By 
I recently had a chance to check out an IO Interactive-made Contract in Hitman Absolution’s new “Contract” mode, where players can create custom hit challenges for their friends to play. While the stage I played (set in a Chinatown market) normally has you taking down an egotistical mob leader who refers to himself as “the king of Chinatown,” this contract had three other targets instead: two corrupt cops and a drug dealer.
While the full Contracts mode will let you chose your weapon and outfit before starting your contract, I was limited to Agent 47’s “Silverballer” pistols and standard suit. After a preliminary area where I got used to some of the controls, I walked through an entryway and the clock started ticking.
I found the first target guarding a car close to where I started. While I initially tried to approach him directly, I learned that the area was off limits, so I had to get out. Watching him carefully, I noticed that his patrol took him up some stairs out of sight of the crowded market. I sprung into action, sneaking up the stairs behind him, grabbing my fiber wire by tapping left on the d-pad (then A), and finally pressing X to garrotte him.
I then ran back down the stairs, checked to see if anyone was looking, then dragged the body towards a dumpster and tossed it in. The clock kept ticking down—I needed to get moving. The second cop was in the middle of a crowd, and I had no idea how I was going to get his attention. Instead, I grabbed a bottle and circled around to the other side of the square, approaching the drug dealer.
Unfortunately, the dealer just so happened to be surrounded by cops. I readied the bottle to throw with LT, and as 47 held the bottle, I saw the throw arc and circles emanating from the touchdown point signifying how far the sound would reach. I tossed the bottle to distract the nearest guard to the dealer and…
Accidentally drew my two Silverballers when I meant to grab my fiber wire. In public. Surrounded by cops. Oh boy.
The drug dealer drew his own pistol and approached me. Because the demo I played gave me a slightly upgraded 47, I was given the option for a fake surrender by pressing X. Agent 47 put his hands up and the dealer approached him, putting his gun to his head. In a smooth motion, 47 disarmed the dealer, positioned him as a human shield and drew his Silverballer. My human shield’s life seemed to hold some weight, because none of the guards were willing to shoot at me.
I tried to kill as few people as I could before I proceeded towards the cop I didn’t know how to approach earlier. He was a bit less cooperative, since he put a few bullets into my human shield (fulfilling the mark on my contract) and Agent 47. I shot him a couple times, then made a break for the exit… before dying in a hail of gunfire.
While I didn’t finish my own contract, I had another one successfully demonstrated for me. The more efficiently you finish a contract, the better your score is. You get bonuses for using the “right” weapons and costumes (i.e. the weapons and costumes that the person who made the demo eliminated their marks with), not missing any shots, taking out the marks in the set order, etc.
If you’re making your own contract, you can choose what bonuses are active in your mission.
