Some more thoughts about Freelancer mode in Hitman: World of Assassination, formerly known as Hitman 3.
Like I said, this is a roguelike game mode that is really only intended for Hitman veterans. It's set after the main storyline of Hitman 3, after (spoiler alert) the ICA is, shall we say, no longer assisting Agent 47 and his handler Diana in their endeavors. Instead, 47 and Diana are now working on their own to take down international criminal syndicates, not because someone hired them to, but because they believe it's the right thing to do. Thus, where previously 47 had basically an infinite supply of resources, limited only by what he could physically carry to each assassination mission, this is no longer the case. So for example, in the main Hitman storyline 47 could've brought a bomb or a jar of poison or a one-use taser to every mission if he wanted to, and even if he used up his bomb or poison or taser, he would always have more available to bring to the next mission. Not so in Freelancer. If you use up your bomb or poison or taser, it's gone. If you drop something like a gun on the level and don't retrieve it before you exit, it's gone. If you die during a mission and respawn back at your safehouse, everything you were carrying is gone. This introduces an element of resource management that wasn't around in the main game. Do I bring my good silenced pistol to this difficult mission, but risk losing it if I die? Or do I bring the crappy unsilenced one, even though that might make the mission harder? Or maybe I shouldn't bring a pistol at all, and should just take one off a guard I kill or knock out at the mission site? This'll leave more carrying capacity for other tools and equipment I might need, like bombs or poison. But do I want to use up my remotely triggered bomb for this mission? I only have one, you know, and I might need it later...
Each Freelancer campaign consists of four "chapters", each more difficult than the last. Each chapter consists of several normal missions, culminating in a "showdown". The normal missions are fairly similar to your run-of-the-mill Hitman missions. You can use Instinct mode to see your target highlighted in red, your target will have their own routine that you could take advantage of (eg. they might drink from a glass so you can poison their drink), etc. However, you won't know who your target is until you load into the level, which means you can't always prepare specifically for them, like you would in the main storyline. This is why improvisation is a big part of Freelancer, because you will need to follow and observe your target in order to plan how best to take them out. This, in turn, means you need to know each map very well. You need to know the layouts and routes of each map, you need to know which disguises can get you into which areas, and you need to know what's the best way to obtain those disguises.
The showdown at the end of each chapter, in which you're tasked with killing a criminal syndicate leader, shakes things up a bit. You don't know who your target is, instead you have several suspects. You only have a description of your target, eg "wears a hat and glasses, wears earrings, has black hair, smoker". Then you need to observe each suspect carefully until you find the one that's your actual target, and take them out. This is actually a lot harder than it sounds, because IOI are a bunch of cruel bastards so they often make every suspect very similar, so you really need to observe them carefully. "Are those earrings? I'm just gonna stand really close to this person to look carefully. I think those might be diamond studs, but it might just be a trick of the light?" I failed my first five showdowns or so because I got too hasty and killed the wrong person, which spooks all the other suspects (including the actual target) and causes them to flee. Plus showdowns come with two other complications, lookouts and assassins. Lookouts are basically "super enforcers" and can spot you in any disguise. Assassins are basically "super guards" and can kill you with just a few shots. These guys are usually positioned around the suspects, so you need to either find a way around them or take them out first.
You also get a safehouse in Freelancer, which you can gradually unlock rooms in as you level up. Though it's kinda wacky when you think about it. "I can't access my bathroom until I kill five criminal syndicate members?" Nonetheless, gradually unlocking safehouse rooms is still a satisfying means of progression, plus each new room may offer new equipment for you to use. Unlocking the kitchen, for example, gave me access to a banana, which I can take with me on missions. What good is a banana, you ask? Well, it turns out bananas placed on the ground will cause anyone who steps on it to slip and fall and knock themselves out. Want to take out a pesky guard or lookout or assassin without alerting anyone? Have them slip on a banana peel. Seriously, the banana comes with me to every Freelancer mission.
Anyway, this is getting a bit too long already, so let me just conclude by saying I appreciate how Freelancer makes the player really play Hitman to its full potential. For most players playing the main storyline, they're funneled into a certain playstyle, such as silent assassin. This is compounded by the fact that lots of Hitman Youtubers like MrFreeze2244 will provide detailed guides on how to achieve silent assassin kills, which players then follow. Consequently, for many players, the traditional silent assassin playstyle is all they know. They'll use tools and equipment that synergize well with silent assassin playstyles, like lockpicks and coins and silenced pistols. But in Freelancer, silent assassin playstyles are often impossible because you just don't have the right gear, and silent assassin isn't really rewarded anyway. As long as your target ends up dead, that's all that matters. So players have to get out of the silent assassin mindset, and get into the Freelancer mindset: observe your target, scavenge what tools you can find in the level, and get the job done. Everything else doesn't matter.
