Initially, Mr. Bree+ has a slower pace than your average platformer. You even have to unlock the ability to jump. The gameplay is initially inviting in a way that the odd story and main character weren't. I'm not sure exactly what the developer was going for with this title, and while I would've been more than happy to ignore the story for the gameplay, the gameplay quickly began to suffer from the strange direction underpinning the game. The pace, and the number of actions that needed to be performed within a few seconds of each other to get through a level without dying, increased until I ran flat into a situation I couldn't get out of. Mr. Bree+ likes to remind you that you've died. The color changes, and in addition to in-game achievements, it makes repeated failures impossible to ignore. I gave up during a level in which I earned the achievement for dying 100 times. I was pretty sure I hadn't died more than 50 times before that level. I was stuck on a single, exacting point that required me to fit within a specifically sized space and not die in route to it or while I was in it or when I had gotten past it. If you've played a lot of platformers you may have gotten past it easily, but by the time I died for the hundredth time I was sick of it. I was sick of the jarring color changes, the stupid pig I didn't care about, and the gameplay that had become torture. I tried a few more times and quit the level...and earned an achievement for quitting.
No game has ever frustrated me like Hitman 47, and I'm not ashamed to say I used cheat codes to finish the last level. The game design is completely unforgiving, and if you've grown used to modern stealth games (or even the latest Hitman), you may be surprised by the things you can't do (for example, using items to distract guards isn't really a thing). Additionally, unlike later games in the series, you have very little health and can easily be killed if spotted. All that being said, the central stealth mechanic of Hitman (ie, dressing up as people) functions perfectly, ensuring that there is always a solution to every level (though you must be careful to have the right outfit in the right place). Sadly, the last level is basically a shooting section, and while the gun play is perfectly adequate (and pin-point accurate), I never had enough health to succeed. I really enjoyed my time with this stealth/dress-up game, but be sure you want this version over the more forgiving later games before you buy.
