Hitman: Contracts
- April 19, 2004
- IO Interactive
- 6h median play time
Hitman: Contracts is a single-player shooter game with an intriguing story and compelling gameplay, offering pretty visuals and splendid music. However, it has been reported to have several bugs and a very funny behavior, all contributing to a dense atmosphere that fans of the stealth action genre might appreciate. This game, developed by IO Interactive, is the third installment in the Hitman series and features remakes of levels from Hitman: Codename 47.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
PlayStation
Playstation 2
Xbox
Reviews
- Great atmosphere supported by an outstanding soundtrack by Jesper Kyd.
- The game features fantastic level design with multiple ways to complete missions.
- Improvements in gameplay mechanics make it more enjoyable than its predecessors.
- The game suffers from technical issues and crashes on modern systems.
- Some missions are remakes from the original Hitman game, leading to a lack of originality.
- The AI can be inconsistent, often leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
- story562 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 81 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The story in "Hitman: Contracts" is primarily a series of flashbacks experienced by Agent 47 as he lies wounded, recalling past missions from the original game, "Codename 47." While the dark and atmospheric setting enhances the narrative, many players find the plot to be thin and lacking cohesion, with a significant portion of the missions being remakes that do not contribute to a strong overarching storyline. Despite its narrative shortcomings, the game is praised for its engaging mission design and replayability, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of the franchise.
“The story in Hitman: Contracts revolves around a wounded Agent 47 who eventually collapses out of shock in his apartment and begins having hallucinatory flashbacks from his earlier missions.”
“The game achieves this by using some pretty basic things like flashbacks setting the missions at night and with lots of rain to give off a very dark atmosphere combined with the once again outstanding soundtrack by composer Jesper Kyd.”
“The story links up a lot with some missions from Hitman 2 and Blood Money, which is always good and gives a sense of continuity to it.”
“The story here is as simple as it could get.”
“The story is nonexistent.”
“The weakest story in the Hitman series (47 gets shot, collapses in his hotel room and starts remembering previous missions, that's it).”
- gameplay176 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay in "Hitman: Contracts" is generally regarded as an improvement over its predecessors, featuring refined mechanics, enhanced stealth systems, and a more forgiving disguise mechanic that allows for greater freedom in approach. While some players note the controls can feel clunky and the game may lack the depth of later entries, it offers a solid experience with engaging missions and multiple ways to complete objectives, making it a worthwhile title for fans of the series. Overall, it strikes a balance between nostalgia and modern gameplay elements, though some aspects may feel dated compared to contemporary standards.
“The gameplay is still brilliant, the stages are engaging and well designed, with multiple ways of completing your tasks, and the story and voice acting is superb.”
“With solid gameplay mechanics, good difficulty, varied weapon selection, a great soundtrack and arguably some of the best missions of the series, this is not a game that any Hitman fan should miss.”
“The gameplay now makes 100 times more sense, rather than being instantly detected like in Silent Assassin, guards must now find a body or something that can expose your cover to them which just makes Contracts even more fun.”
“The gameplay is somewhat outdated and unforgiving compared to the modern Hitman games.”
“The hitman series straddles a fine line between excellent and terrible, but the line moves depending on your tolerance for clunky mechanics and how many times you're willing to reload a save to get things right.”
“It's too dated in all aspects: graphics, physics, interface, gameplay.”
- music145 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The music in "Hitman: Contracts," composed by Jesper Kyd, is widely praised for its dark, atmospheric quality that enhances the game's gritty tone and immersive experience. Reviewers highlight the soundtrack's ability to evoke tension and emotion, with many considering it one of the best in the series, despite some noting inconsistencies in audio levels and occasional mismatches with gameplay. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a key element that elevates the game's atmosphere and storytelling.
“Hitman Contracts is at its strongest when you traverse the roots of organized crime at its ugliest under the sunless skies, planning your hits in time-critical scenarios as Jesper Kyd's foreboding music demands action.”
“The dark and rainy atmosphere, with the incredible soundtrack, makes it the perfect experience for Agent 47's world.”
“Jesper Kyd's soundtrack is phenomenal, creating a dark and immersive atmosphere that enhances the gameplay experience.”
“The music is a downgrade though, a big one even, to be honest.”
“A lot of the game audio is missing; gun sounds and sound effects still seem to be present within the game, however, music, ambient sounds, and so on appear to be removed due to the licensing issue.”
“Sometimes the background music does not suit the mission theme at all; for example, in the 10th mission 'The Seafood Massacre' that took place in Hong Kong, the complete background music, especially the flute part, sounds like Middle Eastern music.”
- atmosphere111 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in "Hitman: Contracts" is widely praised for its dark, immersive, and oppressive tone, enhanced by Jesper Kyd's haunting soundtrack. Players appreciate the game's unique macabre setting, often described as gritty and noir-like, which effectively captures the essence of Agent 47's world. Despite some criticisms regarding gameplay mechanics, the atmospheric design and level settings—often featuring rain and nighttime environments—are considered standout elements that elevate the overall experience.
“The dark and rainy atmosphere, with the incredible soundtrack, makes it the perfect experience for Agent 47's world.”
“The atmosphere is dark, noir-ish, and very immersive, creating a feeling that is hard to describe.”
“It's got a fair share of blemishes still; for instance, some proper voice acting could have made the atmosphere I described above more triumphant and convincing – but alas, all characters, including the hitman himself, speak in such a stale, unnatural way that even comparing them to robots would be a generous compliment.”
“The atmosphere is so cold and oppressive.”
“They really nailed the dark, depressing, almost horror-like atmosphere, a huge role for which plays the amazing soundtrack from Jesper Kyd.”
- graphics108 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 66 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Hitman: Contracts" are generally considered dated, reflecting its 2004 release, but many players appreciate the improvements made over its predecessors, particularly in character models and atmospheric design. While some users note graphical bugs and inconsistencies, the overall aesthetic is praised for its dark and gritty tone, which enhances the game's themes. Despite the visual shortcomings, the game remains enjoyable for fans of the series, especially those who value gameplay and nostalgia over cutting-edge graphics.
“I am in love with the aesthetics of this game!”
“The graphics have gotten a pretty nice visual upgrade and they really fit the dark and gloomy tone of this entry.”
“Graphically, the game for 2004 was very detailed and was overall beautiful and by today's standards, they definitely look dated but still looked very nice in many areas such as the animations.”
“It's old, janky, the graphics haven't aged well and it's kind of pathetically horny at times, but the gold vein that is the hitman experience is still present.”
“The graphics are bad for being 2004; it is unbelievably hard and the stealth barely works.”
“Graphics wise, not much of an improvement - larger use of 3D skyboxes give a much greater scale but at the expense of the level design, animations for suspicion are much better but facial animation and walking cycles remain awkward and jilted as does feedback on shooting targets or enemies.”
- replayability29 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 72 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability, primarily due to its diverse mission designs and multiple ways to eliminate targets, encouraging players to experiment with different strategies. While some players note a linear experience until completing the game, the ability to unlock various loadouts and aim for achievements like the "silent assassin" rank enhances the incentive to replay missions. Overall, the combination of improved gameplay mechanics, atmospheric levels, and a variety of challenges contributes to a robust replay value.
“Overall, this game is excellent and has tons of replayability but it doesn't get the fame it deserves.”
“The game emphasizes its replayability factor with even more ways to complete your missions than the last game, as well as rewarding players who achieve the silent assassin rank with cool weapons for even more fun.”
“A lot of planning, different ways to assassinate your target, and endless replay value, not to mention it ties in with Blood Money.”
“Regarding replayability, it should be noted that you do not get to choose your loadout until you beat the game, which can result in linear gameplay with a much greater emphasis on puzzle-solving and vulnerability, supported by a stricter disguise system compared to other games in the series.”
“There's just enough replayability to want to try missions a few times once you play through the whole game.”
“Despite the story, I recommend this game for the polished gameplay, the more complex level design, and its soundtrack; it is a good game after all, as you can see it's not a long game at all, but it has a little replay value.”
- stability25 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with users reporting frequent freezes, particularly after character deaths, and significant bugs that disrupt gameplay. Many players experience unplayable conditions due to persistent glitches and performance issues, leading to a generally rough and unpolished experience. While some users note that the game can run smoothly under certain conditions, the overall consensus is that it suffers from severe stability problems.
“In some spots (certain rooms, elevators), everything slows down to a crawl or even freezes completely.”
“After my character dies, the game kind of freezes.”
“And these are not just usual video game glitches or lags or something - the game is so broken that it becomes unplayable in most aspects.”
- humor9 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by its funny graphics, improved voice acting, and absurd scenarios, such as executing a target with laxatives. Players appreciate the comedic elements, including quirky encounters and over-the-top execution methods, which add a lighthearted touch to the gameplay. Overall, the game successfully blends humor with its mechanics, making it an entertaining experience.
“The guns have greatly improved as well as the voice acting, as the very first game was hilariously outdated, such as the infamous line 'I need to use the bathroom,' which is on par with Tommy Wiseau's levels of acting.”
“+ funny executions (you actually have to put laxatives in a dude's soup then kill him on the toilet, as you need to use his uniform to peacefully reach your other target. You also have the option of killing another target by suffocating them with a pillow).”
“It also removed a very funny encounter with a giant lady.”
- optimization8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its performance and ability to run smoothly on low-end hardware, while others report significant issues on Windows 10/11, including lag, crashes, and freezing. Overall, while certain titles in the series show improvement in optimization, others remain problematic, leading to a less than perfect experience.
“As for performance, hundreds of frames per second are guaranteed even if you run it on a blood pressure monitor.”
“Hitman Contracts improves all the problems I had with 1 and 2; it is even well optimized for Windows 10.”
“This game also has excellent optimization so you can run it on low-end hardware.”
“The game is broken; its poor optimization for Windows 10/11 makes it unplayable due to lag, making it impossible to do anything, and sometimes crashing or freezing until you close it.”
“Not optimized for Windows 10.”
“Not as good as the other Hitman games (not even Absolution), plus there are some performance issues.”
- grinding5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while some appreciate the faster knockout mechanism and the removal of particularly tedious levels, others feel that repetitive assassinations and the inability to see their meticulously planned strategies unfold can lead to frustration and a sense of tedium. Certain missions, like the mansion level, are highlighted as especially monotonous, contributing to an overall feeling that the game can become unplayable due to its grindy nature.
“I have no resentment from trying over and over again to beat a level, but after some time, playing out the same assassinations and trying to understand why your cover keeps getting blown becomes tedious. Unlike Blood Money, you can't even see the assassinations you meticulously planned playing out most of the time, probably due to technical limitations, which unfortunately waters down their effect.”
“There are some missions that feel absolutely tedious, such as the mansion level and the long run through the third level to blow up that radioactive ship. I will not do that for a very long time.”
“Basically, it leaves the game nigh on unplayable, or at least a rather tedious experience.”
- emotional3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its ability to create a profound sense of tension and immersion, compelling players to endure technical flaws for the sake of experiencing its dark and somber atmosphere. Additionally, the emotional resonance is echoed in related media, such as films and novels, which evoke strong feelings and connections to the hitman theme.
“However, despite being shackled by all these technical imperfections, the game still exerts tremendous emotional pressure and gets under your skin with almost zero effort – and soon, restarting from an earlier save because a guard randomly thought you were trespassing without even seeing you becomes a reasonable price to pay to experience this sombre, dismal world.”
