[REVIEW] HITMAN: World of Assassination – Signature Edition | NINTENDO SWITCH 2

HITMAN: World of Assassination – Signature Edition is the latest iteration of IO Interactive’s biggest franchise, which has been available since launch on Nintendo Switch 2. The OG Nintendo Switch did have its own version of the game, albeit a Cloud Version, but the Nintendo Switch 2 edition is fully downloadable on console via the Nintendo eShop or Switch Key Card from physical retailers. The game itself is a culmination and a celebration of all things HITMAN.

It includes all three main Hitman games in one complete package plus a huge variety of content and game modes to keep players engaged for years. No joke, there is literally thousands of hours worth of content here in the form of missions, escalations, contracts and more, all of which I shall go into greater detail in this review. I will also note that for the purpose of this review, I will be referring to the game for the most part as simply HITMAN: World of Assassination.

To begin, lets start with the game’s story. In HITMAN: World of Assassination, players take on the role of Agent 47, a man with no recollection of his past but possesses incredible capabilities and highly skilled in assassination. He works for a secret agency that is contracted to take out hits on high profile targets that have been up to no good and to make sure he carries out his missions succesfully, Agent 47 has a handler called Diane who provides him with intel on his targets, their habits, and their locations. As for the targets themselves, they may be people who have rubbed certain powerful individuals up the wrong way, others may be planning a military coup to overthrow the government. It doesn’t matter that much to Agent 47. He is just a professional doing his job and it gets him paid.

At some point during the game, it is later revealed that a large number of hits conducted by Agent 47 have been on members of a mysterious Illuminati-esque organization called Providence and the contracts were issued by one particular and elusive client, known as the Shadow Client.

While the main overarching story of HITMAN: World of Assassination may seem like it has come out of a James Bond novel (ironic seeing that IO Interactive are actually working on a James Bond game as of writing this review), the dev team have given plenty of depth to the targets to make them feel much more three dimensional with actual lives and routines. You can even overhear NPC’s talking about the targets in question that can reveal opportunities that may help you dispatch more effectively or just provide additional insight into their daily lives. Even though, you will still ultimately unalive your targets, knowing a little bit more about each of them makes them feel that little bit more human and not just a virtual character awaiting inevitable deletion.

Right, well, with the general story out of the way, lets jump into the actual gameplay as this is what you all really want to know anyway. HITMAN: World of Assassination is a third-person action game that requires the player to use an element of stealth and creativity to complete their mission. Succesful assassinations that didn’t sound off any alarms or see innocent bystanders killed, will reward players with a high score and star ranking whereas the bashing down doors and going in all guns blazing will actually penalize the player with a lower score and no stars. How you play though, is up to you and is actually one of the things that makes this game so much fun as you can find your own particular playstyle and run with it, then mix it up when you want to try something different.

For argument’s sake, lets say you wish to take the silent approach to things. Each of the contracts take play in quite large sandbox areas and offer a large variety of ways that you can go about your business. If you want to take the Sniper Assassin approach, you can prop yourself up on the roof of a building and take out your target from afar. If you aren’t afraid to get your hands dirty, you can isolate your targets by distracting their gaurds or luring them away to a seclude area then take them out with fiber wire, a lethal injection, or wrestle them to the ground and give their neck a sharp twist.

Even elements of the environment can be used to take out your targets, spraying water over exposed electrical leads will give folks a nasty shock when they go over it. A well-placed shot to a chandelier can drop it on top of someone and no one would be the wiser, unless they saw you fire the gun, that is. Poisons and explosive charges can also do wonders if administered effectively and there are also a number of non-lethal weapons that you can use and even throw to knock out non-targets so you can get closer to the real mark. There are, of course, your typical firearms like pistols, submachine guns, rifles, and shotguns that you can equip and use in a pinch or if you just want to shoot everything to Hell. Hey, you do you. We aren’t ones to judge.

However, you play, it is worth mentioning that if you want your actions to go unnoticed, you will need to learn where and how to hide the bodies of unconscious or very dead NPCs. It is always best to drop your victims close to large lockers, disposal bins, or even refrigerators so that you can stick the bodies in them so nobody else finds a body lying on the floor and potentially give you away.

You can also steal the uniform or clothing from your victims and where them so you can sneak into restricted areas undetected. Most other characters won’t even give you a second glance if you are in the appropriate uniform but there are some NPC’s known as enforcers who know their staff and teams and will compromise you in an instant if you get too close. Try to avoid enforcers where you can or change your uniform to another that will help you get past them.

The main missions of HITMAN: World of Assassination that take place over HITMAN 1, 2, and 3 offer rather direct gameplay to get you used to the controls and game’s mechanics. It basically teaches you the fundamentals so you can get the most out of game. You can then use what you have learned to take on the many community-created contracts, escalation contracts, and elusive targets with much more variety and finesse as you’ll find there are many different ways to take out your targets, including some ways you may not have thought of previously.