As with all Hitman games you are Agent 47, the titular protagonist, but Go is presented as if it were a board game. Even the figure-like characters, perched on weighted discs, look like they go back into a cardboard box at the end of the day.
Developed in Montreal at the Square Enix studio in that city, Hitman Go is an elegant puzzle game, the likes of which I've never seen. And I like it.
As with all Hitman games you are Agent 47, the titular protagonist, but Go is presented as if it were a board game. Even the figure-like characters, perched on weighted discs, look like they go back into a cardboard box at the end of the day.
Your objective is ultimately the same – to assassinate a specific target – but first you must navigate your way through the environment which is filled with obstacles and dangers, like the bodyguards protecting the targets. You can attack them and they can sometimes be distracted if the level design allows it. Mostly you'll have to find a way around them.
Progression is turn-based, so after you move 47 the other characters on the board get to move. You can't occupy the same space as an enemy; doing so restarts the level. And as you advance through the levels, the bodyguards become increasingly challenging. Some rotate so you can only get past them when they're backs are to you. Others move along paths.
In addition to finding the level's exit, or your target if you're at the end of a chapter, you can also attempt other challenges. Sometimes there's a briefcase somewhere that you can collect before exiting. Perhaps you need to complete the puzzle within a certain number of turns. Collecting tiles for completing levels and challenges unlocks subsequent chapters.
The narratives of the various targets is here for you to discern, but the Square Enix Montreal wisely chose to make story subtle, instead delivering interesting, engaging puzzles that will have you thinking like an assassin.
Developer: Square Enix
Platforms: Android, iOS