Feral Interactive has revealed the release date of their upcoming remake; Hitman: Blood Money – Reprisal.
Hitman: Blood Money – Reprisal is a Nintendo Switch exclusive remaster of 2006’s Hitman: Blood Money. This port follows the game’s recent release on mobile platforms, but Feral has added some things to make it a worthwhile purchase, especially given that this is the franchise’s debut on a Nintendo platform.
Feral shared this description of what’s new in Hitman: Blood Money – Reprisal, courtesy of Video Games Chronicle:
“Reprisal is a comprehensive reworking of the stealth-action classic, refined for screens large and small — with a new Minimap, Instinct Mode, and gameplay improvements inspired by later games in the series.
Whether docked or handheld, classic controls or modern layout, the sandbox assassination playgrounds of Hitman: Blood Money fit the Switch like a beautifully tailored suit.”
So this game is a weird little amalgam of the elements of the classic game, with many of the QOL improvements and accomodations made in the modern games. Feral and I/O Interactive were surely mindful that the Switch has proven to be a popular platform for classic shooters of various eras. And, of course, there’s Splatoon.
So one accommodation they took from newer games is Instinct Mode. This makes it easier to track down where targets are, where their guards placed themselves, and other points of interest as you go about with your missions.
There is also a minimap, which functions to give you real time situational awareness. The map also gives alerts when 47 is crossing some boundary or arousing suspicions.
Even with all these improvements, Hitman: Blood Money – Reprisal will be cheaper than most games, coming in at $ 29.99, or half the usual cost of a major AAA. This does not seem to result from a perceived lack of content for this game, or anything like that. It’s just a lower barrier to entry for a title that may introduce Nintendo fans to the world of Hitman.
I/O seems to be preoccupied with keeping Hitman III running as a live service game, while their attention is divided by other projects, like the Project 007 James Bond game, and the more mysterious Project Fantasy. Those games are not for us to enjoy for now, but clearly, that will just be a matter of time.
Hitman: Blood Money – Reprisal will be releasing exclusively to the Nintendo Switch on January 25, 2024. You can watch the trailer below.
