Hitman Episode 2 release date revealed

The second Hitman episode, Sapienza, will be released on April 26. Square Enix made the announcement today on Twitter with a short video, showcasing an inflatable alligator and a speedboat.

Sapienza is the name of the bright and sunny fictional Italian town where the next Hitman episode is set. As we saw in a previous trailer (below), this beautiful seaside location features all manner of explorable spaces, including a mansion and a medieval church, as well as alleyways and storefronts.

"Sapienza is a dense location full of challenges and packed with opportunities and stories for the enterprising player to unfold," Square Enix said back in October 2015. "And as with all locations within Hitman, dark secrets and engaging stories are everywhere to be found in charming Sapienza."

The location was originally going to be included with Hitman at launch, but when the decision was made to switch to an episodic release model, Sapienza was pushed to April. The next chapter after Sapienza is set in Morocco and is coming in May. The first Hitman episode, which is available now, takes place in Paris.

While you'll need to wait a little while longer for Sapienza, 10 new, vampire-themed challenges are now available in Hitman. They came to the game today as part of a new update that also improved loading times and fixed bugs, among other things.

For a closer look at Sapienza, check out the video below.

GameSpot's Hitman Episode 1 review scored it a 7/10.

"Hitman's opening act isn't ground-breaking, with a host of tiny problems lending it a dated feel," reviewer Peter Brown said. "When you drop a body into a freezer, there's no animation connecting the process together; there's a hard cut from dragging the body to hiding it. Load times are frustratingly long, lasting just under a full minute when reloading saves. This alone is especially disappointing, given how fun it can be to iterate on your methods by reloading saves and experimenting, a process that's tainted by extended downtime.

"However, Hitman's a veritable playground that will delight you with its open-ended design, comical NPCs, and contract creation tools. These qualities, and the flexibility to be as hardcore or laid back as you want, are much appreciated, even if they don't disguise Hitman's lesser qualities."