HITMAN World of Assassination – Signature Edition from IO Interactive is the definitive way to experience everything the HITMAN franchise has to offer. It contains the three campaigns from the mainline games as well as additional missions to expand the experience. I had a chance to play HITMAN World of Assassination – Signature Edition on the Nintendo Switch 2, experiencing the full package on the go.
HITMAN World of Assassination – Signature Edition puts players in the shoes of Agent 47 as he sets out to take out various targets in myriad locales. Some are luxurious and beautiful, while others are dark and imposing. Every scenario is carefully crafted, giving a new experience in each level while allowing players to unlock new ways to tackle old objectives.
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The gameplay loop is great, and the ability to play on the go is a nice bonus. The freedom to pick up and play any mission without being stuck at a desk or in front of the TV gives the Switch 2 edition the potential to be the best way to enjoy the HITMAN experience. It is easy to drop into a mission and head off on another hair-raising assassination mission. However, there are some inevitable trade-offs when porting a game as massive as HITMAN to a handheld console, and these can be quite distracting.
HITMAN World of Assassination – Signature Edition sorely lacks visually on Switch 2.
HITMAN World of Assassination – Signature Edition is sorely lacking in visuals, often showing blurred assets and jagged edges. These can take away from the realism associated with the game, taking players out of the scenarios. Character models are especially hit or miss. When they are standing still, they look adequate, but in motion, they often lose their visual clarity more often than not. Dense crowds appear as a blur of faces rather than a group of distinct individuals.
Consistent frame drops make the visual downgrades even more frustrating. The trade-off would make sense if the downgraded visuals led to better performance, but that is not the case. The Switch 2 is much more powerful than its predecessor, so this shouldn’t be as big of a problem as it is. It is possible that future updates can fix some of these performance issues, but for now, they are borderline game-breaking.
While my time with HITMAN World of Assassination – Signature Edition was frustrating at times due to performance issues, something about the game keeps drawing me back in. Part of it is the added difficulty that comes with performance drops, forcing me to play slower and be more deliberate. This works with a game like HITMAN because taking your time is a part of the draw.
The Monarchique live arcade contract is a neat crossover, but not enough on its own.
The launch of the Monarchique live arcade contract coincided with the Switch 2 release, and it is an absolute highlight of the game. This mode features Mads Mikkelsen as Le Chiffre, his character from the James Bond film Casino Royale. Given the upcoming 007 game from IO Interactive, it is a neat crossover, but it offers enough to stand on its own merit. There are plenty of discoveries to be found, and it was the one mode that had me completely forgetting about any sort of performance issues.
HITMAN World of Assassination – Signature Edition on the Switch 2 is a bit of a mixed bag, with great gameplay hampered by disjointed visual performance. A few tweaks under the hood to improve performance would make this a must-buy for Switch 2 owners.
HITMAN World of Assassination – Signature Edition is out now on the Nintendo Switch 2.
