IO Interactive brought Hitman 3 to Nintendo Switch a few years ago, but it was not ideal. The release came in the form of a cloud version of the game, and players wanted a native version. Now with the Nintendo Switch 2, that wish has been granted with HITMAN World of Assassination – Signature Edition.
For those who are unaware, a quick explanation is that HITMAN World of Assassination – Signature Edition is a version of Hitman 3 that adds in Hitman 1 and 2 and combines it into one massive experience. But how does the game play on the Switch 2, and was it worth the wait?
HITMAN World of Assassination – Signature Edition is a brilliant game in its own right. In the games, you play as Agent 47 and have a series of missions, with your goals laid out before each one. The appeal of the games though, is the sheer amount of freedom in how you are able to go about your tasks.
You are able to handle the tasks in incredibly inventive and creative ways, and some can be done in a few minutes, while some can take over an hour. This may sound strange, but it is all in how you set it up. You have full freedom to go about the assassinations in any way, and you can amuse yourself with the various methods.
Set up traps, use hidden weapons, make use of an explosive disguised as an ordinary object, it is all here. The games are all about stealth and blending in, and this also allows for different approaches to be taken. Of course, there are ways to go in guns blazing, but that just is not as fun. Think of HITMAN World of Assassination – Signature Edition as a sandbox of ideas for you to play in and test out possibilities.
Okay, we are caught up on what Hitman is, but how does HITMAN World of Assassination – Signature Edition actually handle on the Nintendo Switch 2? Well that depends, are you playing this in handheld mode or in docked mode. You will have a different experience depending on which mode you choose, but the better performing mode may not be what you expect.
HITMAN World of Assassination – Signature Edition on the Nintendo Switch 2 targets 60 FPS, but struggles to reach that while docked. However, if you are playing in handheld mode, the system’s VRR helps manage the framerate to a better experience. In fact, while docked there are a lot of stuttering and other technical issues that are nowhere near the same problem while playing in handheld mode.
When playing in docked mode, the stuttering in gameplay, framerate issues and other technical problems are frustrating as all get out. The game’s visual resolution is also not what IO Interactive had promised and feels unacceptable.This makes the fact that HITMAN World of Assassination – Signature Edition runs so well in handheld mode so baffling. Playing in docked mode is supposed to make the games play better, but it is the other way around here.
Playing in handheld mode just feels great and the experience feels so smooth and seamless.Fortunately, IO Interactive has commented on the matter. According to IO Interactive, because HITMAN World of Assassination – Signature Edition was the developer’s first game for Switch 2, there were some growing pains in learning to develop for the system, and they are aware of the issues. IO Interactive is preparing a series of updates and patches for HITMAN World of Assassination – Signature Edition on Switch 2 and these will improve the performance in docked mode to get it to where it was supposed to be. and hey if it makes the handheld mode even better, that would be great as well.
Otherwise, this is HITMAN World of Assassination – Signature Edition, complete with the ability to skip to different missions if you want, while the game warns you that you are skipping parts of the experience. It lets you do this though, and to be honest, most are playing this game for the missions and not for the story, so playing the missions the way you like is the best. There is so much freedom of choice, like with the bonus content and Elusive Contracts ( the 007 crossover content was great), and you can select any mission you want on the start screen. Plus the Freelancer mode remains a fantastic experience, and is particularly suited to handheld play, making the experience very much worthwhile.
HITMAN World of Assassination – Signature Edition has a lot of issues on Switch 2 right now, but playing it in handheld mode is amazing and the entire experience is here for you to try. This is a great way to get into the games for a new player who wants to take the game on the go, and when IO Interactive fixes the issues with docked mode, this will become a perfect port. It may still have a bit of work that needs to be done on it, but IO Interactive is a developer I have faith in, and I honestly feel I can recommend HITMAN World of Assassination – Signature Edition based on the performance in handheld mode alone.
In fact, this may be the best game to show off how good the Switch 2’s handheld mode truly is, and that is an achievement in its own right. It shows how capable the hybrid system is in handheld mode and that it is no slouch when comparing it to docked mode. You may just find yourself deciding to keep playing in handheld mode even after the docked mode is fixed.
Either way, I do recommend HITMAN World of Assassination – Signature Edition on Switch 2, because it is a good experience and fixes are coming for the issues it does have, while there is a mode that is fully playable and enjoyable. Now go and be creative with your methods!
Disclaimer: A review key was provided.
