Hitman 3 allows players to import levels from Hitman 1 and 2 if previously owned, which allows players to attempt a full run of all the levels in whatever playstyle suits them. However, Twitch streamer and speed runner Aspecticor managed to take on the formidable “Silent Assassin, Suit Only” challenges (“SA/SO” for short) and narrowly break the pre-existing record with a suitably stunned reaction.
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Aspecticor’s time to beat was 27 minutes and 56 seconds, which had been set only a week before by another streamer with the handle Razulu. The actual clip showing the record time being surpassed perfectly encapsulates Aspecticor’s stunned shock, especially since he had been commenting moments before about enemy AI getting in the way of his attempt. Countless hours of memorization and practice is what allows speed runners to hone their skills. The full run shows Aspecticor testing the game to its limit, as Hitman 3’s smallest details are used to allow Agent 47 to exploit gaps in the AI to pull off undetected assassinations.
One of the most recognizable features of any Hitman game is the creative ways that Agent 47 can assassinate targets. The additional “Silent Assassin, Suit Only” challenges require extra criterion to beat the level including never changing uniforms or being spotted by guards. Naturally this limits what players can do in a run where stealth is key, but speed and fully memorized paths across the sprawling maps seems to rectify this.
Unlike previous speed runs attempted on official Hitman servers, Aspecticor beat the previous record while running Hitman 3 with the addition of a Peacock server. This allows for more freedom with suit choice, but is also designed to reduce risk of lag and improve latency while playing a game. Load times were included on both runs since all levels were attempted in one run, and when viewed side by side they appear to be the same for both runs, but the narrow window of success could be a result of this small yet significant technical improvement.
The Hitman Trilogy’s record-breaking time has been logged and verified by official speedrun sites, and Razulu has since changed the title of his previous attempt to signify the “Old World Record” time. However, due to a gap of only one second between attempts, it is unknown how long this latest record will stand before being beaten again.
Hitman 3 is available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Stadia, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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