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There's an old adage that tragedy is easy, comedy is hard. Tragedy falls into more easily definable universal truths. We all grieve more or less the same things: the death of a loved one, abandonment, the deterioration of one's mind and body. Simply show a dog growing old waiting for its master never to return and watch the waterworks flow! But comedy? That's a tricky one as humour is entirely subjective. And even when the content is clever, the delivery of a gag could see the humour fly or flounder. Pause for a half second too long or talk a little too quick and you'll botch the punchline. It's all in the execution.As such, it makes sense that probably the funniest game I've ever played is about execution, literally. Indeed, Io Interactive's recent Hitman reboot is all about assassinating people. It's not exactly the most lighthearted topic, but the developer delivers this morbid premise in such a comical way that its grim subject matter only enhances its ludicrous follies by contrast.
What's strange about Hitman's tone is that it doesn't outwardly present itself as a comedy. The lavish CGI cutscenes laden with expensive-looking facial animations are delivered with the same sort of straight-laced machismo as a Tom Clancy title, and at a glance Hitman appears to be about a generic brooding monotone badass slaying corrupt corporate boogeymen. On the surface, this stuff is trashy at best and banal at worst.
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