I love a new Celebrity Elusive Target in Hitman. IO Interactive (IOI) are consistently churning out bangers, and this new Le Chiffre mission is no exception.
Short-life missions that are free. Reworking entire maps to fit a new story mission. Centring on a character that’s played by a celebrity. Most famously, for me, was Sean Bean. I failed, and well, it took me literal years to take him down.
These Elusive Targets are presented and delivered as targets that can be missed. If you fail the mission, that’s it. You’re done. You can’t re-try it. Not for free anyway.
IO Interactive and these Elusive Targets are a guaranteed way to keep me coming back for more. And Le Chiffre (from 007 Casino Royale, played by Mads Mikkelson) was no exception.
Le Chiffre
Casino Royale in my Hitman game?!
Mads Mikkelson reprises his role as the mathematical genius, and you get to sit at the high-stakes poker game, just like the movie. Here, known as “The Banker”.
The work put into Le Chiffre in-game is excellent. A great character model, solid, consistent narrative for his character. But the delivery of his lines and his demeanour are exceptional.
We know IOI do excellent work with celebrities in Hitman, and I’ve been impressed with them all (even the DJ chap that I didn’t recognise). But Le Chiffre feels like a cut above the rest. Whether that’s dialogue, direction or delivery. Mads is delivering some fine work.
As someone replaying Death Stranding recently, too. My cup runneth full with Mads, and he’s smashing it!
Paris Casino
Setting up the stage in Paris to become a casino event is perfect. Absolutely on-point by IO Interactive. What better setting than the Paris map in Hitman?
Grand, rich with spaces and places to play and the catwalk area is now filled with tables to play poker and roulette. Cashing your Tobias Reiper credentials against some chips to go and just casually play if you so desire.
The game is clever in how it implements the casino games, too. You don’t need to be a poker wizard or a casino hound. With Diana (your handler) in your ear and the percentage showing your probability of winning, you’re always equipped to make the most out of every hand.
The Mission
Tasked with taking Le Chiffre, “The Banker”, out. Agent 47 arrives all suited and booted. Then the game sets up the story. Le Chiffre is in trouble. He owes the wrong people a lot of money, and he’s going to win it tonight at the poker table.
Unless he doesn’t…..
You can approach in any way you wish. As is the way of Hitman. But some of the more scripted ways lead to him being killed off for failing to get the money that he owes. I don’t want to spoil the methods or paths that take you there. But you can finish this mission without laying a hand on him.
There’s a risk of being poisoned and captured. Which really threw me. The stakes we raised in a way that they usually aren’t. Hitman is often more a game of not being seen doing the bad things. Rarely does it give scripted sequences with dialogue in which the infallible Agent 47 has been caught in a sticky situation.
The Banker shakes the normal formula up a little, and it’s a refreshing change and chance to do something a bit different in this exceptional sandbox.
Overall
Thematically, I think the work done here is some of the best for an Elusive Target so far.
Paris is a perfect map for the setting, and IO Interactive just smashed it out of the park.
Story-wise, the continuation of the Bond character is excellent, and Mads is great as always.
Put it all to one side and you’re left with one of the more barebones missions, though. It’s much easier to get the kill here. But it leans more on being story-based than challenge-based, I feel.
All in all, it’s an impressive package and great for free. Or, if you’re like me, you paid £4 to run it over and over and get a few different little in-game rewards, too.
Not the best Elusive Target in terms of complexity or difficulty. But a stand-out as a more in-depth story experience, which is a lovely change from the norm.
For even more opinion pieces like this on the Hitman Elusive Target, Le Chiffre, click right here.
