I went on record for my Hitman 2 review that the Hitman games are some of the best stealth games around. They’re definitely on the top of my list due to, well, many reasons, and the series just keeps getting better, in my opinion. Hell, even the base Hitman 3 was able to bring our very own Leo Faria around to its side due to just how amazing the game is. Hitman 3 really did so many things well, from its great visuals, the spectacular level design, and the absolute freedom it gives you to tinker around with its levels to truly be the assassin you want to be. So to play this again, but in VR with Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded sounded like a fantastic idea and a good excuse to hop back into the game.

Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded is the exact same base game as the original launch version of the title, so if you want a more in-depth review of that game, check out our review here. This review will just be going over the VR aspects of it and if it’s really worth experiencing this game for the first time like this or to hop back in to play again in VR. Unfortunately, the short answer to both of those questions is a no. As a fan of VR and a fan of Hitman it sucks to say that this is the worst way to play Hitman 3.

Luckily the level design and creative ways to kill your targets remain the same from the original.

Let’s talk about the good stuff first because honestly that will be the quickest. Since this is a complete port, that means nothing about the original game content was altered. All the amazing level designs, and creative ways to kill are all present here and that alone still provides fun in this version. Also, the sound design from the soundtrack to the voice acting all remain untouched which is fantastic. Basically, all of the aspects of Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded that weren’t touched by VR are still great here.

Visually, Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded had to make some massive concessions. I’m no visual snob, and I know there was no way they were going to be able to port this to mobile hardware and keep all the visual bells and whistles from the original. However, this may be one of the worst looking games I’ve played in VR in a long time, and certainly have ever played that is a Meta Quest 3 exclusive. Everything looks extremely flat with no textures and the lighting system is broken or non-existent since nothing casts shadows and rooms will be completely black until you step into them. Character model LOD and pop-ins is shockingly bad, and everything is covered in heavy jaggies. For the most part, it’s just an eyesore.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I can forgive bad visuals, especially with a demanding title like this if the gameplay is fantastic. I will say that the general gameplay still holds true to the original, but how does the VR implementation add to this? Well, it doesn’t really add anything to the experience. In fact, in some ways I felt like it was more of a hinderance than it was immersive. VR lives and dies by its level of interactivity and how it immerses the player into feeling like they’re apart of that world. Unfortunately, this feels like you’re playing a first person version of the original with some poorly implemented VR control.

For instance, you don’t have the ability to reload your weapon yourself i.e. drop your magazine, reload magazine, and then pulling the slide to chamber a round. That is completed with a button press. Hiding bodies doesn’t require you to shove all the limbs into the freezer manually, it is completed with a button press. Hell, even pushing an enemy off an edge requires you to wait for a button prompt to push them. Really the only actions that are somewhat VR immersive are sneaking up and choking someone with bare hands or the garrote wire and of course aiming the guns.

Blending in doesn’t have the same effect when you can’t see Agent 47 in his outfits.

Besides it not being very immersive with VR interactions, I felt it detracted from the experience. One of the main pillars of Hitman is being able to change outfits to access restricted areas, and in the traditional game you could obviously see Agent 47 in those clothes. In VR you lose that bit of visual reminder of what you’re wearing because, well, you can’t easily see your body. I’d have to double check my watch to remember which outfit I was wearing. Outside of that, the tracking isn’t great which is never good to have in VR. There was a lot of janky stuttering and that is a distraction, as well as not making it comfortable to play.

Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded is a very ambitious game to try and create a VR version of especially on mobile hardware. That being said, it would have been better to make a ground up VR game for Hitman instead of trying to do a very limited and unpolished VR port of one of the best entries in the series. From the 2D cutscenes and the horrible in game visuals, to the limited VR implementation I have to say this is by far the worst way to experience this fantastic video game.

Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded is available now on Meta Quest 3.

Reviewed on Meta Quest 3.

A copy of Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded was provided by the publisher.