Square Enix have put out details for the last episode of Hitman (and hinted at further seasons):

[T]he Season Finale of HITMAN [...] will take place in Hokkaido, Japan on October 31. The Season Finale for HITMAN Season One features a mission called “Situs Inversus”[...] The Hokkaido location is set within the grounds of the hyper-exclusive GAMA private hospital and resort. This secluded facility is a fusion of Japanese beauty and cutting-edge technology, featuring its own Zen gardens, organic sushi restaurant and traditional Japanese hot spring. Agent 47 must locate two targets in this climactic Season Finale.

[...]

"And although we’re now completing season one, this is only the beginning for our ever expanding World of Assassination" [(Hannes Seifert, Studio Head, Io-Interactive)]

Trailer:

Hopefully this one is more robust than the last. Colorado was fun the first time around, but it didn't have nearly the same staying power as something like Paris or Sapienza, the latter of which remains my favorite map by far.

BRIEFCASE SNIPER RIFLE

I'm hoping that this game nails the landing. Paris/Sapienza/Thailand have been great maps (the other two I would just say are good), but if this game ends with one more banger of a map that would be appreciated.

Hokkaido reminds me of that mission from one of the hitman games where you are on some Cliffside mansion and one of the kill options is to blow a hole underneath the hot Jacuzzi. Anyways a lot of the concrete and clean futurism reminds me of that level. If I'm not mistaken that mission also had some kind of bamboo 'massage parlor' stuff in it.

@rickyyo: That is the Christmas party mission from Blood Money. One of my favorites from that game. It was fun dressing up as Santa and taking out your targets that way.

It is so weird to me that it feels like just yesterday that the game's first episode came out and now it's already coming to a close (for now). I hope they keep up the great work for the following season.

I would love a Hitman 2 call back: poison a fish (and/or insert a tracking device in it) and get it made into sushi.

Personally I felt Colorado and Thailand were both decent Hitman levels in the whole of the series. Both were pretty limited. I think they are better in a different Hitman game but given this one is focused on replayability and flexibility, with manipulation of different aspects allowing them to do elusive targets and different challenges, I think such rigid levels are a mistake. Personally given this formula they should all be the variety of levels that take place in normal social environments (parties, small towns, resorts, etc) and should not be as restrictive as Thailand was in allowing access to different areas.

That sweet, sweet Japanese murder

Thailand committed the cardinal sin of creating a hotel level without random people to kill in their hotel rooms. Seriously, how could they miss out on that? Especially in a hitman game with a contracts mode.

Thailand and Colorado are more restrictive but they're fine. Colorado at least has more routes to take to physically traverse the level, although the scant opportunities being spread across 4 targets is pretty weak.

Really though, my main complaint with this game now is the god awful inconsistent AI. They changed how head turning affects vision cones when they released the summer bonus episode, and it SUCKS.

Hokkaido? Interesting. I'm due to give a presentation in two weeks time on the Ainu.

@claybrez: I didn't really like how Thailand split the hotel in the two wings that could only be accessed from the first and second floors. Just made getting from side to side of the hotel an extra unnecessary pain in the arse. Colorado I've only played once so will need to check it out again.

@dudeglove: There was actually a real ass hospital mission in Hitman before Blood Money in 2 (which was a really cool level too) so yeah. It's all pretty old hat by now but it makes it interesting to think what will be different.

Wouldn't mind the poisoned sushi like I mentioned previously or ninja's jumping down from the rafters coming back, as well as maybe some sort of paralyzing agent like was in the Blood Money level.

@captain_insano: Yeah I agree with you man. Thailand was very restrictive. Colorado is in ways for sure too but at least it's easy to get around most of it and there are more interesting opportunities. Both are not the best kind of Hitman level, especially for this particular Hitman.

@turboman: It's been so long. (ಥ﹏ಥ)

I'm not convinced this map is going to be better than Sapienza, Paris, Marrakesh, etc. It feels like the maps have become less open starting with the hotel and more elite guards all over the place, making "a world of assassination" become more of "a straight line of assassination." This map sounds like another heavily guarded private compound that will be nearly impossible to pull of some the cool stuff we did in the first half of the game.

@turboman@hassun You can kind of get away with carrying around the sniper rifle if you pick a guard uniform and the challenges for Sniper Assassin don't require suit only. That said it would be convenient if you could carry heavy weapons out of the gate. I pray they don't restrict it to guns and let you take whatever you want like explosives, poisons, swords, the battleaxe, and pretty much all the gadgets. I imagine they might force the suit case to take up two slots or maybe it will negate the pickup point. It would be pretty cool if the suit case also avoided detection during frisks but that may be unlikely.

...and it's a wrap. Hokkaido should be available for downloading right now.

There's a glimpse of a fun outfit in the above video, can only assume you'll get a katana as well...

@glots: Playing right now (Xbox One, UK) :D

Two things immediately are apparent - Brad and Dan need to go into a bathroom (automatic toilets that open as you approach), and the usual coin/lockpick setup is out. You start in the VIP Patient suit in a patient room... and that's it. No gun, no smuggled item, not even the fibrewire. You go in without anything (IIRC it opens back up at higher mastery).

Edit: putting RFID tags in the clothes is a FANTASTIC idea for Hitman.

Edit 2: You can tamper with the toilets - the chimes, LEDs, and lid start freaking out. GOTY contender for sure :p

Edit 3: The non-region specific accents are especially weird in this one. Just passed a member of staff who greeted me with "ogenkidesuka?" (how are you?), only to break into a broad English accent for "'ope everythin's to your satisfaction.

Edit 4: Follow the Texan. His writing is pretty awesome: "I'm American. We don't have restrictions" "I'm American. We bomb the crap outta those terrorists"

How the hell do you sabotage the KAI mainframe? I'm in the room as the director but it just resets no matter what I do.

I figured this out about 2 seconds after I posted.

Just finished it. Quite enjoyed the routes I took (Yoga instructor and destroying the heart--- LOL to the shot of it being thrown in the trash) but saw several I really want to see out as well. The level was gorgeous and I think better than the last three maps.

Ide call this my second favorite map next to Sapienza for Season One. Cant wait for Brad and Dan to follow/ fuck up some of the opportunities.

Laughed at this when I did it, though also because of the bodyguard not giving a shit when she let out a loud scream as I pushed her to her death. I know that's something that has happened a million times in the game by now already, but it was still a bit stupid that he didn't notice anything. Expected 47 actually to just snap her neck with some sick yoga moves and then tossing the lifeless body down to keep it quiet.

Seems like a really neatly designed map. Hopefully there'll be at least a few Elusive targets in the place.

@glots: haha yeah I had the same reaction but loved the set up to that moment, slowly going through the positions moving closer to the edge.

This map was fantastic, I need to give it some more time in the boiler but my current feelings are its definitely in the top 3. I need to go back and play through it because man I saw some real cool stuff that the past 3 maps have seemed to have lacked entirely. Also the AI provides a real neat change to how you navigate the environment, this is the type of ideas I wanted to see in each level.

If I was to stab a guess at my order now It would be

1. Sapienza
2. Hokkaido
3. Paris
4. Colorado
5. Bangkok
6. Marrkesh

The only way that would change is after several more playthroughs Paris might go back above Hokkaido because one of the targets is 100% static. I'll have to wait and see.

my favorite starting location yet

ninja

Having a lot of fun with this map. No items, deep in enemy territory, the elaborate surgery setup -- feels like a proper sendoff to season 1.

This map is so cool! Can't wait to get in and do a lot more stuff.

My first run through, and I messed with the Curator's mind using the remote. By doing so the heart was exposed, and I smashed it. But I did load that save after a while as I suddenly got the "non-target killed" message. Realized he must have killed himself as I left his depression on after turning the remote that way to get him out of the room with the heart. Sure enough, I followed him after destroying the heart again to turn his mind to "happy" mode, and he was going towards the helipad. I bet he jumps if you don't switch it back. Dark stuff!

Yeah I think this is really cool too. I think the mastery rewards being rather lackluster in the rest of the maps was something that always seemed like a missed opportunity. I actually want to get the rewards in this one.

honestly i couldn't tell the diff between the new sniper vs the old one. Still doesn't zoom 'nuff :)

the new handgun is kinda cool. It doesn't show up when frisked. (not that i ever used a handgun.. or and gun other than the sniper)

Really fantastic map. It's beautiful for one thing, and its layout is restricted enough to offer a progression of access while still seeming open enough to prevent dead-ending yourself.

In case anyone's wondering, here are the indisputable, objectively correct Hitman Season 1 level rankings:

1. Sapienza

2. Hokkaido

3. Paris

4. Bangkok

5. Marrakesh

6. Colorado

Just finished my Silent Assassin Suit Only run and the great new addition of Silent Assassin Ninja Only too. Both were a blast and surprisingly easier than I expected. I went back to Colorado to get my mastery to level 20 (was at level 7) as well and now that I've done a few more runs of Hokkaido my list has changed. It's now 100% locked in:

1. Sapienza
2. Hokkaido
3. Paris
4. Bangkok
5. Colorado
6. Marrakesh

Hokkaido has a lot of wacky things and outright brutal assassination possibilities, and the Silent Ninja challenge was really a lot of fun (especially if you opt to hold the Katana the whole time.) Hokkaido also seems to have a lot more variability and interesting level design quirks I really like the AI and how it requires you to come up with ways to get through doors without actually disguising as the people required. So that's why to me Hokkaido is better than Paris.

Colorado upon more time put into it all of the challenges that were 'kill all 4 targets in this 1 way' got tedious and the single exit for the main mission makes replaying it less fun. Upon playing the most recent Elusive on Bangkok it put into perspective the strengths and weaknesses of 2 maps which resulted in Colorado dropping down. That being said I did quite enjoy the 'kill all 4 targets with accidents' challenge:

EDIT: Did another run through and found a returning inept agent who has red hair and American boxers. Now I'm sad that there's no more new levels until next year.

I love this game.

Just played it. I was really sloppy.

Found a lone guard and took his uniform, body found but never caught.

Eventually stuck with the yoga instructor. Choked him out for his clothes. Body found but never caught.

Did the yoga opportunity but straight up didn't know what to do so I snapped her neck while her bodyguard was 10 feet away. Didn't know there was a routine. :(

Wanted to become the doctor. Noticed he ate some beernuts at the bar. Pulled the alarm and put some blowfish in the beernuts. Was suspicious (there were too many people to do it effectively), but walked away and was okay. Doctor died, black suit guard dragged the body bag down the stairs, choked him in a corner and took the doctor's suit.

Got into the server room a la 2001 and destroyed the AI. Took me a few tries to notice it has to be in order.

Killed Soders with the operating machine. Gruesome.

Guard in red (?) came by and I punched his lights out. Took his suit and shoved him in the server room.

Escaped via helicopter. My worst performance, but oh well.

This is an amazing speedrun:

how did he get the gun and baton inside the hospital?

Once you reach level 20 mastery on Hokkaido, the normal loadout slots open back up.

@dudeglove: That guard wont actually come /into/ the server room, you can just let him pass through. Did this on my SA/SO run.

Dont think I can do any better than this SA/SO (It is SA, I just cut the video off short :x), https://a.pomf.cat/fztbnl.webm

maybe if I improve my menu navigation skills

Just finished the last Hokkaido this weekend, silent assasin and it all, man it was a great map, really love the setting, and the way it was build up in these sections, some great throwbacks to early hitman games, and then I just laugh when I saw what the challenge for killing her in the Sauna was called, it's a play on words I don't think you will get if you are not a Dane (as I am) or you know the danish Language.

But yeah really great map, took me time to learn the rules of the place, oh and stalk that guy with the Cowboy hat, that run around complaining all the time :)

Oh yeah and a lot of creative ways to kill the targets, the Male, I used some of the control for the doctors mood swingin to allow me acces to the Heart, which I then just destroyed, and jobs done :)

next time I wanna try to mess up the operation.

Hoping for more fleshed out story in the next season though :)