Hitman Absolution takes a contract out on mobile as the grindhouse interquel sets a date with death

• Hitman: Absolution now has an official release date for October 16th
• The grindhouse-style interquel sees you going up against the Agency which spawned you
• Take on action-oriented levels, despicable baddies and the familiar visceral assassinations

While he may once more be top of the charts, believe it or not, there was a brief period in the late 2000s to mid-2010s where the iconic Agent 47 was considered a bit passé. And it certainly wasn't helped by the divisive subject of today's article, Hitman: Absolution, now set to arrive on mobile on October 16th.

Now, in truth, that fact was more due to the two lame duck movies based on IO Interactive's hit property. But Hitman: Absolution was a complete reinvention for the series. Ditching the iconic wide open levels of Blood Money in favour of a more action-oriented, cinematic approach, and the grungy spy story in favour of indulgent grindhouse.

At the time, many people baulked, but over the years Absolution has had something of a resurgence in interest. And with its grimy atmosphere, truly despicable villains and the evergreen fun of watching 47 bump off baddies in increasingly gruesome and visceral ways, it's still well worth checking out for fans.

The Man with the Shiny Head

Hitman: Absolution is definitely the odd one out of the series. But with the benefit of hindsight, and the knowledge that this wasn't setting the new standard for the series, it's a lot easier to appreciate its strengths.

The new mobile port also comes replete with the now-familiar level of Feral Interactive polish. The studio has started off strong with their port of Alien: Isolation back in the day, and now they are bringing more and more major releases to mobile in impressive fashion.

Speaking of which, if you want to dive into another Feral port that deals with a bit more of the high-level strategy of killing people, we've got you covered. Dig into our review of Total War: Empire for mobile to find out if you're the next George Washington in this 18th-century warfare simulator.