Hitman 101: the story and all the details of Codename 47

Anno 2000, Eidos Interactive brings to PC a character that would have become iconic, Agent 47: is the birth of Hitman. Regular face, completely hairless, recognizable only by a barcode tattooed on the nape, this is the look of 47. Smoking and silverballer, with silencer, complete his outfit. Today any player is able to recognize him immediately, Hitman has become a famous character, to whom 2000 main titles and 7 spin-offs have been dedicated since 3. It is currently in development Hitman 3 and for the occasion we decided to retrace the history of the first chapter, Hitman: code name 47.

Known as Hitman: Paid to Kill, it hits shelves in Europe in December 2000 as a PC exclusive. The title, published by Eidos Interactive (now part of Square Enix), is developed by IO Interactive, Danish team - which owes its fortune to Hitman - and which has been involved in the development of all the main titles of the saga: Hitman 2: Silent Assassin (2002), Hitman: Contracts (2004), Hitman: Blood Money (2006) ), Hitman: Absolution (2012) and also the reboot of the saga with Hitman (2016), Hitman 2 (2018) and Hitman 3, scheduled for January 2021.

My name is irrelevant

At the base of the concept that inspired IO Interactive is the role of hitman, historical figure existing since ancient Rome. The assassin is a murderer who kills on commission and for a fee. The issue, which may be controversial, is somewhat lightened by the development company with the choice of making the target always a "bad guy", often individuals involved in organized crime. Another "fantastic" element is the origin of Agent 47: the character is in fact the 47th clone created by the scientist Ort-Meyer. The mad scientist's goal was to create the perfect killer, an individual capable not only of excelling in physical, athletic and ballistic abilities but also of not feeling any emotion or empathy towards other humans. Naturally the development of the story demonstrates the failure of the experiment and the character complexity of 47.

From a gameplay point of view, the game, at the time of release, featured numerous innovations, above all the use of Ragdoll physics. A new technology, already tested in games such as Jurassic Park: Trespasser (1998) and Half-Life (1998), which ensures that body movements are not unnatural. In Hitman therefore, given that the player is often called upon to conceal inanimate bodies by dragging them, the physical evolution guaranteed a strong impact in the gameplay. Of course today the graphics and physics of that time may be naive but for the time they seemed very credible. 

Another highly regarded feature of the saga is the variety of settings. Agent 47 is in fact sent to carry out his missions all over the world, in those that, within the games, turn out to be a sort of stage sandbox, but which manage to convey a strong involvement for the player. From this point of view the most recent titles, Hitman and Hitman 2, have reached a truly impressive level of quality. Finally, we cannot forget the main objective of the game: kill. The challenge facing the player is to carry out the required assassination in the cleanest and most discreet way possible. First of all, we must avoid the murder of innocent people and avoid being discovered. The silent killer can be satisfied only when no one is able to prove his presence. From this point of view, the guys at IO Interactive have always made excellent level design choices. Over the years the mechanism has evolved becoming less punitive than the first titles but pushing players to avoid an action approach, inviting them to favor the stealth mode with which the game was designed.

Agency - this is 47

Hitman is a milestone in video game history and his fame has earned him too two film adaptations… Which sadly doesn't do the character justice. The first attempt is Hitman (2007), a film that was to mark the beginning of a film saga and featured Vin Diesel as the protagonist, later replaced by Timothy Olyphant. The film was cut short by critics and the project canceled. In 2015 Hitman: Agent 47 was made, starring Rupert Friend, a reboot compared to the previous film but also in this case a flop. Better to forget about these films and dedicate yourself to great video games. For those who haven't had the chance to play Hitman: Codename 47 way back in 2000, you can retrieve it today, as it's available for PC via the stores Steam e GOG. Replaying the entire saga of the silent assassin can be a way to pass the wait until January 2021, when Hitman 3 is released.