Hitman Sniper: The Shadows
By Marc Saltzman,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Sniper action limited by repetitive levels, pay to win play.
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Hitman Sniper: The Shadows
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What’s It About?
HITMAN SNIPER: THE SHADOWS takes place after the disappearance of Agent 47, the protagonist from the Hitman series, and focuses on a half-dozen skilled assassins called The Shadows. The campaign follows this covert agency's efforts to stealthily take down targets around the globe, comprised of criminals that threaten global stability. From "the shadows," players zoom in, aim and kill targets with headshots, or use the environment to make their deaths look like an accident, such as shooting something that can crush the person, making the target fall into an object that could kill them, or taking out something nearby that causes an explosion. Each of the six snipers have a backstory, personality, and special skill. You can level up your weapons, too, such as equipping a muzzle, better scopes, or bumping up power, multi-kills, and more. Hitman Sniper: The Shadows also features a player vs. player (PvP) online mode, where players can compete against others in multiple contracts, in different parts of the world, as well as Daily Tasks and Weekly Assignments you can take on.
Is It Any Good?
This is an engaging sniping game, but its pay to win play and repetitive action limits the enjoyability of the experience. Taking place at the fictional Mount Storm lodge in Canada, Hitman Sniper: The Shadows starts with a tutorial that teaches you the basics of being an International Contract Agency (ICA) agent. While it takes some getting used to the touch-only controls, you'll accomplish three main objectives: eliminating all guards, using your special ability, and performing a headshot. Players earn bonus points for using the environment as best you can to take out targets, which could be spent later on upgrades. The Campaign mode takes you through 7 chapters, each with several contracts to complete, which tests your skill with each of the half-dozen operatives under your control.
Similar to 2015's Hitman: Sniper, the contracts are a bit of a puzzle, as you need to figure out the best way to take out these high-profile targets, including nearby loyal minions, without raising much suspicion. This makes the game more challenging than just aiming and sniping. But while there's some strategy and variety, there's also monotony after you've completed a few of the Campaign chapters. It's still thrilling, but gets repetitive after an hour or so. At least there's also a PvP (Player vs. Player) mode to sharpen your skills against other human players, rewards for logging in daily, weapon upgrades, and six different characters to play around with (based on your mission). There are some technical issues, mainly because there's no native iPad version, so you'll have to expand the iPhone screen to fit on the larger tablet. Unfortunately, the visuals take a hit in the process. The loot crates and various in-game currencies also may annoy players, because the PvP portion comes across as a "pay-to-win" game. That being said, fans of sniper games will not be disappointed with Hitman Sniper: The Shadows, if they can overlook some of the game's flaws.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about violence in video games. Is the impact of the violence in Hitman Sniper: The Shadows affected by the lack of blood and gore? Does that matter since you're still shooting to kill your targets?
Is Hitman Sniper: The Shadows a thrill because you're living vicariously through a hired assassin? Because it challenges your aim? Because you're taking down thugs? What is it about this game that's "fun?"
App Details
- Devices: iPhone , Android
- Pricing structure: Free to try
- Release date: March 3, 2022
- Category: Action Games
- Topics: Cars and Trucks , Adventures
- Publisher: Square Enix
- Version: 0.12.0
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 14.0 or later and a device with the A12 Bionic chip or later.
- Last updated: March 8, 2022
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