world of stealthy assassins.

Gameplay remains true to the original but feels repetitive

Hitman Sniper: The Shadow’s gameplay resembles its predecessor a lot. Players have to move around rather stealthily and take down enemies from a distance. You are armed with a sniper rifle, and you can scope in up to eight times. Players can get creative while carrying out the assassination contracts.

After a while, the gameplay feels repetitive. I expected a more liberal experience – maybe an open-world and more control over the weapons. But the gameplay is rather limiting. Most of the time, you’ll be aiming, zooming, and shooting with little else to do.

The campaign feels like a long tutorial

Maybe the campaign was meant to be a training ground for all the PvP action. After a long tutorial on how to aim, shoot, and use special abilities, you can start with the contracts. But they feel like an extension of that long tutorial. Somehow, the AI feels slow. The targets and henchmen don’t react fast enough.

PvP is action-packed

Of course, the multiplayer mode of any game is loaded with action, and Hitman Sniper: The Shadows is no exception. The whole point is to shoot as many targets as you can and not get yourself killed. That’s it. But if you like sniping and scoping, this PvP is a real treat.

Hitman Sniper: The Shadow tries to beat the monotonousness with more maps and they can be played in day and night mode, which is quite the upgrade compared to the original title.

Plot steals the show, characters look interesting

The plot steals most of the show and overshadows the repetitive campaign. The cutscenes will hook players and lure them into unravelling the plot. Agent 47 is missing and other assassins have gathered under ‘The Shadow’ for Initiative 426.

In Hitman Sniper: The Shadows, you can choose from six playable characters. Each one is introduced with a backstory and unique attributes. In future updates, I would like to see some more characters to make PvP more engaging.

Ad-free with microtransactions

The microtransaction model gives it a ‘pay-to-win’ feel, which might be a turn off for many. Unlike the original game, Hitman Sniper: The Shadow is free to download and play. However, you will see how the game slowly nudges you to buy items.

Of course, the game is absolutely free-to-play, and you won’t have to spend a dime to win. But with real cash, you will unlock premium items faster.