The Video Game Virtuoso

In the middle of the hot, sticky Colombian jungle, I make my way through the grandiose estate of Rico Delgado, a drug cartel leader whom is one of three targets I’ve been hired to eliminate. Disguised in a uniform I snagged off a guard, I approach the mansion, trying my damndest to not raise suspicion or get spotted by one of the many security cameras strategically installed by all common entry points.

Slithering around to the side of the property, I find my opening. Waiting for to coast to clear, I unholster my silenced ICA19 and put a bullet through the camera pointed at the door. Sparks shoot from the deactivated hunk of metal as I beeline to the entrance and make my way inside. Adorned with modern-styled furniture and expensive ornaments, the room is occupied by house staff and guards. Casually, I survey to room for Delgado and any items of interest, but my search comes up fruitless.

And then, boom, a large double door swings open and Delgado swaggers into the room. Resisting the urge to put a bullet through his head, I stay composed and blend in at the bar. After barking commands at his servants, he exits the room and I follow. Tailing him at a distance, I head up a flight of stairs, only to come face to face with a suspicious guard. Before he can get a good enough look at me to confront me, I duck away out of sight, letting Delgado escape into his office.

I lost him, but only for a moment. I need to think quickly and figure out a way to distract the guard so I can slip by and stay close to the target. Scrolling through my inventory, I find my trusty coins, equip them, and flip one onto the balcony. Classic distraction, and, as expected, it works like a charm. The guard leaves his post to investigate the noise, giving me enough time to walk by unnoticed and enter Delgado’s office.

We don’t stay there long, however. Moments after my triumph, Delgado is ready to make his next move, exiting his office and making a sharp right into his bedroom. Like a shadow, I lurk closely behind him and equip my garrote. To my disappointment, we’re not alone, so I stuff the weapon back into my pocket and contemplate how I’m going to dispose of the two servants cleaning a mess Delgado left from the wild night before.

As he stands in front of a mirror to practice a speech, I scan the room for anything I can use as a diversion. Directly to my right, I notice a door that leads to the master bathroom. I swing it open and, you guessed it, flip a coin inside. Alerted by the soft clinking noise, Delgado commands the nearest servant to investigate. He obeys, and as soon as he’s out of sight, I peacefully subdue him and stash his body in a nearby closet. I now have my perfect opening.

Quickly, I walk back into the bedroom to find Delgado still practicing his speech. I creep up behind him, pull out my garrote, and tightly wrap it around his neck, brutally choking the life out of him in seconds. With the wire still around his throat, I drag him into the bathroom and store him in the same closet I stashed his unconscious servant in. Discreetly, I slip past a maid and make my way down a flight of stairs leading to the backyard. I sneak around to the front, using the large shrubbery to my advantage, and eventually come across an unguarded side gate that I use to exit the estate.

One down, two to go.

Cocaine is a Hell of a Drug

Next on my list is Jorge Franco, the drug cartel’s lead chemist whom is responsible for developing a powerful and highly addictive super cocaine. Shortly after leaving Delgado’s estate, I stumble upon the location of this old, decrepit bastard. It’s a large coca plantation with tight security, but also large fields of coca plants for me to conceal myself in. Two guards stand by the entrance, and although I’m still disguised as Delgado’s personal security, I don’t belong there. I find a patch of coca plants to hide in and sneak make my way deeper into the plantation.

Eventually, I hit a fence and quickly vault it. On the other side is a sorting area, a helipad, and Franco’s personal quarters. Just outside of the coca leaves I’m hiding in, a plantation worker stands smoking a cigarette. I peacefully subdue him and take his uniform. Now I look like I belong. Fixing my eyes on the drug guru’s hut, I watch it like a hawk until I see him hobble out. Two armed guards follow, and, from a distance, so do I.

Hot on Franco’s trail, I submerge myself back into the coca leaves. I see him enter a building, but I’m too far behind to slip in after him. I approach the door, but am denied by a keycard reader. Not only that, I’m also caught on camera. Fuck. This one is going to be tough to do stealthily, but I know that as long as I stay patient, I’ll find my opportunity. Franco leaves the building, and I decide to scope the area instead of follow.

Moments later, I discover a fuse box connected to the building my target just left. I turn off the power and wait in the coca field until a drug chemist comes out to investigate. I knock him out and steal his clothes and keycard, which I use to inconspicuously enter the lab. Inside are two additional chemist working on an experiment for Franco. I’m tempted to take them out, but then my eye catches a glimmering object sitting on a table in the corner. It’s a key. Not just any key, however, but the key that unlocks the door to Franco’s private hut. Now we’re getting somewhere.

Retracing my steps, I arrive back at Franco’s hut and unlock the door. To my surprise, a helicopter pilot stands inside and almost catches me in the act of trespassing. I scurry out to the back and hide in a small bush. Attached to the rear of the hut is a dull metal box with a fan inside of it. Must be an air conditioning unit. Being a drug lord sure does have its perks, doesn’t it? Turning that off in the sweltering jungle heat is bound to make that hut too unbearably hot to stay in, so I shut it down. Moments later, the pilot comes out to investigate and I incapacitate him, but I’m unable to take his outfit.

Now it’s time to play the waiting game. While anticipate my target’s arrival, a disconcerting thought crosses my mind. What am I going to do when he gets here? In this close of quarters, he’ll mark me in a matter of seconds. I need to think of something fast, as Franco is going to limp his way through the door at any moment. Scanning the room, I look for something, anything I can hide in until I find the perfect moment to strike.

Eureka! The solution to my conundrum is simple: A brown, wooden crate. I open it up, hop on in, and close the lid. Not all of the way; I leave a little crack so I can have a visual on the room and my target.  It’s not long before I see Franco saunter into the room, looking like a drug lord Quasimodo. As he walks over to a desk to examine something, I emerge from the box and creep up behind him. Within the blink of an eye, he lies dead on the floor with my garrote still wrapped around his neck. I drag him over to the same wooden box I was hiding in and dump him in it so his corpse won’t alert any unwanted attention.

Cool and composed, I walk out of the hut and start making my way to the exit. Then it hits me; I was caught on camera when I first tried to enter the lab. I need to find the security room and delete the footage before I leave. Finding nothing on the plantation, I notice an entrance to what appears to be a cave. I enter it, peacefully dispose of a few guards, disguise myself in one of their outfits, and move forward.

Thankfully, it doesn’t take me long to find the security room, despite how expansive the cave is. Inside are two guards watching television and one pacing back and forth by the camera terminal. Waiting for him to turn his back, I choke him out and hide his unconscious body in a locker. The other two don’t hear a thing and keep their eyes glued to the t.v. as I destroy any evidence showing that I was on the plantation around Franco’s time of death.

Two down, one to go.

A Love to Die For

With Delgado and Franco disposed of, it’s time to hit my last target and end the mission. Her name: Andrea Martinez, the cartel’s head of public relations. Who knew criminal organizations needed one of those? In addition to keeping the Delgado drug cartel out of the public eye, she is responsible for expanding the business into new markets, bribing officials, extorting people, and gathering information that ensures rival cartels are kept in check. She is located in a gated mansion on the outskirts of a slum, and she occasionally leaves the confines to oversee preparations for Delgado’s upcoming speech.

Making my way through the cave, I find an exit that leads to the slum near Martinez’s mansion. I start moving towards the location, climbing up a steep dirt hill surrounded by colorful, beat-up apartments and civilians causally fraternizing with one another. I reach my destination, and my eyes fixate on the large, walled-in house surrounded by scary looking armed guards. I need to get in undetected and get Martinez alone. The only question is, how?

Love is the answer. Not what you were expecting? Well, hear me out. For this hit, I have a key item: A love letter from Hector Delgado, Rico’s brother whom is also Andrea’s lover. While I was in the Delgado estate, I overheard some guards talking about how one of their colleagues swiped the letter and kept it on his person. Being the sneaky bastard that I am, I tracked this guard down, followed him until nobody else was in sight, knocked him out, and stole the note. I know this item is key to making the hit easier. I just need to find a way to get it to Martinez without getting caught.

Near the rear of the property, I find a crack in the wall that I can use to vault it. A bush on the other side catches me and conceals me from a guard just a stone’s throw away. Luckily, his back is turned to me, so I make a break for a metal staircase leading to the upstairs balcony. I come across an open window near Martinez’s desk, which is the perfect place for me to slip the love letter from Hector. When the coast is clear, I jump through the window, place the letter on the desk, and jump back out, without being seen.

Patiently waiting for Martinez to find the letter, I crouch outside of the window and do my best to remain unseen. A few minutes later, she walks into the room and heads over to her desk. She discovers the note. Success! She angrily scolds her servants about how she told them not to allow anything from Hector to reach her, but hey, you can’t stop what you can’t see. After huffing and puffing a bit, she takes the bait and brings the note outside to the balcony to read it.

As she recites the sappy words of her lover, I slide over to the corner of the wall and take cover. Smooth as silk, I pull out my silenced ICA19, aim it at her head, and pull the trigger. Nobody sees her lifeless body slump to the ground, and since no guards or staff go out on the balcony, I have no reason to believe her body will be found before I make my escape. I conceal my weapon, head down the stairs, vault back over the wall, and beeline towards the nearest mission exit: A motor boat. I hop in, start the engine, and ride off into the sunset without leaving trace. I am a ghost. I am the Silent Assassin.

One mission completed with a Silent Assassin ranking, five to go.

Have you played Hitman 2? If so, have you achieved Silent Assassin on any of the missions? Have you become obsessed with achieving this rating on all of the missions like me? Share your thoughts in the comments!