After pushing people to their deaths and killing them with high-speed bananas, there's only so much you can do in Hitman 3. You can either replay the older titles to get more mileage out of Agent 47 or you can keep boosting your assassination score for that Silent Assassin rating. There is another option of course, and that is looking for some hidden details that the developers cleverly disguised in the game.
These "details" come in the form of either Easter Egg references to other media, developer shenanigans, to even downright cryptic and bizarre messages. Being the way he is, Agent 47 is unfazed by these types of things. Players, however, will probably be weirded out or delighted at discovering some of these easy-to-miss details.
10 A Talking Hippopotamus
This little Easter Egg right here is likely the most outlandish of the bunch. Head on over to the Berlin area for the Apex Predator mission and be sure to grab a small Golden Idol tucked away in a safe. After that, Agent 47 is supposed to take the idol to a lone armchair suspiciously facing a dirty pond.
Place the idol on the armchair and then sit down. A few moments later, a hippo will surface from the said pond and talk to Agent 47. The said hippo will then blurt out some slightly inaudible words but they can be made out as warnings and advice about trust and betrayal. Strangely enough, it's best to take his advice at heart in 47's line of work.
9 Cardboard Box Nonsense
Even something as early as the first mission in Hitman 3 is already packed with some developer meta-jokes. After getting inside the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, players will be able to spot some cardboard boxes in one of the darker rooms in the area.
There are bar codes and even binary codes written on these boxes. Translating the binary codes will reveal it is a form of SOS by someone saying he's trapped inside the box. The other box with the bar code has an accompanying tiny text that literally says to stop wasting time.
8 Lord Of The Rings Reference
Of all the films Hitman 3 could have chosen to reference, the game picked Lord of the Rings. During The Farewell mission, players will be able to spot some Hobbit touches in a signboard. It says "No Admittance Except on Party Business."
Those very words were taken straight out of Bilbo Baggins' grumpy notice outside his house in The Shire. Funny enough, that same sign is placed in a vineyard of one of 47's targets – the head of the Providence group itself. Needless to say, that sign didn't stop 47.
7 Spongebob Squarepants Reference
In the same Apex Predator mission where the talking hippo is located, Agent 47 can spot an oddly placed bathtub full of murky water. Look a bit closer to see something vibrant and familiar. It's what appears to be a ripe pineapple submerged in the tub.
While perhaps a stretch, this could very well be a nod to someone who lives in a pineapple under the sea. Why else would it be there?
6 Untitled Goose Game Reference
As stylish and formal as Agent 47 might be, he has about the same destructiveness and sociopathy as another less civil video game character: the titular animal from Untitled Goose Game. Both of them cause "accidents" with every breath and are walking avatars of chaos.
That's why Hitman 3 didn't miss the chance to reference the goose. This Easter Egg is located at the Berlin level. Look for some concrete barriers in the outdoor parts of the area to find this anti-goose graffiti.
5 Covid-19 News Report
COVID-19 has delayed or hampered many video game developers. The virus has seemingly bled into Hitman 3 as some players have discovered that if you turn on the in-game radios, Agent 47 might be able to catch a news report about a lockdown due to COVID-19.
That's not all, in the first mission, one of 47's targets, Carl Ingram, makes an insensitive comment about the virus, implying that his situation at the Burj Khalifa is more uncomfortable compared to having the disease. Well, all the more reason to kill him with a banana peel.
4 Alien Abductions Exit
Next to actually assassinating your targets, extractions are one of the most nerve-wracking parts of Hitman 3. One extraction, however, is a lot more chill than the rest. That's because it involves some extraterrestrial help, with aliens seemingly abducting Agent 47 so he can get out of the mission area. Agent 47 has to punch in the numbers "1993" at a payphone for the creepily convenient ride out.
This secret exit is only available in the Berlin mission. Players have to set the starting location to anything except the Bus Stop. Instead of taking the traditional exit, players also need to get 47 to a gas station where the said payphone is located.
3 Allan's Detail Checklist
Some inside jokes are so legendary that they were immortalized in spades in Hitman 3. If fans can recall, there's a mission in Hitman: Blood Money where a developer named Allan forgot to add details into a sushi platter.
The community and the developers haven't forgotten. The latter even scattered some requests and demands for Allan to add some details written in in-game whiteboards and cardboard boxes. Sometimes they even appear in a foreign language. Allan just can't seem to catch a break.
2 47's Passcode Jokes
Did you forget a passcode or wish you knew them when infiltrating a secret room or opening a safe in Hitman 3? Instead of panicking, why not try to cheekily input "47," "420," "666," or "69?"
Because it turns out, Agent 47 doesn't live under a rock and knows the contemporary cultural connotations of those numbers. Thus, he'll react with some humorous commentary if a player punches in those codes, even if they're wrong. See? Even Agent 47 knows how to have fun.
1 Secret Ending
Last but not least is a rather shocking and Shyamalan-like secret ending to Hitman 3. During the final mission, Agent 47 is supposed to either kill Arthur Edwards or give him a taste of his own serum. However, there is a hidden 3rd option if the hitman waits at least 47 seconds while brandishing the serum syringe.
After 47 seconds, an option will appear to give the serum to Agent 47 instead, erasing his memories in the process. If this option is selected, Agent 47 wakes up in a padded cell that's implied to be the same cell where the players started in the very first Hitman game back in the year 2000. It could mean a lot of things for the future of the franchise or it could be nothing more than a bad ending. Either way, many players might have missed it after getting too excited about killing the final boss by throwing a stale muffin at him.