Hitman: Absolution is often remembered as a good stealth-action game but a poor Hitman game. The series is usually known for its sandbox-style gameplay, where players take on the role of the world’s greatest assassin, finding creative ways to stealthily eliminate targets and make a clean getaway. Where Absolution strayed was with a focus on a more cinematic approach to its presentation and linearity. The trade-off made for a compelling experience, but the Hitman faithful were left wanting, leading to the series getting a soft reboot with the World of Assassination series. Were fans wrong to dismiss this daring mix-up, or were they correct to disregard it as a dumbed-down cash-in? After a look at the mobile version, it’s time to find out in this Hitman: Absolution Nintendo Switch review.
The story begins when Agent 47 receives orders from his new boss to eliminate his longtime handler after she leaks agency secrets. At her Chicago estate, he shoots her, but she whispers about safeguarding a young genetically enhanced girl, much like himself, from being weaponised by the boss. True to her last request, 47 spirits the girl away, stashing her at a remote orphanage with the help of a local nun, then cuts all ties and goes off the grid. Hunted by the agency and assorted thugs, he digs for dirt from a sleazy informant, knocking off a Chinatown kingpin and a shady club owner to uncover an arms dealer’s scheme to snatch the girl for a big payday.
47’s road trip lands him in a rotten South Dakota town under the dealer’s iron grip. He clears out the crew’s muscle, a burly guard in a no-holds-barred brawl, the boss’s deadbeat kid out in the badlands, hired guns amid a bloody raid on the orphanage, and lab techs messing with the girl’s code. Dodging hit teams from elite female killer nuns and a bent sheriff, 47 does fewer hits and more rescues than fans may expect. The story is at the forefront, and there are fewer episodic missions with a focus on telling a grander Hollywood-style plot. This is the most action-packed Hitman yet, and it constantly tries to one-up itself with every step.
Naturally, with such a heavy emphasis on its grindhouse-like story, Absolution abandons its sandboxy gameplay in favor of being a more traditional, linear action game. Classic Hitman-style modules are more like brief set pieces than anything, and the way disguises work takes getting used to for anyone who played prior entries. Only NPCs in the same uniform group can become suspicious. Still, effectively all of them act as “enforcers,” instantly recognising 47 as an imposter from medium distances if he stays in view too long. The workaround involves consuming “instinct” to see the path NPCs take to avoid being seen, which seems to defeat the purpose of a disguise altogether. It’s a very dumb system, and everyone was right to criticise it when Absolution was new.
Absolution‘s combat system introduces a polished third-person shooter layer to the series’ stealth roots, emphasising cover-based gunplay, cinematic slow-motion executions, and brutal melee, all powered by 47’s instinct. Snapping to environmental cover to duck or lean and peek around corners for precise shots feels smooth and refined.
Vaulting over low obstacles, crawling between cover, hanging from ledges, or pulling enemies in for grabs all add to the fluidity, while enemy AI dynamically uses cover, flanking, and suppressing 47. Encounters are methodical and measuredly paced with fluid and drawn-out animations, with stealth mostly being optional. The only reason to be stealthy is to earn more points to purchase upgrades and weapons, which feeds into the replayability loop, keeping gamers sucked into the action.
Hitman: Absolution is the most action-driven entry, packed with scripted set pieces and a strong narrative, but stealth and precision still play an important role. Agent 47 can set up various environmental “accidents” to take out targets or go for a more direct approach if desired. Instinct Mode works like a limited-use detective vision, crucial for planning by revealing enemy routes, targets, sabotage points, and hiding spots, while also masking 47’s face in disguise to avoid instant recognition. It can be replenished through completing objectives, silent kills, or collecting evidence, allowing flexibility for players and establishing a back-and-forth.
Unlike the more open-ended predecessors, many segments guide players along specific paths, blending stealth and action with checkpoints instead of manual saves, making Absolution a more dense and concentrated Hitman-like experience with less experimentation. It’s still level-based, but don’t expect any sandboxes to mess around in.
The visuals and graphics go for a cinematic neo-noir aesthetic, blending stark light/shadow contrasts, intense bloom, vivid colors, and shallow depth of field. The atmosphere ranges from classy executive suites to scummy, gritty squalor, but no matter what, Absolution always aspires for a lurid tone. It feels like playing a Tony Scott film when it uses heavy light shafts and intense colour grading. Other moments are downright Lynchian with their depiction of rotten industrial settings that look like something out of Eraserhead.
Hitman: Absolution was a visually appealing game, with art direction that still holds up and delivers its atmosphere well. It’s clearly a product of the seventh generation, and while this port hasn’t received any upgrades, what’s here works just fine. The only egregious visual flaws are the compressed prerendered CGI scenes, which suffer from some distracting banding, noisy artifacts and a few instances of low-res textures. The frame rate is mostly stable, but it does take noticeable hits when the lighting effects are ramped up.
