Hitman: Codename 47

Hitman: Codename 47 introduced a bald contract killer with a barcode tattooed on the back of his head, and with him an idea that no other series has replicated quite the same way since: a level as an open-ended murder puzzle. The player gets a target, a map, an equipment budget, and total freedom in how to reach the victim. You can go in guns blazing, which usually ends badly and fast, or slip into a chef's, security guard's, or delivery driver's uniform, walk past the guards, set up a trap, and leave before anyone realizes what happened. The story takes the player from Hong Kong through the South American jungle and Rotterdam, back to the question of who actually created Agent 47.

The gameplay is unusually uncompromising for its time. There's no saving mid-mission, so a single mistake means replaying the entire level from scratch, disguises only work until you get too close to someone who sees through them, and the crowd's and guards' behavior can be unpredictable. That's exactly where the tension comes from: the player learns the map by heart, tries variations, and finds a new detail on every playthrough. Technically, it was a showcase for the studio's own engine, which offered impressively populated environments and physical body behavior that was unusual for the year 2000. Jesper Kyd composed the score, and its cold orchestral and choral motifs gave the game a signature tone the series still carries today, which together with the stark, almost sterile art direction creates the impression that the player isn't following a hero, but a tool.

Contemporary reviews were mixed, praising the concept, atmosphere, and freedom, but criticizing the awkward controls, missing save function, and uneven difficulty. Even so, the game sold well and founded one of the longest-running stealth franchises ever, whose later entries polished its ideas to perfection. Today the first Hitman feels rough and unforgiving, but its core idea remains legible, and some of its missions still deserve a look even after all these years.