Back in August 2017, on the old site, I published a news post highlighting a job advertisement for a Multiplayer Programmer at IO Interactive, that obviously pointed towards multiplayer coming to the Hitman series – you can read that news post here. I hate being right but suffice to say that IO Interactive have today confirmed that multiplayer gameplay will be part of the upcoming Hitman 2. But, thankfully there is no Battle Royale in sight!
Ghost Mode is a 1v1 battle mode that will put all of your assassination skills to the test as you compete against your opponent to eliminate targets quickly and cleanly to take the win. Whilst both players inhabit the same play space there is no direct combat between the two players. According to the official press release, Ghost Mode challenges you to earn 5 points before your opponent by eliminating targets. To earn a point, the kill must be unnoticed and the body cannot be found for a short time afterwards. You’ll also lose a point for eliminating non-targets, so be smart and precise. Once one target has been eliminated, both players will begun the hunt again with a new target. To help you in your mission, you can pick up items, disguises and weapons from Ghost Crates. The items in each one are randomised but they are the same for you and your opponent. You can only take one item from each Ghost Crate and doing so removes that item as a choice for your opponent.
The unique twist with Ghost Mode is that each player is in their own ‘reality’, where your actions only affect your reality – but you’ll always be able to see a ‘Ghost’ version of your opponent. You’ll see exactly what they’re doing, what they’re wearing and any items they’re holding. One key strategic element in Ghost Mode is the use of Ghost Items, as these are the only way to impact your opponents reality. For example, throwing a Ghost Coin will attract attention in your reality, but will also do so in your opponents reality.
You’ll get Picture-in-pictures updates along the way and an announcer will keep you informed about key elements in the match. In the screenshot below, you can see that Player 2 has eliminated their target and Player 1 now has 20 seconds to equalize the score and earn a point. After those 20 seconds, a new target will be selected. Player 1 would be advised not to panic, because if a player is killed at anytime, they will be spawned back into the location but will retain their disguise and combat status. No points are lost upon death.
Its safe to say that I am extremely excited for Hitman 2, but this new mode has potential to further extend the life cycle of the game, and will be a great game mode for streamers. I am looking forward to testing this on Dave and Greg. They might have the beating of me in Rainbow 6 or Titanfall 2, but this is where I get my sweet revenge!
