Best Levels – TOM CLEMENT | GAME PRODUCER

The Best Levels from the Splinter Cell Series

October 18, 2025November 22, 2025Posted in ArticlesTagged Best Levels, Best Missions, Blacklist, Chaos Theory, CIA, Conviction, Deathwatch, Design, Double Agent, Favourite Levels, Games, gaming, Grim, Lambert, Metal Gear Solid, Michael Ironside, Netflix, NSA, Pandors Tomorrow, reviews, Sam Fisher, Splinter Cell, Stealth, Story, Third Echelon, thomasclement.net, Tom Clancy, Video GamesLeave a comment

I recently got my Xbox 360 out of storage solely for the Splinter Cell series.

A stealth series endorsed by author Tom Clancy and featuring super-sneaky-solider Sam Fisher, it’s a landmark for both the stealth genre and for its cutting edge lighting and physics wizardry.

Even the original game that came out in 2002, still convincingly pulls off light and dark better than AAA games to do this day.

And so after playing through all the main line titles of the series, I thought a little review of the best levels from each was given. Let’s start!

Splinter Cell – CIA HQ

Despite being over twenty years old at the time of writing, the first Splinter Cell gives players one of the best locations of the series.

The first few levels of the game have been okay, Sneaking through the back streets of Georgia, infiltrating a government office building and police station, and working our way around an oil rig; it’s been fun but nothing truly awe-inspiring.

But when Sam’s investigation leads to a possible leak from the Central Intelligence Agency, he is tasked with breaking into the mainframe so his team can trace it back to its source.

Already, the set up is amazing. Being a stealthy ninja and getting to break into probably one of the world’s most guarded buildings is a dream scenario for a stealth game. But the fact it is another US spy agency pushes it higher than all the other levels in the game.

The development and exploration of the level is cool, with the initial break-in through the cooling system (lined with razor-sharp bladed fans), through the basement and main lobby, then up the elevator to the office cubicles, each location is a playground for sneaking around.

When breaking into the mainframe, the floor is made of light panels, meaning it is impossible to sneak in via the shadows, and the player must time it correctly so the they aren’t spotted by any of the workers.

And the cherry on top, Sam doesn’t have his trusty pistol to take out any lights. Nearly the entire level has to be done without a side-arm, meaning the player has to trust their own sneaking skills, rather than make their own path of shadows.

***

Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow – LAX International Airport

Pandora Tomorrow, the second game in the series pushed the boundaries for the Splinter Cell series by placing a focus on highly-populated areas, as opposed to the mostly military locations in the first game.

The night time streets of Jerusalem, a TV station in Jakarta, and a overnight train heading from Paris to Nice (which Sam has to both climb under and on top of to reach his goal). Pandora Tomorrow takes these normal locations and makes them the battleground for the fate of the world, with “LAX” being the pinnacle of the game.

Terrorists have infiltrated Los Angeles airport and are intent on releasing a smallpox virus inside the terminals. Sam must kill all the terrorists and stop the virus, all while not being spotted.

Starting outside the service gate, Sam has to make his way through the parking, baggage drop off, offices, and eventually into the lounges and terminals. It’s a great blend of real life normalcy and high-tech zones, with Sam having to use moving cargo trucks or luggage on conveyer belts as cover.

The terrorists are disguised as airport staff, but have all been recently vaccinated against smallpox, leading them to have higher body temperatures than those around them. It’s a great way of utilising Sam’s goggles outside of their standard gameplay loop, making the player study more than just their opponents movements.

The final section is brutal, with the terrorist leader, an ex-CIA spy, using night vision goggles to spot you hiding amongst the shadows as you plot your way to intercept him.

Pandora Tomorrow has some of the best levels of the series, but “LAX” tops them all with its pulse-pounding action.

***

Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory – MCAS Banco De Panama

Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory is widely regarded not only as the best game in the series but of stealth games in general.

The graphics, gameplay, and art design all got overhauled from Pandora Tomorrow, presenting breathtaking locations, satisfying stealth, new mechanics like a sound meter, and some of the best level design period. Case in point, “MCAS Banco De Panama”.

MCAS Banco De Panama shows you what Sam might turn to if he wasn’t a spy. Following a terrorist lead from a previous mission, Sam has to break into a high-security vault to follow the trail of their account transactions. To make sure the bad guys don’t get suspicious, Sam also has to steal $50,000 and plant emails to make it look like an inside job.

The skills of a top-secret agent seem to gel well with the high-concept criminal life; scaling around the building, rappelling through the skylight to the lobby floor, disabling security lasers and finally a flashy electric pulse to unlock the vault (with some expert assistance from a incarcerated bank robber directing Fisher from his prison cell).

It’s a great concept for a mission and the banter between Fisher and his team makes it seem like they don’t have a care in the world; breaking in is a piece of cake and the hired goons guarding it are in no way a threat.

There is also a nice little reference to Sam having previously raided this bank back in 1989 while he was with the Navy SEALs, giving a little indication of Sam’s life before Third Echelon, and Grim remarking that while he was in a ditch during the Gulf War she was still in tenth grade.

The funny lines keep coming when the laser grid for the bank comes online. Grim says lasers reminder of the 90s, but Sam says that laser remind him of the 70s, before he chastises Grim for making him feel old.

Once Sam is in the vault and holding $50,000 worth of currency, he negotiates a pay raise from his boss Lambert.

“Hm…twenty-five cents an hour and not a penny more.”

“Deal.”

***

Splinter Cell: Double Agent (Version 1) – Shanghai, Jin Mao Hotel

There were two versions of Double Agent that were released in 2006, one for the “last-gen” of consoles (such as the PS2 and Original Xbox) and one for the at-that-point cutting edge of technology, the Xbox 360. The 360 version is known as Version 1.

The team at Ubisoft Shanghai knew they needed to show off the incredible graphical capabilities of the new generation and crafted some beautiful levels, like the opening geothermal plant in Iceland or a cruise ship off the coast of Mexico. But I’m going for the height of spectacle.

“Shanghai” tasks Sam with listening in on a terrorist weapons deal and steal notes containing valuable intel, pretty standard stuff. The problem is the meeting is taking place in the 88-floored Jin Mao Hotel (a real-life location). Fisher isn’t present for the meeting, so he has to climb along the outside of the hotel and record through the windows. Tom Cruise eat your heart out.

The scenery is stunning, taking place on Chinese New Year, the city and sky awash with bright colours, while light rain lashes against Sam as he descends to the meeting room. Once Sam has successfully recorded the meeting he then has to infiltrate the hotel room of his target for intel.

The New Year party continues inside, with a giant illuminated dragon filling the atrium and guards patrolling the circular walkways surrounding the sculpture.

I always liked how Splinter Cell locations were grounded; office buildings, embassies, skulking through city streets. But every now and then the series pulls a stunner out of the hat, and “Shanghai” takes the title of “Best Looking Level” in the entire series.

***

Splinter Cell: Double Agent (Version 2) – New York City

Version 2 of Double Agent is quite different to Version 1. While they follow the same basic story beats, the missions and intricate story parts are much more varied, with certain levels being exclusive to either version. “New York City” is a mix between both, having similar gameplay but a different location.

The story of Double Agent is exactly that, Sam going undercover as a double agent, infiltrating a terrorist organisation and tasked with taking down from the inside. Throughout the game Sam has to keep both the terrorists and the NSA happy, with a trust meter tallying whether he is a traitor or not.

The opening cutscene for “New York City” ends with Sam’s cover being blown and the terrorists knowing he is coming to stop them. The small set-up is excellent with the already nervous terrorists now or high-alert about the traitor close by.

When Sam grabs enemies they cuss him out and fire off sarcastic insults, but the best interactions are when Sam has to deal with the friends he has made in the organisation. The first two characters that Sam has to kill are Sykes and Jamie.

Sykes is the tech nerd of the group, not a hardened terrorist like his comrades and he begs for his life and for Sam to let him escape. It’s rather uncomfortable to witness his desperation.

Jamie was Sam’s ticket into the terrorist organisation, helping him break out of a prison in one of the earliest missions.

When Sam grabs Jamie here, Jamie believes they are still friends and that the boss, Emilie, is wrong. He tries to get Sam to be reasonable, but Sam has to break Jamie’s illusion that they are friends. Again, it’s uncomfortable to see Jamie’s convictions fall away as Sam must do what needs to be done.

Another terrorist member, Enrica, has begun a small romance with Sam throughout the game. They plant to run away together at the end, but another Splinter Cell agent kills her before they can go. Sam then kills the other agent in a fit of rage.

It’s a great character moment, of Sam stepping fully over the line, seeing the cool and collected spy we know break down, before fleeing into the darkness at the end of the game.

***

Splinter Cell: Conviction – Kobin’s Mansion

While Splinter Cell: Conviction is seen as a lesser game by hardcore fans due to its faster pace and focus on action rather than stealth, it still has its fair share of well-designed playgrounds of fun.

Late-game missions like Third Echelon HQ (where Sam has to infiltrate his old company) or the delightfully absurd finale in the White House are fun locations, but the best is actually the second level, “Kobin’s Mansion”.

Following the trail of his daughter’s killers, Sam with infiltrating a mansion in Malta that has been taken over by arms dealer and all round scumbag Andriy Kobin.

Starting in the street outside, the level is reminiscent of levels like Georgia’s Old Town or Jerusalem from he first two games. Sam can recon around the mansion, finding the best entryway into the building, using a broken car-door mirror as a makeshift snake cam.

The mansion, having at one time been a fortress on the Valetta coast, is a perfect blend of old and new, glass panelling alongside Renaissance architecture. Exposed piping and inconsistent lighting fixtures allow Sam to slip by unseen, and his acrobatics are on full display as he climbs outside the building on numerous occasions to get the drop on enemy guards.

The final room where Kobin and his goons are waiting is great climax, with the best players being able to methodically take out the entire room in a few quick motions (bonus points for using the shotgun like John Wick) and then interrogating Kobin, smashing his head against a grand piano.

***

Splinter Cell: Blacklist – American Consumption

Splinter Cell: Blacklist was seen as a return to form for the series, bringing Sam Fisher back into the spy world as the head of the new “Fourth Ecehlon” team.

The story concerned itself with a new terrorist group called The Engineers, former spies that began waging a secret war against the United States, called The Blacklist.

The Blacklist is focussed on American interests, each with a name. “American Fuel” targeted a natural gas terminal, “American Freedom” focussed on travel links. The best mission, and best Blacklist attack is the first one; “American Consumption”.

Terrorists have taken several hostages in a shopping mall and are negotiating with police, giving Sam enough time to slip in and stop the Blacklist attack.

It’s the first night-time mission of the game, with the shopping mall decorated for Christmas. Diary lights dangle from beams, fake snow litters the ground, and a little wooden village has been set up in the main hall.

It’s the perfect playground for Sam, climbing across the rafters to avoid detection or sliding from gingerbread house to model train, hiding in the shadows for a goon to pass by.

Sam quickly saves the hostages being held, and feels the mission is too simple and obvious for the Blacklist.

Fourth Echelon do some quick research and realise that the shopping mall is next to the city’s water filtration station The terrorists have taken over the station and are planning to dump chemical weapons into the city’s water supply (a nice twist on the meaning of “American Consumption”).

The filter station is a maze of ladders, walkways, and tunnels, with zero solid cover. Not to mention that the terrorists have positioned two chemical dumps at either end of the station, leading Sam to have to make a mad dash to stop both bombs in time.

Splinter Cell: Blacklist blended the faster pace of Conviction with design reminiscent of Chaos Theory, making “American Consumption” one of the best levels in the series.

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The Best Levels from the Tomb Raider Series

May 8, 2025October 10, 2025Posted in Video GamesTagged Angel of Darkness, Best Levels, Core Design, Crystal Dynamics, Design, Games, gaming, Hardest Levels, I-III, IV-VI, Lara Croft, LAU, Remaster, Remastered, St Francis' Folly, Story, Tomb Raider, Video GamesLeave a comment

Two of my top-played games of the last year are Tomb Raider: Remastered I-III and IV-VI.

These are remasters of the first six games in the Tomb Raider series, originally released from 1996 to 2003.

The releases have delighted both longtime fans and newcomers with improved graphics and updated technology, bringing some of Lara’s most iconic moments back into mainstream gaming culture.

Since I finished the remasters, I got curious on following up the later games in the series, and hope soon they are also remastered and packaged just like the rest of the series.

But now after a good few months of my life has been dedicated to Lady Lara Croft, I decided it was time for my rankings of the best levels in each game. The series has designed some great locations over nearly thirty years and so I wanted to celebrate them here today. Let’s start!

Tomb Raider (1996) – St Francis’ Folly

I’m already courting controversy with this pick. It’s widely accepted amongst the TR community and in gaming that the best level of the original game is the third level, “Lost Valley”. It’s the level where Lara comes face-to-face with a T-Rex.

And while yes, it’s quite amazing when the T-Rex theme kicks in and the dinosaur appears out of the pitch-black draw distance, the rest of the level is standard jungle/cave exploring. Instead, my level choice is both iconic and a technical marvel.

“St Francis’ Folly” is the 2nd most-famous level of the first game. A hidden complex underneath a Greek Monastery, “St Francis’ Folly”’s main structure is its high-point (metaphorically and literally); a broken central column where one mis-step will send Lara plummeting to the ground below.

Lara must traverse the central pillar and face devious challenges based on four Greek gods; Atlas, Damocles, Neptune, and Thor (I know none of these are either Greek or technically gods, I’m just going by the game).

Each of these challenges; escaping a boulder, slowly working through a room while swords drop towards you, being pulled down into a bottomless pool of water, and walking under a giant hammer, would have made the level iconic.

But pair all of those with the central column (which you can’t even see the bottom of from the top platform) makes this one of the best levels in the entire series.

Tomb Raider II – 40 Fathoms

Again, this will probably raise some eyebrows in the TR community.

TRII has some iconic levels, such as the opening sequence on the Great Wall of China or the final level where Lara seemingly slips into an alternate dimension of floating jade islands, flying statues, and walls of fire.

But for me, “40 Fathoms” is the best due to its starting location. Having stowed away on a bad guy airplane and landing at an oil rig, Lara learns a magical item is lying inside a sunken ship and the bad guys are sending divers down to collect it.

Lara hitches a ride on the outside of the submarine heading to the wreck, but sharks attack the submarine and cause it to crash, leaving Lara alone in the cold and dark water.

That’s where the level starts; The submarine’s lights flicker out and it begins to sink, sharks begin to circle, and Lara’s air supply begins to tick down.

There is a quote from Toby Gard, lead designer of the first Tomb Raider game, about the Neptune trial in “St. Francis’ Folly”.

“The moment you step into [the pool], it would suck you all the way down to the bottom and I wanted to get this feeling of that terror of being deep underwater and knowing you can hardly swim back.” (13:41)

That feeling, that idea, is beautifully replicated here in “40 Fathoms”; it is pure, undiluted terror. The dark void surrounding you, knowing there are monsters out there, your air supply running out, and having no clue where to go…that’s why it’s on the list and why it’s my favourite level in all of Tomb Raider.

Tomb Raider III – Nevada Desert

Okay, this is the first of my level choices that might be more widely accepted.

Actually, there are quite a few levels that might have been in this spot. TRIII has some great levels across four widely different biomes and any of the opening levels to these mini-adventures could have been in this spot.

“Antarctica” is cold and windy, “Jungle” in India feels muddy and damp, “Thames Wharf” in London is dark and rainy, and “Coastal Village” in the South Pacific feels tranquil and isolated. But I decided to go with “Nevada Desert” as my pick because it feels unique to the series.

The landscape is beautifully otherworldly, a mixture of open plains, quicksand, glacial canyons, and rivers, giving Lara the full aspect of climbing, jumping and swimming throughout the level. It feels like a proper extreme sports vibe that Lara would chase after.

Starting with Lara sliding down into the desert basin, the atmosphere is top-notch, giving a great sense of the dry and hot landscape we have to traverse through. Vultures circle ahead and snakes hide in the tall grass, waiting for Lara to stumble close enough to attack.

And then as we climb to the top of the rock formations, black stealth aircraft begin flying just over Lara’s head, showing us that we are not alone in this supposed wasteland. We soon find a water dam station and high security fences, leading to Lara stealing a quad bike to jump the barbed wire and land in…Area 51 (yeah, that happened).

Let’s not forget Lara’s outfit for the location as well, trading in the classic green top and shorts for a black crop top and baggy blue camo pants, showing how raiding tombs (or breaking into military bases) can still be done with style.

Tomb Raider IV: The Last Revelation – Desert Railroad

The Last Revelation, despite only being set in Egypt, has some excellent locations. Driving a jeep across the desert in “KV5”, climbing up “The Great Pyramid” during the apocalypse, or facing devious traps in “The Tomb of Seth”, The Last Revelation does deliver.

But one level stands out amongst the rest and is truly iconic.

“Desert Railroad” might not feature temples or tombs, but facing bad guys on a moving train is the most cinematic level in all of classic TR. While it’s probably all very simple repeated graphics speeding past or under the train, just the fact we are on a moving object is great.

There isn’t much too the story or gameplay, just Lara needing to traverse over, under, and through the train to reach the back and collect a crowbar, to then go all the way back to the front and unhook the cars behind.

The level is very heavy on combat as bad guys pop out from hidden hatches or jump aboard from jeeps running alongside the train. Combat has never been TR’s strong point, but the spectacle of backflipping while on a speeding train will never get old. You can see where Naughty Dog got their idea for the train level in Uncharted 2.

And the final cherry, seeing Lara get caught under the train with a crunch if she misses a jump…oof it looks painful.

Tomb Raider: Chronicles – Old Mill

Tomb Raider: Chronicles took a different approach to storytelling than the other games, instead treating players to mini-missions throughout Lara’s life.

One section, set on an island off the coast of Ireland, sees teenage Lara sneak aboard a ship belonging to her family friend Father Patrick and comes face to face with the undead and demons that haunt the island.

After passing an undead man hanging from a Gallow’s Tree and being chased by a werewolf through a Labyrinth, Lara then has to save Father Patrick from an undead knight who has been trapped in an Old Mill.

The setting is creepy enough with musical stings and otherworldly sounds. Lara being a teenager means she doesn’t have any of her weapons yet, so combat is non-existent, meaning you have to run away or outwit every creature.

Old Mill has one standout monster, the Sea Hag. Lara is tasked by the knight to stop the water flow of the mill, and so she must journey into the nearby lake. The Sea Hag, like a mermaid without skin, lives in the lake and will attack Lara if she catches her.

Lara has to stealthy swim around the Hag, luring her into a cage so other demons can fish the Hag out of the water, allowing Lara to proceed into the underwater caves.

Outside of the lake there are several nasty traps of water that will pull Lara to her doom, as well as the rickety roof of the mill and surrounding houses, that Lara has to jump between.

It’s really cool to see this little level from such a height and a treat that the original TR theme is slowly interwoven into the music.

Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness – Louvre Galleries

The Angel of Darkness turned the series on its head when it was released, playing more into an occult murder mystery than a straight treasure seeking adventure.

While some of its levels were a bit too modern or hi-tech in my view (things like derelict apartment complexes in Paris or a sanitarium filled with monsters), one of Lara’s earlier goals requires breaking in to one of the most guarded buildings in the world; The Louvre Galleries.

The Louvre is such a cool setting for a game and still fits with the general Tomb Raider aesthetic. Lara must slowly work her way through the galleries, stealthily taking out guards and slipping past laser trip wires, even climbing above the Mona Lisa to enter an air vent shaft.

Even from there it’s not smooth sailing for Lara, sneaking through tunnels and eventually outside and scaling the side of the building to reach locked off sections of the museum.

It recalls the style of The Da Vinci Code, of priceless relics giving clues to further adventures, the cunning grave robber effortlessly passing by security hazards to get to their goal. It’s such a standout level, echoed in games such as Uncharted 2, and I’m surprised the series hasn’t tried going back to a museum for a similar mission.

Tomb Raider: Legend – King Arthur’s Tomb?

Tomb Raider: Legend was the first game from Crystal Dynamics, who took over the series after the critical and commercial failure of The Angel of Darkness.

They brought Lara back to the tombs and exotic locales while also updating the controls for the modern day. The level “King Arthur’s Tomb?” Seems to have been designed from the ground up to be THE level to test the player’s mastery over Lara’s acrobatics.

Starting in a novelty King Arthur theme park before making our way underground into a crumbling and flooded tomb, The level focuses on precise jumping, evading, and climbing skills, with breakaway floors, fire pits and hidden blades in walls all waiting for Lara to slip up.

My favourite section is a large stairwell leading down into the tomb, the only issue being the stairs have fallen away to time, leading Lara to have to scale down using the small natural outcroppings in the walls and her handy grapple as a makeshift rope swing, flinging herself from wall to wall in order to not tumble down to the bottom.

After navigating through several flooded chambers (using coffins to float along), Lara is deposited into a giant lake, with a beautiful and towering tomb built for King Arthur. The tomb is not unguarded though, with a giant serpent living below its depths. It can’t be killed by conventional means, so Lara must use the environment to defeat it.

Tomb Raider: Anniversary – Midas’ Palace

Tomb Raider: Anniversary is a remake of the first Tomb Raider game, updating the levels and visuals to fit with the new gameplay introduced in Legend.

Some levels like “St. Francis’ Folly” have hardly changed a bit, where some like “Tomb of Tihocan” have been radically changed (to the point of being cut). The level here is a bit of both, remaining faithful but adding its own unique twist, and it just so happens to be my favourite.

“Palace Midas” in the original game was a sprawling trek through multiple cave systems and rock formations, finding a palace that had gone through cave-ins and destruction, seeing the few remaining rooms and columns (and only the feet and hand of what would have been an impressive Midas statue).

Anniversary decides to give the players what the palace would have looked like in its time. The opening room is impressive enough with beautiful polished marble, hanging gardens, and small waterways on the balconies above.

The player in Anniversary enters the level through a large set of door at the other end of the main room, framing the complete Midas statue at the other end, allowing its space to dwarf Lara in comparison.

The side rooms, essentially mini-tests of agility and speed have been pushed to the extreme. No longer are they simple platform leaps around spikes or spits of fire, the platforms move up and down and the hazards are numerous.

And since it’s Midas’ Palace, I can’t not mention the optional death where Lara is turned to gold.

Tomb Raider: Underworld – Bhogovati

Tomb Raider: Underworld still has some of the best looking environments in gaming up to this day.

With locations ranging from hidden temples in both the Mediterranean and Article Sea, overgrown complexes in the Mexico jungle (and having to use a motorbike to quickly move between them), and even a fun delve into the undiscovered caverns of Croft Manor, they are some of my favourites in the entire series.

But “Bhogovati” is one of the highest rated levels in the whole Tomb Raider community. Set in a forgotten temple on the coast of Thailand, the level is a greatest hits of both old and new Tomb Raider.

We start by swimming through crystal clear blue waters of the Andaman Sea to then scaling the rocky cliffs overloaded with vines. Once player reach the top of the cliff, players are greeted with a beautiful sight; an undiscovered temple looming high in the distance, perfectly framed against the sky.

Once inside, the level keeps getting better, with a multilayered puzzle involving two huge statues that Lara must control using levers and pulleys, getting both in the correct position to move forward.

It’s pure and classic Tomb Raider, a perfect blend of platforming, puzzling, and excellent atmosphere.

Tomb Raider (2013) – Cry for Help/A Road Less Traveled

Tomb Raider (2013) was a major shake up to the Lara Croft formula. Gone was the cool and collected Ms. Croft and instead a younger and naive adventurer on her first of many expeditions.

The level design was also radically changed; instead of individual levels and tombs, now the game was set on one island with Lara being able to go anywhere she wanted.

With this nomination, I’m cheating a little as it is two “missions”, but they lead into each other perfectly.

In “Cry for Help”, Lara is tasked with climbing a radio tower to send a distress signal. It’s a great character moment, of Lara having to stamp down her fear, the wind and snow whipping at her as she climbs higher and higher.

When Lara reaches the top and figures out how to send the signal, a radio message from a search and rescue plane comes through loud and clear. It’s a great moment of tension release, of knowing that help is on the way. The first time I played it, I remember I actually sighed with relief.

As the plane comes in to land, clouds begin to billow and lightning strikes, sending the aircraft plummeting towards Lara. She throws herself down the mountain side as the plane crashes, wings and turbines threatening to crush her.

Once Lara finally escapes from the plane’s downward trajectory, she begins to follow the distress signals of the two pilots through a cliffside village and the level “A Road Less Traveled”.

The setting is perfect for platforming and acrobatics, while also being a cool from a visual standpoint. The wooden houses and huts are attached to the cliff with nothing but a few beams and ropes, small stone pathways jut out from the cliff face like wayward teeth, and war banners (that Lara uses like a trapeze artist) flutter in the breeze.

Tomb Raider (2013) does a great job of making the player feel absolutely isolated in a dangerous world, and “Cry for Help” and “A Road Less Traveled” perfectly illustrates it.

Rise of the Tomb Raider – The Prophet’s Tomb

Rise of the Tomb Raider follows 2013’s level design principle by having only one location for the game, taking place in a magical valley in Siberia.

But the game does feature one extra location for its opening section, “The Prophet’s Tomb” in Syria.

Following clues to an apparent immortal being buried in a hidden oasis, Lara races against nefarious bad guys in order to uncover the secrets of the tomb before they do.

“The Prophet’s Tomb” is like “Bhogovati” before it, a great modern take on classic Tomb Raider. It switches mechanics from platforming and puzzling, juggling quieter tension-building moments with the usual break-neck destructive set-pieces.

The setting is gorgeous; a huge desert mountain gorge lined with Greek columns and marble with the structure slowly deteriorating as both time and Lara make their mark.

Inside the first few ante-rooms are skeletal knights and spike traps. Christian murals cover the walls, telling a story of the Vatican hunting down the same prize Lara is after.

The central burial room is awe-inspiring, with flowing waterfalls and gilded structures, and a puzzle that throws back to the first Tomb Raider with having to flood areas to change the water level to proceed.

It’s a great mini-location and my only wish was that it lasted a bit longer.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider – Hunter’s Moon

Shadow of the Tomb Raider sets itself in Peru for the majority of the game. But just like Rise before it, Shadow has a mini-location of its opening, here being Mexico.

And once again I’m choosing one of the opening missions as the best level, because they are excellent updates to classic Tomb Raider.

Starting in the dead of night in Cozumel, a island off the coast of Mexico, Lara is hot on the heels of bad guys who think they know the entrance to a hidden temple.

Following close behind, “Hunter’s Moon” begins with Lara scaling around the rocky cliffs to the secret cave entrance with nothing bull rolling white water below her.

The landscape is awe-inspiring, especially when Lara gets to rappel down from the cliffs, admiring the scenery while being suspended in the air is something I’ll never get tired of.

Once inside the cave, Lara is forced to swim through a flooded cenote. While there are a few pockets of air to help along, there are hazards like eels that wrap themselves around Lara, choking out precious air supply.

The final swim harkens back to the Neptune Room and “40 Fathoms”, as Lara is having to squeeze through rock formations to reach the surface, getting stuck and having to force herself through. I remember I actually held my breath in anxiety until she surfaced.

Climbing out of the water leads straight to the underground temple, and when I say underground temple I mean there is a huge Mayan Pyramid built in the cave system.

The lighting and shadow look amazing here and I love the way puzzles circle the pyramid, getting us closer and closer as we figure out each one. Once there Lara steals the shiny object…and unwittingly sets off the apocalypse, a great inciting incident for the rest of the game.

It’s quintessential Tomb Raider, and that’s why it completes the list of the best levels in the Tomb Raider series.

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The Best Levels from the Entire Hitman Series

May 24, 2022January 9, 2023Posted in Video GamesTagged 47, Best Levels, Design, Games, Hitman, Hitman 2016, Hitman 3, Io Interactive, Online, Project 007, Providence, Ranked, Series, tomclement1, Video GamesLeave a comment

I recently finished Hitman 3 and absolutely loved it. The game, no, the entire World of Assassination trilogy, starting in 2016, has been one of the greatest gaming experiences I have ever had.

IO Interactive really pulled out all the stops for this trilogy, with stunning locations, unique scenarios, and one of the most personal and human stories in the AAA gaming scene. The reboot, which is now over five years old, still looks beautiful even when running off an ageing PS4.

Today I wanted to talk more about the locations Agent 47 visits in his grand tours around the world. The series is known for creating some of the most breath-taking and intricate levels in gaming, so I wanted to rank the best locations from every single game, starting with Codename 47 from 2000 up until the most recent game from 2021. Let’s start!

Hitman: Codename 47 – “Traditions of the Trade”

Despite being over twenty years old, the original Hitman has one of the best levels the series has ever devised, containing a perfect blend of location and eliminations.

“Traditions of the Trade” sees 47 head to the Hotel Galar in Budapest (based on the famous Hotel Gellért) to take out Austrian terrorists Frantz and Fritz Fuchs and collect a chemical bomb Frantz has planted in the hotel.

The level is absolutely stunning, giving the players an entire hotel to explore. In comparison to the other levels in the original Hitman, this one values player freedom and non-linear gameplay as the highest priority. There are zero waypoints to your targets, but the game gives you clues to where to start searching.

For example, what would be the first thing to do in a hotel? Maybe check-in at the front desk. When you sign the guest book, you see one of the target’s room numbers. It’s so simple but perfectly logical, and the entire series has made a habit of including details like these.

The hotel is a nice and calm setting, you’re not immediately being hunted or needing to be stealthy. But that doesn’t mean the level is easy to beat. Security is tight (the hotel is about to host the UN, hence the threat of a terrorist event) so players have to work within the limitations set.

Metal detectors are placed at the entrance of the hotel, meaning you can’t bring any weapons with you. That’s something quite revolutionary for the series, you can complete the level without firing a single shot.

Some unique kills and scenarios (staples of the series) are present here, such as trapping Fritz in a sauna and turning up the heat, and jumping from balcony to balcony to reached Frantz’s bathroom, the only place he isn’t surrounded by guards.

Despite its simple premise, “Traditions of the Trade” is a quintessential Hitman level, with it being the template for many locations throughout the series.

_{“Traditions of the Trade” is so iconic it was remastered for the 2004 game, Hitman: Contracts, almost unchanged in terms of gameplay. (Source: hitman.fandom.com)}

Hitman 2: Silent Assassin – “The Jacuzzi Job”

A short level, but a fun one due to the location alone. “The Jacuzzi Job” is the final section of three missions that see 47 head to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, chasing a hacker who has stolen a valuable missile software programme.

I absolutely love this set of missions purely due to the setting, the Petronas Towers, which at the time were the tallest structures in the world. And while the first mission set in the towers takes 47 to the basement, “The Jacuzzi Job” takes place in the penthouse suite.

To reach his target, 47 first has to traverse the roof of the skybridge between the two structures, before using a window-cleaning platform to reach what is, essentially, the top of the world. Taking place during a horrendous thunder storm, with rain lashing down the windows, the location is dark and creepy.

47 must make his way through a series of work offices before the penthouse, with the soft glow of the computers casting shadows across the smart yet mundane work spaces. This is then contrasted with the penthouse suite with its dark-red lighting fixtures, ostentatious architecture, and tacky signs of luxury.

The target, Charlie Sidjan, is surrounded by his female bodyguards (you could call them is ‘Angels’?), chilling in the jacuzzi as the level implies.

To not arouse suspicion from the authorities following Sidjan’s death, 47 has to make his hit look like a robbery gone wrong by stealing some tasteless yet expensive art. It’s an interesting inversion of the standard Hitman trope of being a ‘silent assassin’, leaving no evidence you were even there, making it stand out amongst the rest of the series.

_{Charlie with his ‘Angels’, with 47 waiting for the right moment to strike. (Source: hitman.fandom.com)}

Hitman: Contracts – “The Meat King’s Party”

Hitman: Contracts took a series already known for its dark tone and turned it up to eleven. While some fans think the mission “Beldingford Manor” is the better level, I think the “The Meat King’s Party” is the more iconic.

Set in Romania, 47 is tasked with killing slaughterhouse entrepreneur Campbell Sturrock, and his lawyer, Andrei Puscus.

Sturrock was accused of kidnapping the daughter of an ICA cilent (the International Contracts Agency, 47’s employers), but because of legal technicalities and a few bribes, Sturrock got away scott-free. 47 infiltrates the celebratory freedom party being hosted at one of Sturrock’s slaughterhouses to rescue the daughter and eliminate his targets.

The party is absolutely wild. A BDSM-inspired rave with leather-clad guests fuelled by opium pipes and dancing to a dark techno beat, strobe lights dancing off the clinical white walls and machinery, the location alone would be enough to grant its place on this list.

The main target is another highlight. Campbell Sturrock is absolutely grotesque. Morbidly obese, unable to leave his bed due to his size, and eating entire roast chickens with his hands, he is disgusting and vulgar, and one of the stand out targets of the entire series.

But the detail that makes “The Meat King’s Party” stick in the mind is The Girl. Kidnapped by Campbell before being handed over to his psychotic brother Malcolm, 47 finds the girl hanging upside down, her eyes gouged out and her severed arm on the floor under her. Car tree air fresheners hang from the ceiling with her. To one side is a shrine of sorts, and to another is a gramophone playing Paul Anka’s “Put Your Head On My Shoulder”.

And the most chilling part…despite Malcolm being the girl’s killer, Diana, 47’s handler, tells him the mission hasn’t changed. To get the perfect rating, Malcolm must survive. Even in Hitman’s twisted world, sometimes the bad guys still escape justice.

_{47 collecting ‘evidence’ of The Girl, truly ones of the most chilling moments in a series known for its dark tone. (Source: YouTube, Willzyyy)}

Hitman: Blood Money – “A House of Cards”

Hitman: Blood Money is widely considered to be the best game of the series. With improved AI, greater flexibility with kills, and a story that takes 47 all across America, it is still the benchmark for every subsequent game to compare itself against.

With levels such as “A Dance With The Devil” (a Heaven/Hell themed party filled with rival assassins) “Curtains Down” (killing the lead tenor during an opera house rehearsal) or “Amendment XXV” (killing the US Vice-President INSIDE the White House), it takes something special to stand out in Blood Money. For me, “A House of Cards” reaches that peak.

Set in a giant, Arabic-inspired hotel and casino, “A House of Cards” has three targets for 47 to eliminate, each one working on a different schedule, but crossing paths at set times. It creates a tense atmosphere when trying to juggle all the moving parts and manipulating events, making it that much more rewarding when the plan goes right.

It’s also remarkable how many ways you can take out your targets; catching them alone in their hotel suite, sniping them from the roof, strangling them in the elevator shaft, or even impersonating one of the targets and heading to a secret meeting with the others. With everywhere from the casino floor to the penthouse suites being available, it is truly one of the greatest of Blood Money’s stellar levels.

_{The Shamal Hotel & Casino sets the stage for one of the most intricate and layered missions in all of Hitman. (Source: hitman.fandom.com)}

Hitman: Absolution – “Attack of the Saints”

While Absolution is seen as a lesser game in comparison to its franchise, it still has a few stand-out levels.

Some favorites include “Run For Your Life”, with 47 on the run from the police, ending with him having to wait in a crowded metro station without being spotted, hiding amongst the civilians, before slipping away onto an incoming train.

Another is “One of a Kind”, where 47 visits his blind tailor, Tommy Clemenza, to fix him a new suit. It’s a small level, but adds so much to 47 and his world.

But the one I chose for this list is the big one, “Attack of the Saints”. First seen in a promotional teaser trailer, the Saints are a team of female assassins who are dressed in BDSM-inspired nun outfits. It’s a little out-there, but it fits into the grindhouse aesthetic Absolution goes with.

The Saints hunt 47 down to a seedy motel he’s laying low in, and proceed to blow up the entire complex. It’s the first time 47 has ever been caught completely off-guard, dressed in nothing but a skimpy bathrobe and having none of his gear, as the Saints close in to make sure the job is done.

The setting of the motel and surrounding landscape including Tiki bars, a mini-golf course, and cornfields, are the perfect variety of locations, giving us everything from tight hallways to open plains. The cornfield especially, it’s so much fun stalking through the long grass, silently taking out one Saint after another, with bonus points for dressing up as a scarecrow in the cornfield and hanging from his post.

It’s one of the few levels in Absolution that reaches to Blood Money’s success, giving us a variety of targets spread across the map and lets us get on with it, taking them out how we see fit. The Saints are touted as the best agents below 47 and are all heavily armed, so it does feel suitably badass to see 47 take down the people gunning for his job as top of the ICA.

_{The Saints in their debut appearance, the E3 ‘Attack of the Saints’ trailer, gearing up to take down 47. (Source: gamezone.de)}

Hitman (2016) – “World of Tomorrow”

To anyone that has played through Hitman (2016) the choice of this level is no surprise and for good reason. The second level of the World of Assassination trilogy takes 47 to Sapienza, a small fishing town in Italy, which hides a dark secret.

While the first mission of the reboot, “The Showstopper” (set in Paris), was an excellent first step for the game, “World of Tomorrow” was the perfect follow-up. The location is amazing; a beautiful sea-side town, complete with cafes, winding narrow streets, and even beaches.

The targets, two bio-engineers, are housed in an impressive manor built amongst ancient castle ruins, with spectacular gardens and walkways and even an observatory dome complete with giant telescope.

But the location that makes “World of Tomorrow” such a memorable level is the almost sci-fi chemical weapons laboratory underneath the small town. Hitman has always had a little dash of sci-fi (I mean, 47 is a result of a Cold War cloning experiment), but this feels like something straight out of a James Bond film (funnily enough, IOI are now working on a 007 game, which I have previously written about).

Along with the two targets, 47 is tasked with destroying the virus they had been working on. It’s always fun when the levels ask us to do more than just kill targets, such as crack safes or even destroying organs ready for transplant surgery. What’s even better, there is more than one way to destroy the virus, one remotely and one more up-close and personal, catering to different play styles.

Player freedom is at an all-time high in “World of Tomorrow”, with several ways of killing the targets, anything from shooting down a plane using a cannon (from the castle walls), to using an explosive golf ball when a target practices their drive.

The location, tied with the signature eliminations, makes it one of the best levels the series has to offer.

_{Death and destruction are always an inch away in Sapienza, where 47 hunts down the greatest minds of their generation. (Source: hitman.fandom.com)}

Hitman 2 (2018) – “The Ark Society”

Hitman 2 expanded on its predecessor’s work with more intricate level design, distinctive scenarios for each location, and more unique ways to eliminate a target.

Levels such as “The Finish Line”, set at a Miami racing event (with one target driving their prototype vehicle), “Chasing a Ghost”, set in the Mumbai slums (where 47 has to deduce who one of his targets is), and “The Last Resort”, set in the Maldives (with targets hiring you mid-mission to enact their own schemes) are absolutely stunning and worthy of taking 2nd place on this list. But for me, the top place has to go to “The Ark Society”.

Set on a remote North Atlantic island off the coast of Scotland, “The Ark Society” is mesmerising as a location. The main complex is a medieval castle with burial sites, chapels, and a maze of sewer tunnels underneath, yet has a giant glass meeting box perched atop the keep, a dash of modernity clashing with the ancient.

The Ark Society are a collection of wealthy elites, plotting how they will survive the apocalypse, designing remote cities to flee to, researching new ways to extend their lives, and checking out the newest and most lucrative tech companies to invest in.

And because it’s a party, everyone is donned in formal wear and domino masks, aside from the higher level members, who have ceremonial robes.

It’s all pomp and circus, pageantry and playing at running the world, yet it is the perfect hunting ground for 47.

The two targets, the leaders of The Ark Society, are twin sisters coming from a nouveau riche family. To prove they belong with the old money members, they enact crazy schemes like placing themselves inside a phoenix effigy or putting prospective members through a polygraph test and electroshock torture.

The great twist on this level is the VIP, The Constant. 47 wants to extract him for later interrogation, but the twins are under strict orders that if The Constant becomes compromised then they have authority to use a “kill switch”. Inside The Constant’s head is a poison chip, and each twin has a detonator on them to use at any point. Before 47 can secure The Constant, he needs to be in possession of both switches.

It’s a cool theme, taking away a small amount of freedom to make players feel tense, having to ‘protect’ someone from the other targets has been done before but not to this extreme.

“The Ark Society” is an amazing level and the perfect crescendo to Hitman 2.

_{The blend of the old and the new makes The Isle of Sgàil one of the most memorable and unique locations of the entire series. (Source: hitman.fandom.com)}

Hitman 3 – “Apex Predator”

Some fans of Hitman 3 will say that “Death In The Family” is the best mission of the game. It’s a good candidate; set in an old country manor in Dartmoor, England, and featuring a Knives Out-inspired murder mystery that the player can solve…but for me “Apex Predator” takes the top honour.

The set up; 47 is on the run from his own people and the shadowy Providence faction. It’s not the first time that 47 has been hunted, but after being possibly betrayed by his long-time handler and friend, Diana, 47 is at rock-bottom. He plans to meet his only other contact, Olivia, in Berlin, but just as he zeroes in on her location she tells him to abort their mission.

47’s employer, the ICA, has found the duo, with agents having orders to shoot on sight. Olivia is ready to cut and run, but 47 calmly tells her to keep her head down, signing off with, “I’ll take care of this.”

“Apex Predator” has one of the best locations of the entire series. IO Interactive love setting missions in clubs. We’ve had “The Meat King’s Party” in Contracts, “A Dance With The Devil” in Blood Money, and “Hunter and Hunted” in Absolution.

“Apex Predator” builds upon Blood Money‘s club setting, even keeping the Hell motif, with the name of the nightclub being Club Hölle, and expanding the rival agents from two in Blood Money to twelve in Hitman 3.

Set in a disused nuclear power plant and based on the infamous and iconic Berghain nightclub, it is disorientating and imposing. Between the three separate dance floors, coat rooms, smoking areas, juice bars, back rooms filled with gun-toting bikers, and even the DJ booth, it is an excellent sandbox for the player.

The best part though, the player has no idea who the enemy agents are. Disguised amongst the party goers, club security, bar staff, and more, it is a real unique and discomforting experience, not knowing if the next person you bump into is one of your hunters.

As the level goes on, 47 gets hold of an earpiece and listens in on the handler controlling the operation and the cocky agents who don’t realise they are in way over their heads.

As 47 picks off each agent, the handler, Jiao, becomes more and more panicked, eventually calling off the mission once enough agents are dispatched. If the player manages to kill all twelve, Jiao remarks, “Expertly done, 47. Expertly fucking done.”

It’s a small moment, but paired with 47’s line, “I’ll take care of this”, it elevates the level into iconic territory. Despite being hunted by some of the ICA’s most accomplished and battle-hardened assets, 47 is…well, the apex predator.

The variety of kills is astonishing, with everything from dropping lighting fixtures onto the dance floor, to arranging a closed door meeting with several assassins, where 47 reveals his identity before getting into a raging gun fight.

The location, paired with the excellent set up and loop of hunting and being hunted, make it quite possibly my favourite level of the entire series.

_{Death awaits 47 on the dance floor of Club Hölle, the main location of “Apex Predator”. Source: pcgamer.com.}

_{Banner Photo Source: playstationlifestyle.com}