Hitman: Blood Money

Starting at $2.37Buy now

Hitman: Blood Money is a stealth action game where you play as Agent 47, a skilled assassin. Complete contracts to eliminate targets in various locations, using disguises, weapons, and stealth to avoid detection. As you progress, you'll earn money that can be used to upgrade your equipment and abilities, while a reputation system tracks your notoriety in the criminal underworld. Your actions and choices impact the story and outcome of each mission.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

94%

Audience ScoreBased on 5,522 reviews

story408 positive mentions

stability55 negative mentions

story
1,560 mentions
26 % positive mentions
71 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The story in "Hitman: Blood Money" is generally regarded as engaging yet somewhat disjointed, serving primarily to connect the various assassination missions rather than being the main focus. Players appreciate the overarching narrative involving Agent 47 and rival assassination organizations, with themes of corruption and conspiracy woven throughout the missions. While some find the plot compelling and well-integrated with gameplay, others feel it lacks depth and coherence, often overshadowed by the freedom and creativity offered in mission execution.
- “The game's narrative is more engaging and cohesive, featuring an overarching plot centered around rival assassination organizations—the International Contract Agency (ICA) and Agent 47 against the franchise.”
- “These missions and the overall plot explore themes of corruption, power, conspiracy, and secrecy, adding levels of sophistication and intrigue to the game's story.”
- “The story is engaging and well-written, with each mission feeling like a piece of a larger puzzle.”
- “My only criticism is the mediocre story.”
- “The story is somewhat weak and plodding, but it's not awful and I didn't find myself skipping any cut scenes.”
- “The story isn't much to write home about, but it does a decent job stringing the levels together into a larger context.”
gameplay
628 mentions
39 % positive mentions
57 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Hitman: Blood Money" is widely praised for its innovative mechanics, level design, and replayability, offering players multiple approaches to complete missions. While some reviewers note that the controls and AI can feel dated or clunky, the overall experience remains engaging and fun, with a strong emphasis on stealth and strategic planning. Many consider it a pinnacle of the series, blending classic elements with new features that enhance the assassination sandbox experience.
- “The gameplay and level design are both fun and timeless.”
- “Hitman: Blood Money elevates the franchise to new heights with its innovative gameplay and intricate level design.”
- “The gameplay is highly replayable, with diverse mission approaches, upgrade and weapon customization features, and a notoriety system that tracks Agent 47's visibility and behavior.”
- “The gameplay is tight and crisp and an absolute joy to experience.”
- “The mechanics are old; this game is less intuitive than modern Hitman games, it holds your hand much less, but once you get used to how the game works, levels become very easy.”
- “The gameplay can be slightly clunky at times, but if you are in the mood for some good old-fashioned assassination, this is one of the best.”
graphics
390 mentions
35 % positive mentions
56 % neutral mentions
9 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally considered dated but still acceptable for its release period in 2006, with many reviewers noting significant improvements over its predecessors. While some players find the visuals to be rough and occasionally janky, others appreciate the game's artistic style and atmospheric design, which contribute to an engaging experience. Overall, the graphics do not detract from the gameplay, which remains highly praised, making it a worthwhile title for fans of the series despite its visual shortcomings.
- “The updated glacier engine enhances the game's visuals and immersion.”
- “The graphics, even though it's an older game, hold up surprisingly well and the attention to detail is impressive.”
- “The graphics are still great, especially the blood effects.”
- “The graphics are a bit dated, but if you can look past that, it's a good game.”
- “The graphics haven't aged well, and NPCs will do a 180 and look at your face when you're sneaking behind them.”
- “For an older game, I had low expectations, but when I actually played, it was worse than I could have ever imagined; the graphics were far below the standard for the year it was made.”
music
244 mentions
57 % positive mentions
41 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The music in "Hitman: Blood Money," composed by Jesper Kyd, is widely praised for its exceptional quality and ability to enhance the game's atmosphere, seamlessly blending orchestral, electronic, and ambient elements to match the intensity of gameplay. Players appreciate how the soundtrack elevates emotional moments and complements the stealth mechanics, with standout tracks like "Ave Maria" leaving a lasting impression. While some find the music occasionally repetitive, the overall consensus is that it significantly contributes to the game's immersive experience, making it one of the best soundtracks in video game history.
- “Hitman: Blood Money boasts a remarkable soundtrack, composed by Jesper Kyd, which seamlessly blends classical, instrumental, electronic, and ambient genres to complement each mission's themes and adapt to the player's actions.”
- “The music not only enhances the overall atmosphere but also elevates the emotional impact of key moments in the game.”
- “Whether it's the haunting melodies that accompany moments of suspense or the pulse-pounding beats during intense action sequences, the soundtrack is a masterclass in creating mood and atmosphere.”
- “The soundtrack is quite mediocre, too.”
- “The main menu music is too loud and jarring, and it’s god awful, overly cheesy and highly irritating to be constantly met with.”
- “The only reason absolution was looked down upon so much was because it lacked many features blood money had to begin with like open levels, upgrades on weapons, and a soundtrack somehow worse than blood money.”
replayability
221 mentions
54 % positive mentions
45 % neutral mentions
1 % negative mentions
The game is widely praised for its exceptional replayability, offering players numerous ways to approach missions and complete objectives, which encourages experimentation and creativity. Features such as diverse mission strategies, a robust upgrade system, and a dynamic AI contribute to its high replay value, making it a timeless classic in the stealth genre. Despite some minor criticisms regarding linearity in a few levels, the overall consensus is that the game provides an engaging and endlessly replayable experience.
- “The game's AI significantly contributes to replayability, with NPCs having schedules that change based on the player's actions.”
- “The open-ended gameplay, cool missions, and replayability are fantastic.”
- “The game offers a plethora of different ways to approach each mission, allowing for endless replayability.”
- “The new games don't even allow you to customize your weapons, reducing the replay value (as if there was 'play' value to begin with), and making the game feel like something you want to hurry up and finish so you can go do laundry.”
- “At least for me, the game stops being replayable after you've already done the butcher and sneaky path on every mission.”
- “My criticism for this game is there isn't that much replayability.”
humor
117 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely appreciated, with players highlighting its dark, quirky, and slapstick elements, often stemming from the absurdity of the situations and character interactions. Many reviews mention the hilarious ragdoll physics, funny NPC dialogue, and creative ways to complete missions that lead to unexpected comedic moments. Overall, the game is described as a blend of entertaining gameplay and humor that enhances the experience, making it enjoyable despite its dated graphics and occasional glitches.
- “The writing is so hilarious.”
- “The situations this game creates are always tense, but often hilarious.”
- “This game has amazing humor.”
atmosphere
81 mentions
60 % positive mentions
36 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in "Hitman: Blood Money" is widely praised for its immersive and meticulously crafted environments, enhanced by an exceptional soundtrack composed by Jesper Kyd. Each level offers a unique aesthetic, from opulent parties to gritty underground clubs, creating a palpable tension that complements the gameplay. Despite some dated graphics, the game's atmosphere remains a standout feature, contributing significantly to its status as a classic in the stealth genre.
- “Each level is a meticulously crafted masterpiece, whether it's the opulent surroundings of a high-profile party or the gritty atmosphere of an underground club.”
- “The music not only enhances the overall atmosphere but also elevates the emotional impact of key moments in the game.”
- “Overall - the themes of each level are fantastic and the music of the game creates an excellent atmosphere combined with the great level designs, all leading to a legendary experience of constant tension and thrills.”
- “The early-2000s tone and atmosphere are really off-putting to me, though this is definitely a subjective nitpick.”
- “Less atmosphere, better gameplay is how I'd describe this game.”
- “Some of the levels are too easy or too linear, and lack the atmosphere and challenge of the previous game.”
stability
56 mentions
5 % positive mentions
-4 % neutral mentions
98 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a significant concern, with numerous players reporting frequent crashes, freezes, and game-breaking glitches that often require restarting levels and losing progress. While some users noted that the game runs well on newer hardware, many experienced frustrating bugs that detracted from the overall experience, leading to mixed feelings about its playability. Despite these issues, a few players found the glitches to be amusing and part of the game's charm, though the consensus leans towards it being overly buggy and unstable.
- “Runs great on newer hardware too.”
- “The game maintains a steady frame rate, even during intense action sequences.”
- “I haven't experienced any crashes or bugs, which makes for a smooth gaming experience.”
- “However, the game freezes after every couple of loads, which requires me to force close the game, clearing all progress for that level and wiping out all your saves.”
- “The game freezes and crashes after the intro/tutorial mission, and nothing has solved the problem.”
- “Too buggy, crashes all the time.”
optimization
36 mentions
36 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
14 % negative mentions
Overall, "Hitman: Blood Money" is praised for its solid optimization, allowing it to run smoothly on a variety of systems, including lower-end PCs. While some players experienced occasional performance issues, many reported that the game performed well without major bugs, showcasing impressive GPU usage even at higher resolutions. The game's age is noted, with some graphical limitations, but it remains well-optimized for its time, providing a satisfying gameplay experience.
- “The ranking system in Hitman: Blood Money is sophisticated, integrating criteria like performance, stealth, and accuracy.”
- “The reward system based on play performance is also spot-on and offers an incentive to players to keep trying to get a great score and earn bonus props.”
- “I encountered no major bugs or performance issues; this game is stunningly well optimized, showing 90%+ GPU usage during gameplay at 4K.”
- “However, I'm still experiencing crazy performance issues.”
- “The day will come when Blood Money is reborn as a next-gen title without the b*****hit online DRM, s__ty performance, and god-awful episodic structure like the current Hitman (2016) game.”
- “Graphics are good, but if you max it out, some of the extra visual effects come with performance-hindering bugs.”
grinding
13 mentions
0 % positive mentions
38 % neutral mentions
62 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and time-consuming, often requiring a significant investment of time to progress. While some appreciate the unique controls and occasional enjoyment, many express frustration with the slow pace and limited save options, which detract from the overall experience.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Everything is tedious, right down to the default control system, but it feels like it takes forever to do even the simplest act.”
- “This is just downright tedious, don't buy this game.”
emotional
10 mentions
90 % positive mentions
-20 % neutral mentions
30 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is significantly enhanced by its music, which elevates key moments and contributes to the overall intensity of the story. Players often reflect on their personal connections to the narrative, with some describing it as an emotional rollercoaster that resonates deeply, while others appreciate the contrast between the emotional storytelling and gameplay mechanics. Overall, the game evokes a strong emotional response, whether through nostalgia or impactful storytelling.
- “The music not only enhances the overall atmosphere but also elevates the emotional impact of key moments in the game.”
- “The musical accompaniment is not only atmospheric, but also contributes significantly to the emotional intensity of the story.”
- “Absolution was a linear game with roughly one outcome to each level; but what made up for that was the beautiful, emotional storyline which took a place in my heart.”
- “The story was incredibly boring and failed to evoke any emotional response.”
- “I found the narrative to be dull, lacking the emotional depth I was hoping for.”
- “The emotional aspects of the game were overshadowed by a tedious storyline.”
monetization
6 mentions
50 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
The monetization model of this game is highly praised, as it features a one-time purchase price of $10 with no microtransactions, DLCs, or forced online modes. Reviewers appreciate the absence of cash grabs and the complete experience offered at launch, contrasting it with modern games that often rely on episodic content and ongoing monetization strategies.
- “No microtransactions, you pay 10 dollars and get a full game, no forced online mode, no DRM Denuvo. This is the last Hitman game that has all the pros and none of the cons.”
- “This game was out at a time when you had no such thing as DLCs, season passes, or microtransactions.”
- “A 9/10 classic Hitman vibe with no microtransactions, great with mods and new textures. A full vibe if you get it on sale!”
- “Back when Hitman was a great game and not a semi-annual re-skin cash grab.”
- “This game was out at a time where you had no such thing as DLCs, season passes, or your godforsaken microtransactions.”
- “Buy this, and you will never need another Hitman game; keep away from the always-online episodic cash grab dumpster fires that now infect gaming.”
character development
3 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is largely criticized, with players noting that the protagonist feels one-dimensional and lacks depth. The voice acting and dialogue are also seen as inconsistent, contributing to a sense of minimal character growth throughout the story. While there is intrigue present, it does not compensate for the overall lack of development.
- “The only issue I have is character development - 47 is at his most quiet and two-dimensional in this one.”
- “Voice acting is extremely hit or miss; the dialogue is wooden and character development is virtually non-existent.”
- “There isn't much in the way of character development, but there's a lot of intrigue; that's for sure.”