Hitman: Absolution to have 5 difficulty settings

Fans of the Hitman series were annoyed when the developers at IO Interactive said that they wanted to change the formula a little. They were annoyed further when Instinct Mode was announced, which works a lot like the Detective Vision from the Batman Arkham games, and shows you enemies through walls, along with their patrol paths. We now have a list of the five difficulties available for the game that will change up how the game plays between different difficulty settings, thanks to Kotaku.

Enhanced: Easy is the easiest difficulty level. “Supreme training and a physique enhanced beyond ordinary human capacity mean that your enemies are no match for you. By cunning or by brute force, you are unstoppable.”

• Players can activate additional checkpoints
• Instinct regenerates
• Instinct will provide hints
• Enemies react more slowly than normal

The difficulty settings have something that will appeal to everyone

Enhanced: Medium is the second difficulty setting. It is aimed towards those new to the franchise. “You can rely on Agent 47's superior training and instinct. Remaining completely unnoticed can be a challenge, but you can always rely on your guns to get you out of trouble.”

• Players can activate additional checkpoints
• Instinct does not regenerate
• Instinct will provide hints
• Normal enemy presence with normal reaction times

Professional: Here is where things start becoming a challenge with the higher number of enemies. “You like a challenge and your enemies will provide you with just that. They will be more numerous and with faster reactions. Evading your enemies will be difficult and you must strike with flawless timing.”

• Players can activate additional checkpoints
• Instinct depletes when used and does not regenerate
• No instinct hints
• Additional enemies with improved reaction time

Professional: Expert would technically be the hardest difficulty option in the game without having the prerequisite of being utterly insane. “You fight for every inch of progress, often without firing a single bullet. You don't rely on any help and accept trying many times before reaching your target...and perfection.”

• No player-activated checkpoints
• Instinct depletes when used and does not regenerate
• No instinct hints
• Maximum number of enemies with fastest reaction time

Professional: Purist is where the aforementioned insanity comes into play. With complete lack of a HUD, you’ll have to do things like keep track of the number of bullets left in your gun by yourself. “This is a challenge for a true perfectionist. You know every rule, every detail, and all environments by heart. Even then you will die trying.”

• No Help
• No guides
• No Interface
• Only a crosshair

The games always rewarded stealthy gameplay and minimal violence with a higher rating and more money to upgrade weapons or equipment. Later games such as Blood Money added an extra consequence to going on a wanton killing spree; there would be more security guards on the next level, making it harder, or if someone recognised Agent 47, the next level would be even more difficult.

Hitman: Absolution is the latest entry in the Hitman series of games and will be released in India on November 20 for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.