When Warner Bros invested in IO Interactive in 2018, it was nothing short of a miracle. The episodic format of Hitman 2016, enforced by Square Enix, hurt game sales. IOI was on the verge of shutting down and numerous staff were let go. With the WB investment, the studio was saved. The success of Hitman 2 allowed IO to keep operating. When Warner cut ties in the following years, the studio was stable enough that they could release Hitman 3 on their own and collect the full profits. If it weren’t for those business deals, the huge scope of the Hitman trilogy would have sunk the IO ship.
When producing Hitman: Contracts for Eidos, the staff realized that the scope of their game couldn’t possibly meet their Eidos deadlines. So, they arranged a compromise. Contracts would be sort of a Hitman 2.5, remaking levels from Codename 47 into the new Hitman formula. This meant that part of the studio could be dedicated to reshape the direction of Contracts, while preparing for the next big entry.
Its hard to imagine any studio that has the ability to do… anything like that anymore. Game development has gotten so big and so ambitious, there’s no way to shift gears like that anymore. You have to stick with what you’ve made, it’s too expensive to change things up. The burden of smaller games on indies, all competing with each other to feed their own teams. I’m not saying I miss the good ol’ days of the 00s, god no. But ambition can be dangerous when its not tempered. Contracts could only be released in this specific era, when sequels were easier to make and every game wasn’t a complete company effort that could sink everyone if it didn’t go well. When media was allowed to grow an audience over time. Build a quiet little fanbase through word of mouth. Not sure how to get back to that.
In retrospect, Hitman 2 SA’s major flaw was level design. When I maneuvered through levels in invisible mode, I knew I was choosing not to engage with the game properly. But I was content to drift on through because it was more about capturing an atmosphere than anything else. Sometimes that’s what I need from my gaming vibes.
Instantly, Hitman Contracts doesn’t require me to go invisible to achieve my main goal. Vibes are immediate. Vibes are all-consuming. We’re swimming in delicious, delicious vibes.
Contracts begins in media res, with 47 recovering from a bloodshot wound in a hit gone wrong. He drifts in and out of consciousness, struggling to form coherent thoughts. The only thing 47 has to keep him company is memories. The world around him shifts and contorts from an empty hotel room into assassin jobs from his past. The door opens and 47 is thrust into the snowy tundra of another Russian hit job. Or some water drips from the ceiling and he remembers the pouring rain of Rotterdam. It’s a beautiful framing device to connect the different levels together. It’s oddly refreshing compared to the more interwoven narrative of modern games. It adds a dream-like quality to the entire game. I almost wish the levels placed an anachronistic hotel room in each level, just to add another dash of the surreal.
Accompanying the dream-like narrative is the visual design. Most of the levels are centered in the darkness of night. Neon signs wash over the streets, letting these bright colors reflect off 47’s bald cranium, lighting up the darkness. While Silent Assassin could be sparse and empty, there’s delightful detail in all the corners of the maps. I’m more inclined to explore all the different rooms. There’s so much care built into the world. Subtle details that add so much character. In the British manor, two guards appear to be watching porn together, sitting stoically in their chairs. In the seedy strip club, many of the bikers ignore the various sexual shenanigans around them to focus on the ongoing soccer match. It might not even be an intentional distinction, but that nuance is so especially funny a comparison to write for your levels. The whole game is grimy and gritty in such a satisfying fashion. When the game lets the light in, it’s always used to provide a new striking image. Drown a target in his shimmering pool or escape the white void of the experimental facility. The darkness might wear thin for some, but it helps set Contracts apart from the pack. Silent Assassin is a spy thriller. Blood Money is a stylish cel-shaded adventure. The modern games, Absolution included, delight in clashing its realistic design with its cartoonish undercurrent. Contracts is a neo-noir dreamscape and its all the better for it.
Building on all of that is just how much more refined the gameplay is. Even with the game’s overhaul, you can really tell how the team understood what did and didn’t work about Hitman 2 and how to move forward. Running doesn’t alert guards as frequently. Knocking out guards and stealing disguises is quicker and easier than before. And the variety of murder is so well-considered. Smuggle a gun in a target’s chicken order. Sneak upstairs and smother with a pillow, while he son dies via poison whiskey. There’s variety, there’s puzzle work, there’s challenge, there’s fun. It’s a delightful package.
In my youth, I skipped past this game very quickly to move onto Blood Money. I’m glad I returned to it with new eyes. Silent Assassin may be the start of what Hitman could be and Blood Money might be the magnum opus but Contracts? Contracts is something special. Its growing into what the franchise should be, while still distinct as its own thing. An incredible effort from an incredible team.
When producing Hitman: Contracts for Eidos, the staff realized that the scope of their game couldn’t possibly meet their Eidos deadlines. So, they arranged a compromise. Contracts would be sort of a Hitman 2.5, remaking levels from Codename 47 into the new Hitman formula. This meant that part of the studio could be dedicated to reshape the direction of Contracts, while preparing for the next big entry.
Its hard to imagine any studio that has the ability to do… anything like that anymore. Game development has gotten so big and so ambitious, there’s no way to shift gears like that anymore. You have to stick with what you’ve made, it’s too expensive to change things up. The burden of smaller games on indies, all competing with each other to feed their own teams. I’m not saying I miss the good ol’ days of the 00s, god no. But ambition can be dangerous when its not tempered. Contracts could only be released in this specific era, when sequels were easier to make and every game wasn’t a complete company effort that could sink everyone if it didn’t go well. When media was allowed to grow an audience over time. Build a quiet little fanbase through word of mouth. Not sure how to get back to that.
In retrospect, Hitman 2 SA’s major flaw was level design. When I maneuvered through levels in invisible mode, I knew I was choosing not to engage with the game properly. But I was content to drift on through because it was more about capturing an atmosphere than anything else. Sometimes that’s what I need from my gaming vibes.
Instantly, Hitman Contracts doesn’t require me to go invisible to achieve my main goal. Vibes are immediate. Vibes are all-consuming. We’re swimming in delicious, delicious vibes.
Contracts begins in media res, with 47 recovering from a bloodshot wound in a hit gone wrong. He drifts in and out of consciousness, struggling to form coherent thoughts. The only thing 47 has to keep him company is memories. The world around him shifts and contorts from an empty hotel room into assassin jobs from his past. The door opens and 47 is thrust into the snowy tundra of another Russian hit job. Or some water drips from the ceiling and he remembers the pouring rain of Rotterdam. It’s a beautiful framing device to connect the different levels together. It’s oddly refreshing compared to the more interwoven narrative of modern games. It adds a dream-like quality to the entire game. I almost wish the levels placed an anachronistic hotel room in each level, just to add another dash of the surreal.
Accompanying the dream-like narrative is the visual design. Most of the levels are centered in the darkness of night. Neon signs wash over the streets, letting these bright colors reflect off 47’s bald cranium, lighting up the darkness. While Silent Assassin could be sparse and empty, there’s delightful detail in all the corners of the maps. I’m more inclined to explore all the different rooms. There’s so much care built into the world. Subtle details that add so much character. In the British manor, two guards appear to be watching porn together, sitting stoically in their chairs. In the seedy strip club, many of the bikers ignore the various sexual shenanigans around them to focus on the ongoing soccer match. It might not even be an intentional distinction, but that nuance is so especially funny a comparison to write for your levels. The whole game is grimy and gritty in such a satisfying fashion. When the game lets the light in, it’s always used to provide a new striking image. Drown a target in his shimmering pool or escape the white void of the experimental facility. The darkness might wear thin for some, but it helps set Contracts apart from the pack. Silent Assassin is a spy thriller. Blood Money is a stylish cel-shaded adventure. The modern games, Absolution included, delight in clashing its realistic design with its cartoonish undercurrent. Contracts is a neo-noir dreamscape and its all the better for it.
Building on all of that is just how much more refined the gameplay is. Even with the game’s overhaul, you can really tell how the team understood what did and didn’t work about Hitman 2 and how to move forward. Running doesn’t alert guards as frequently. Knocking out guards and stealing disguises is quicker and easier than before. And the variety of murder is so well-considered. Smuggle a gun in a target’s chicken order. Sneak upstairs and smother with a pillow, while he son dies via poison whiskey. There’s variety, there’s puzzle work, there’s challenge, there’s fun. It’s a delightful package.
In my youth, I skipped past this game very quickly to move onto Blood Money. I’m glad I returned to it with new eyes. Silent Assassin may be the start of what Hitman could be and Blood Money might be the magnum opus but Contracts? Contracts is something special. Its growing into what the franchise should be, while still distinct as its own thing. An incredible effort from an incredible team.
Reviewed on Apr 15, 2023