IO Interactive views the upcoming release of Hitman on PlayStation VR2 as a pivotal moment for redemption, and we had the opportunity to sit down with the development team for an insightful interview and a hands-on preview.
While the saying “third time’s a charm” is well-known, Hitman is determined to make it work with its fourth attempt. The earlier adaptations of Hitman 3 for PSVR and PC VR had their strengths but ultimately did not meet expectations, and last year’s Quest 3 version faced considerable backlash. With Reloaded being managed by an external team, it’s evident that IOI had unfinished business with the PC VR release.
With a fresh version set to debut on PlayStation VR2 this month, it’s understandable that Eskil Mohl, Senior Game Designer for Hitman World of Assassination at IO Interactive, sees this as their chance to correct past missteps.
“This is a redemption for us because we ported the PSVR version to PC, and it got released prematurely,” Mohl remarked during a face-to-face discussion at the studio’s Copenhagen office. He acknowledged that the mixed feedback on the PC VR version highlighted areas needing improvement, particularly more development time.
Mohl noted the frustration with the inability to utilize the left hand on PC VR, which he called “horrible,” describing the controls as akin to holding a DualShock 4. In this new version, players will have the opportunity to use both hands. Expressing the team’s enthusiasm for VR, he stated that their focus is “getting rid of as many face button prompts as we can” and incorporating manual reloading.
“With this version, we are much closer to our original hope of what this game can do; these were all things we knew we had to do.”
Prior to my conversation with Mohl, I engaged with a preview version for about an hour, playing through two missions: “World of Tomorrow” in Sapienza from the first game, followed by Hitman 2’s “The Finish Line” in Miami.
Having completed the World of Assassination trilogy on traditional screens, I found myself quickly acclimating to the gameplay mechanics. In Sapienza, I adhered to the ‘Absolution’ mission narrative, attempting to infiltrate a field lab, while in Miami, I took a more improvisational approach.
Even now, I find it remarkable how much freedom, agency, and scale these missions provide. Many of my attempts culminated in a chaotic retreat after failing a mission, yet the sheer versatility these games afford allows for creative solutions in the sandbox environment. I appreciated the tactile engagement of actions like prying open a door with a crowbar and physically moving bodies to conceal them.
The PlayStation VR2 version introduces beneficial enhancements previously seen in Reloaded, including dual-wielding, manual reloading, and using a watch for the mini-map. This iteration also brings positional interaction improvements, such as typing on a keyboard to hack security cameras at higher difficulties or using a crowbar to force open doors. Players can choose to push doors open using motion controls or a face button.
Inventory management utilizes the d-pad to summon items followed by selecting from a rotated menu, which may not be the most immersive experience, yet it serves its purpose. It wouldn’t suit Agent 47’s disguises to carry a backpack or pouch, making this trade-off acceptable in my eyes.
PlayStation VR2 also supports room-scale movement, a concern I raised due to the wired nature of the headset potentially limiting mobility. Mohl clarified that the game can track player positioning more freely since PSVR 1 required an external camera for tracking, which constrained player movement to keep them within the camera’s view.
“Since PC VR support was a direct port from PSVR, you didn’t have room-scale movement, which meant that if you physically moved in your room, you’d be moving out of his body. That’s one of the very understandable critiques that we had on PC.”
A particularly notable upgrade is the visibility of your full outfit. Reloaded employed floating hands, a choice driven by performance considerations to prevent immersion-breaking movement issues. With the enhanced capabilities of PlayStation VR2, players can immerse themselves fully in this world, seeing their character realistically.
However, the PS VR2 version does present some compromises. For instance, one of the disguises featured a watch that looked painted on Agent 47’s arm, distorting when I twisted my wrist. Mohl also pointed out that players won’t see their legs in the first-person mode, which I overlooked while playing due to the visibility of the upper body.
“We wanted to keep the body as much as we could. I don’t know if you noticed the legs are not showing, but we found out that you hardly ever see that.”
Some actions may not feel entirely intuitive, which I suspect will improve with more experience. I found it tricky to understand that dragging an incapacitated person’s body would also allow me to take their outfit. Though there was a prompt for this action, I missed it in my haste. Donning the outfit involved simply moving the clothes “bag” to my chest. Sprinting required pressing the left analog stick, but I often needed to press it twice, leaving me unsure if this was a deliberate design choice.
Being that IO Interactive is porting an existing title rather than creating a new VR-specific game, certain design decisions were made, like switching to a third-person perspective when climbing through windows or pipes. While Mohl anticipates some players may see this as a “cop-out,” he believes it enables players to appreciate Agent 47 “in all his splendor,” including his legs. Personally, I didn’t find this to detract from the enjoyment.
Other design challenges arose from adapting a trilogy that boasts over 200 weapons and countless disguises. Mohl highlighted this as a significant undertaking, particularly in terms of item handling, enhancing the sniper scope for VR, and eliminating button prompts. Not every item in the environment can be manipulated directly.
Manual reloading was featured in only a handful of firearms during my playthrough, involving a straightforward mechanism of pressing a button to eject a clip and dragging an ammo pouch into the slot. This approach fosters immersion, although it spotlighted an unforeseen design issue with the gun’s handle sometimes falling off instead of the magazine.
Yet, after all this, one question remains. What motivates IO Interactive to revisit Hitman in VR after previous attempts? Mohl feels the original levels from the 2016 game still hold their own visually, which I agree with from my VR experience, viewing it as a celebration of the original team’s contributions.
On the technical side, IOI confirmed that Hitman on PlayStation VR2 operates at 60Hz, reprojected to 120Hz, which occasionally resulted in visible ghosting. The game also includes dynamic foveated rendering along with eye-tracked aim assist for targeting enemies. The Sense Controllers provide enjoyable haptic feedback, although headset haptics are not currently supported, and the adaptive triggers add a satisfying touch when firing weapons. IOI also stated that PS5 Pro enhancements would not be available on PS VR2.
With these advancements, I posed a question many have been asking since the announcement of the PS VR2 version: Will these enhancements make their way to the PC VR version? IO Interactive has not confirmed any plans yet, but Mohl mentioned, “if that happens, then naturally we’re going to be building on what we’ve done here now.”
My preview leaves me hopeful that the PS VR2 edition could emerge as the premier way to experience Hitman World of Assassination in VR. Whether or not this will entice previous players to give it another shot is uncertain, especially after three prior attempts, but it certainly presents some favorable updates and improvements that inspire optimism.
Hitman World of Assassination launches on PlayStation VR2 on March 27, accompanied by a $10 DLC pack, which necessitates owning the base game on PS5. The Hitman WOA Part One – VR2 Edition will also be available for $39.99.