IO Interactive has released the first mission for stealth sequel Hitman 2 for free. The starting location in the game will be free to play for everyone and is now available to download, being referred to by IOI as Hitman 2 - Starter Pack.
Hitman 2 is the seventh entry in the Hitman game franchise and is a direct sequel to 2016’s reboot, Hitman. It follows the story of Agent 47, who embarks upon a mission to hunt the mysterious Shadow Client and disassemble his army.
The first mission sees 47 head to the beach home of Alma Reynard, one of the Shadow Client's Lieutenants, in order to gain some much-needed intel. You can see the location in more detail in the trailer.
Hitman 2 was originally released on November 13, 2018 to mostly positive reviews. The game's Metacritic score is 82-84 across the three platforms; PC, PS4, and Xbox One. User scores are also positive, coming in at 7.4 out of 10. The game is praised for its writing, sandbox structure, the volume of its content, and its level design, among other things.
The Hitman franchise originally began back in 2000 with Hitman: Codename 47. All of the main titles are stealth games following the story of Agent 47, a cloned assassin-for-hire with a flawless record, which places him in high demand.
The original series comprised of five titles, which were released between 2000 and 2012. There were also two spin-offs; Hitman Go, a turn-based puzzle game, and Hitman: Sniper, a first-person shooter. There was also a critically panned but commercially successful spin-off movie in 2007, which was loosely based on the franchise's storyline.
In 2016, the franchise was rebooted and Hitman was released in an episodic format between March and December, before later becoming available in its entirety as Hitman: The First Season. The game takes place six years after 2012’s Hitman Absolution.
Hitman 2 is a direct sequel to the reboot, but it was not released in the same format. Instead, it's a complete game; although it has two planned paid expansions, which will add new locations, missions, maps, outfits, and weapons.
Hitman 2 – Starter Pack is now available for free on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Any progress you make in the demo will carry over into the full game.