The second episode, “Hitman Episode 2: Sapienza,” of the episodic entry of the new “Hitman” series leaves a lot to be desired; its short length and lack of story progression hurts its overall grade.

Set in Italy, this portion of the game is just as beautiful as the Paris fashion show of the previous entry. The Sapienza’s seaside mansion is gigantic, complete with over the top interiors and gilded furnishings.

The town surrounding the mansion is full of polish, with some buildings and shops that you can go into actually well integrated to the game play, serving a purpose.

There are underground tunnels and hidden entrances that you can utilize when assassinating targets and escaping. However, the underground lab later in the level was a bit too chaotic and cluttered with junk, making it hard for a rookie agent to get away unseen.

At first glance, the level is difficult because of the large amount of guards surrounding the entire mansion, so it is essential for players to plan their attack.

But, unlike the previous missions, there is a relatively high difficulty spike when players get near the end. Armed to the teeth guards are in every corner and with a labyrinth ahead, good luck not getting spotted.

The game play is naturally the same as the previous episode, mechanics are still superb with some minor kinks.

Some characters will sometimes clip into each other and float in mid air for a second, but nothing too game breaking. The audio hiccups a bit when the sound is trying to change directions, but this was also a problem on the previous episode.

Objectives are also the same as the previous episode, only with one extra target to destroy. This was a little bit disappointing, since it’s pretty much exactly the same as last episode just with a different setting.

With this game coming in episodes, the length is always going to be a problem. The hardcore fans will need to adjust to the change because it is probably the best entry in the franchise.

Another problem that this particular episode has is the lack of story progression. The episode lacked cut scenes to give the players context on where the story is going.

In its entirety, this episode is solid on visuals and gameplay, but if replaying levels isn’t a players preference, then it’s a bit of a let down in length. This episode has little story progression, which makes it lackluster for those interested in the story.

Hopefully the next episode keeps the ball moving.