Forgotten Journeys – Hitman: Blood Money

IO Interactive’s Hitman: Blood Money, released in May 2006, was my first experience with the Hitman franchise as well as the game I consider to be my first real experience with the entire stealth genre. Sure, I had previously played and greatly enjoyed far less intense stealth games before that fateful day in 2006 which were intended for much younger audiences, such as Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus; as you might imagine, though, such games didn’t really resonate with me on the same level as Blood Money did back then and still does to this day.

Games like Sly Cooper taught me the general principles of how stealth games typically operate, such as the virtually ubiquitous idea that it’s bad news for your character if you’re seen by anyone guarding your main objective before you can either sneak past them or neutralize them in some way. However, those less intense titles never really caused me to think strategically, for lack of a better description. Blood Money, on the other hand, essentially gradually taught me to think like a professional assassin would within the context of the game.

It’s primarily for that reason that I decided to revisit and discuss Blood Money in a relatively limited capacity outside the confines of a normal, full-fledged game review. Before we begin, I should include a fairly minor disclaimer. As is the case with every game I highlight as part of this semi-frequent series I’ve taken to calling “Forgotten Journeys,” my examination of this particular Hitman title in this context isn’t intended to constitute a full review of the game; therefore, it should not be interpreted as such.

You might understandably think that categorizing this particular title within a series called “Forgotten Journeys” is something of a misnomer for a game like Hitman: Blood Money. After all, this series is intended to draw attention to games that I personally feel are underrated, under-represented, or simply generally overshadowed by more prominent titles in their franchise. I’m well aware that Blood Money is among the most-liked games in its series, but there is a method to my madness, so to speak.

You see, I don’t mean to imply that Hitman’s 2006 entry is under-represented or underrated by any stretch of the imagination. I know the game was marketed quite well leading up to its initial release (and even ignited a bit of controversy for certain aspects of its marketing), and I’m equally aware that the game performed well in terms of sales.

Instead of making claims like those, I would argue that the games I’ve taken to collectively calling the “original” Hitman titles (namely Codename 47, Silent Assassin, Contracts, Blood Money, and even Absolution to a slightly lesser extent) are overshadowed by the newer, more detailed, and more prominent 2016 franchise reboot and its sequel.

The two newer games in question are definitely outstanding titles in my opinion; in fact, 2018’s Hitman 2 even managed to accomplish a feat I previously thought impossible by dethroning Blood Money as my absolute favorite game in the franchise. Despite that, though, I think these two more popular titles have essentially left their predecessors in the dust, for lack of a better description.

I strongly suspect that effect was unintentional (or at least not entirely intentional) on the part of IO Interactive, however. I say that because Hitman 2016 and Hitman 2 are clearly heavily inspired by their predecessors and build upon several gameplay mechanics which were introduced and fleshed out within the previous games.

For example, Blood Money introduced Agent 47’s ability to hide dead or unconscious bodies within appropriately-sized containers to prevent them from being discovered, as opposed to having to simply leave bodies in hopefully-unguarded locations and basically hope for the best. After the introduction of that ability, every Hitman game since Absolution has expanded upon that mechanic by allowing Agent 47 to dispose of a maximum of two bodies in each container rather than one, and/or conceal himself within most containers if he hasn’t yet filled them to capacity.

Ultimately, the main argument I’ve sought to make within this article is that, in my personal opinion, Blood Money and every Hitman title that has been released after it are most assuredly worth your time. I simply feel that Blood Money and its predecessors have been unduly forgotten about even though most of them still perform well. Essentially, I cannot currently foresee an event which would cause me to stop advocating for fans of stealth games to at least give the classic Hitman titles a chance if they’ve yet to do so.

I would also argue that this venerable stealth series is worth playing even if you’re not a fan of stealth gameplay mechanics, despite how contradictory that may sound. You can, after all, go into the vast majority of missions within any recent Hitman game absolutely guns-blazing if that’s what you so desire; each game will frown upon you for doing so, of course, but they certainly won’t outright disallow such behavior.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Hitman franchise and find yourself hesitant to start your experience with an older game like Blood Money, I understand. I wholeheartedly encourage you to try out one or both of the more recent titles as a way to dip your toe into what the series has to offer. Heck, both of them even offer readily-available free trials of their respective first missions that you can play as much as you’d like! I certainly can’t think of very many worthwhile games that can truthfully make that claim.

If you decide to try out this venerable franchise, whether that’s with one of its newer entries or otherwise, I only ask that you at least spare a thought for the older titles such as Blood Money. I see no harm in initially experiencing or revisiting the games that paved the way for the newer titles, especially since the entire series can typically be found for quite reasonable asking prices during most Steam sales.