IOI Interactive has really been killing it with their latest trilogy of Hitman games. The extremely open-ended sandbox style of gameplay they’ve crafted with this franchise provides a consistently engaging and highly replayable experience. But most importantly, it’s also hilariously fun.

Now with Hitman III, the developers seem eager to shake up the contract-killing format just a little bit, which I assume is an effort to keep things from feeling stale. Now as the saying goes: If ain’t broke, fix it. And most of the format changes attempted here feel minor and/or unnecessary. In one case though, the new angle on a Hitman level is indeed a spectacular success.

Dubai - On Top Of The World

Fairly straightforward assassination premise: Get in, kill two targets, and get out. The gimmick here is that mission takes place during a party held at the tallest building in the world, and Agent 47 wingsuit glides in from the top.

This level isn’t super notable beyond introducing the new smartphone mechanics, used to hack electronic devices just by pointing its camera at them. But honestly, given the immense creativity on display in the Hitman games, using a smartphone as the tool to open doors and hack electronics just feels kind of lame.

Dartmoor - Death In The Family

Here’s where things really get experimental. The Dartmoor mission is basically a “who done it?” detective mystery straight out of BBC Masterpiece Theater. Agent 47 sneaks into Downton Abbey Thornbridge Manor to assassinate his target and collect some documents, but he likely does this by impersonating a famous British detective. You then end up searching for clues, interviewing members of the aristocratic household, and figuring out who killed Uncle Zachary.

While the murder mystery plot is novel and genuinely interesting on the first playthrough, it’s really not something I want to experience multiple times. It’s a bit like watching a Hercule Poirot story again when you already know the ending; solving the same mystery twice is boring. Granted, there are different ways this plot can play out, with three potential suspects to pin the murder on and different ramifications for each choice. But if, like me, you did almost everything for the murder mystery plot, only to then kill you target in a completely different way, you’ll ended up having to replay all of the same story beats again on the next go around, and that’s lame.

Berlin - Apex Predator

The Berlin level is where this game truly shines. Agent 47 infiltrates an industrial dance club where an entire team of operatives is on the hunt for him. There are a ton of potential targets who get revealed to you one by one (though you only have to kill five of them to complete the mission). It’s an extremely replayable level in a game known for replayable levels.

The depths of this one stage alone are worth the price of admission. When I boot up Hitman III these days, I go straight to Apex Predator and play around with new ways to kill a man in a crowded nightclub.

Chongqing - End Of An Era

This is another cool stage in the filthy, neon-drenched streets of central China. There is some very disturbing stuff going on with human experimentation, and the game goes out of its way to demonstrate that your assassination targets are really, really bad people. I like it when they make a character look this deserving of the Agent 47 special.

Unfortunately this level ends with a kind of “escape the vault” type scramble which appeared nigh impossible to complete without being spotted. And that, I feel, basically ruins a Silent Assassin’s otherwise good time.

Mendoza - The Farewell

Mendoza is one of those daytime levels in a beautiful vista, infiltrating a party at a swanky Argentinian villa. This feels like a more typical Hitman level, in fact it’s particularly reminiscent of the Sapienza (Italy) level from Hitman 1, with an opulent estate on the surface, and a lot more going on underground. (It’s so similar to Sapienza that one of the guards even references that place in his dialogue.) The twist in this case is that you begin not knowing who your targets will be. Agent 47 has to meet with Diana in person to get his directions for this one. That encounter happens immediately, right at the beginning of the level, so it’s not substantially different from the regular premise.

As one would expect, there are some fun ways to dispatch your targets here. The best one is definitely tricking the guard snipers to take out one of your targets for you, as she’s peacefully enjoying the party like everyone else. Another is spilling gallons and gallons of wine on the floor, then running high voltage through it to electrocute a man in his own Malbec.

Carpathian Mountains - Untouchable

Another unusual setup, as Agent 47 wakes up in a train car and has to make his way all the way up to the front of the train. Unlike most levels, you aren’t penalized for killing absolutely everybody in this stage—everyone works for Providence, the evil organization that you’re taking down—and it almost feels like the game doesn’t even want you to be stealthy. Weapons abound and military dudes are everywhere.

This stage actually feels reminiscent of the train level from Goldeneye 007 on the N64, which I don’t think is a coincidence. They even include references to a “Janus” using this train during the Cold War, which—unless I’m unaware of some real historical ties—is a direct reference to the Goldeneye movie and video game. And that makes a lot of sense, considering that IOI’s next project is to make a new Bond game. This level almost feels like a proof-of-concept used to pitch the James Bond rights holders.

All things considered, Hitman III is another stellar game from IOI. Sure, it is just more Hitman. But Hitman is so well-crafted, so consistently excellent, that just more Hitman is exactly what we wanted it to be.