Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded Review

The infrastructure for an exciting VR stealth game exists here, but the current implementation fails to do justice to either the source material or the platform

Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded brings IO Interactive's celebrated stealth-action game to Meta Quest 3, promising an immersive VR experience where players step into Agent 47's polished shoes. Unfortunately, this port falls significantly short of expectations, delivering a technically compromised and mechanically shallow adaptation that fails to capture what makes both Hitman and VR gaming special.

As the concluding chapter of the World of Assassination trilogy, Hitman 3 follows Agent 47 and his handler Diana Burnwood as they work to dismantle the secretive Providence organization. The story takes players across six diverse locations, from the gleaming heights of Dubai's tallest skyscraper to the neon-drenched streets of Chongqing, China.

The narrative framework remains intact, though many of the original's cinematic cutscenes have been stripped away or simplified, diminishing the story's impact. While the core premise and locations are preserved, the presentation lacks the polish and dramatic flair of other versions.

At its heart, Hitman is about methodical planning, disguise-based infiltration, and creative assassination. The basic systems are present in the VR version - you can still don different outfits, blend into crowds, and eliminate targets through various means. However, the VR implementation feels half-hearted and fails to leverage the platform's unique capabilities.

Most jarringly, many interactions that should feel natural and immersive in VR are reduced to simple button presses. Rather than physically crouching behind cover or reaching out to grab items, you're often pressing A to perform these actions. Climbing, opening doors, and even dragging bodies are similarly abstracted. While you can physically reach out to strangle targets or throw objects, these moments of genuine VR interaction only highlight how limited the rest of the experience feels.

The gunplay is particularly disappointing. Weapons lack weight and impact, with unrealistically slow bullet travel times that make firefights feel floaty and unsatisfying. Most egregiously, reloading is handled through automatic animations rather than physical interactions - a cardinal sin for VR shooting mechanics in 2024. When games like Pavlov and Contractors demonstrated proper VR weapon handling years ago, there's no excuse for such basic implementation here.

The visual presentation is perhaps the most immediately apparent issue. Even after the recent patch, Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded still looks significantly worse than many Quest titles with far smaller budgets. Textures are muddy and low-resolution, geometric detail is severely simplified, and lighting is flat and lifeless. The stylized approach hinted at in pre-release materials might have worked better than this awkward attempt at realism.

Performance issues compound these visual shortcomings. Frame drops and stuttering are frequent, particularly in larger areas or when surrounded by NPCs. The recent patch improved some areas like the Dubai level's lighting, but introduced new problems elsewhere - the Dartmoor mission now runs worse than before. Pop-in of textures and objects is constant and distracting, making it difficult to maintain situational awareness in a game that demands it.

The sprawling, intricate levels that define Hitman's sandbox design suffer greatly from these technical constraints. Areas that should feel alive and dynamic instead come across as sterile and artificial. NPCs frequently clone themselves, breaking immersion when you spot multiple identical characters having conversations. The reduction in crowd density and environmental detail makes previously impressive locations feel empty and unconvincing.

The road to redemption for Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded begins with a fundamental overhaul of its VR interactions. The current system of button presses and automated animations needs to be completely reworked in favor of natural, physical interactions that VR players expect in 2024. This means implementing proper manual reloading for all weapons, allowing players to physically interact with doors, items, and bodies, and creating an intuitive system for stealth and combat that takes full advantage of VR's unique capabilities.

The technical foundation requires extensive optimization work. The inconsistent frame rate and constant performance issues make the game nearly unplayable in certain areas, particularly in larger spaces with multiple NPCs. The developers need to focus on delivering a stable experience across all missions, eliminating the distracting texture and object pop-in that breaks immersion, and finding better solutions for crowd rendering that don't rely on obvious NPC cloning.

Visually, the game needs to make a decisive choice between realistic and stylized presentation, rather than falling awkwardly between the two. Whether opting for a more artistic interpretation or pushing for realism, the current muddy textures, simple geometry, and flat lighting must be improved. Environmental detail needs to be enhanced across the board, with particular attention paid to creating atmospheric lighting that brings these iconic locations to life in VR.

The gameplay systems themselves require significant refinement to truly work in VR. This means developing more intuitive stealth mechanics that take advantage of physical movement and spatial awareness, implementing proper physical crouching and cover systems rather than button-based alternatives, and completely revamping the hand-to-hand combat to feel more immediate and impactful. Social stealth - a cornerstone of the Hitman series - needs to be reimagined for VR in a way that feels natural and immersive.

These improvements would transform Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded from a disappointing port into the kind of premium VR experience that Quest 3 players deserve. While some compromises will always be necessary when bringing such an ambitious title to mobile VR hardware, the current implementation makes too many sacrifices in areas fundamental to both VR gaming and the Hitman franchise itself. With dedicated development focus on these core aspects, there's still potential for this to become the definitive VR stealth experience - but it has a long way to go.

Until these issues are addressed, it's difficult to recommend Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded even to dedicated fans of the series. The core of a great VR stealth game exists here, but the current implementation fails to do justice to either the source material or the platform. At $30, players would be better served exploring other VR titles that better understand and utilize the medium's strengths. The potential for an incredible VR Hitman experience remains tantalizing. With proper investment in VR-specific mechanics and technical optimization, this could be transformed into something special. For now, however, Agent 47's Quest debut feels like a mission gone wrong. Thanks for reading!

The game was reviewed on a Quest 3 via a promo copy provided by the developers. Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded is available on Meta Quest.