- "Enter the hidden world of assassination and become The Shadows, a team of highly-skilled snipers."
- ―Hitman Sniper: The Shadows.
Hitman Sniper: The Shadows is a 2021 mobile shooting gallery video game in the Hitman series by Square Enix Montreal. After the disappearance of the series' mainstay protagonist Agent 47, a team of elite snipers from ICA - knowns as "The Shadows" - takes on assassination missions around the world.
The game was unlisted from the App and Play stores on December 1, 2022, and players can no longer access the game after it’s shutdown on January 4, 2023.[1]
Overview[]
'Hitman Sniper: The Shadows" (HS:TS) was a game published by Square Enix Montreal as a part of the Hitman franchise, under a license provided by Io-Interactive.[2] It was free to play mobile game available on the Google Play Store, and Apple App Store. The game launched on March 3rd, 2022 to mixed reviews.
Development[]
The Shadows: the ICA sniper team.
After being leaked in October of 2020 as "Hitman Sniper 2: World of Assasins",[3] the game was teased in March 2021 by Square Enix under the working title of "Hitman Sniper Assasins". It was then formally revealed at Square's 2021 E3 presentation, as "Hitman Sniper: The Shadows."[4] Alongside the trailer, Square created several social media accounts for the game, and launched a website.[4]
In December 2021, as part of release version 0.9.0, an open beta was launched to everyone in Brazil and Canada on both The App Store and The Google Play Store. Just a few days later, on December 12th, the HS:TS team announced a delay to the game, and reported that it was then on track for a 2022 release. Then, on February 14th, a global launch was set for March 3rd.[2]
The game was deleted from the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store on January 4th, 2023 with the closure of Square Enix Montreal.
Gameplay[]
The game consists of 2 locations (each with three different "maps" or positions to shoot from) playable by 6 different characters with different specialties and abilities who are part of a group known as "The Shadows," a team of elite snipers sent to fill in for Agent 47 after he goes missing. The game features a solo campaign with six chapter installments, alongside a PVP mode.
Campaign - Each campaign chapter includes four contracts with different targets, and challenges for eliminating targets in certain ways. Of the four chapters, three take place on Mount Storm, and the other three at the Atacama observatory. The different contracts are locked behind a player level requirement, which is different for each character. After you successfully complete a contract you can move onto the next one. Challenge objectives are optional, but its rewards can only be redeemed once.
PVP - (Under construction)
Currencies and Progression - (Under construction)
Characters - (Under construction)
Background[]
In the light of Agent 47's disappearance, an international criminal organization known as 'The Shrapnel' deals in a global scales in extortion, blackmail, cyber crimes, and narcotrafficking. The ICA granted Diana Burnwood an authorization to start Initiative 426 codenamed The Shadows. The Shadows are handpicked agents by Burnwood to assassinate the world's largest members of the cabal.
Trivia[]
- As with Hitman: Sniper, the game doesn't give much indication of when it takes place in Hitmans' continuity, and muddling things further is the inclusion of Agents Knight and Stone, two characters introduced into Hitman 2 that play a starring role here, which were introduced in that game as being on the ICA's watchlist for ICA agent induction (which comes to pass in this game)
- The game will was unlisted from the App and Play stores on December 1, 2022, and players can no longer access it after it’s shutdown on January 4, 2023.[1]
Locations[]
| Targets | Location |
|---|---|
| June Wei | Mount Storm, Alberta, Canada |
| Garrick Wolfe | Atacama, Chile |
Gallery[]
| Hitman Series | ||
|---|---|---|
| Classic | Hitman: Codename 47 - Hitman 2: Silent Assassin - Hitman: Contracts - Hitman: Blood Money - Hitman: Absolution | |
| World of Assassination | HITMAN - HITMAN 2 - HITMAN III | |
| Promo | Hitman 2 Christmas Game - Hitman: Sniper Challenge - HITMAN: Sniper Assassin | |
| Mobile | Hitman: Vegas - Hitman: Sniper - Hitman GO - Hitman Sniper: The Shadows | |
| Films | Hitman - Hitman: Agent 47 | |
| Literature | Hitman: Enemy Within - Hitman: Damnation - Overachievers - Agent 47: Birth of the Hitman | |
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Deus Ex Go, Hitman Sniper, and Other Former Square Enix Montreal Games Set to Shut Down IGN, November 23, 2022
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Hitman Sniper: The Shadows, Square Enix.
- ↑ Hitman Sniper 2: World of Assassins Gameplay Walkthrough (Android, iOS) - Part 5, Youtube, Techzamazing, October 27, 2020.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Hitman Sniper: The Shadows | E3 World Premiere Trailer, Youtube, Square Enix, June 13, 2021.