Say what you want, but I love Codename 47. Aside from the fact that it defined the franchise, I genuinely enjoyed replaying it and don't think it aged as poorly as people say. You could call it nostalgia goggles, but the first time I played it was about 12 years ago, after Absolution and plenty of other modern games.
Social stealth probably wasn't completely new when this game came out - Wolfenstein already had enemy uniforms back in the '80s, but Hitman was the first proper 3D game to build its core gameplay around this mechanic (or at least I think so).
Most of the levels are structured as sandbox puzzles with a heavily guarded target, and your job is to find a breach in their security.
Some of them are non-linear and have more than one solution, but obviously it's not like World of Assassination with a kill opportunity around every corner. That's not a bad thing, however - the game is designed for one playthrough and is more about the challenge and puzzle solving than messing around and ticking-off achievements. Sneaking is technically possible, but it's really slow and only viable for secluded kills. In hostile areas enemies aren't half-blind like in other stealth games and spot you instantly, so you have to use disguises.
There's no rating yet and no way to pacify non-targets non-lethally, just a cleaning cost for civilian and police casualties. On one hand I did like the addition of Silent Assassin requirements in the following titles, but on the other - I'm glad we don't have them here, since it allows for more aggressive approaches to shine. It isn't necessarily mass murder (although no one stops you), it's just that more things can be done if shooting a couple of guards on your way is an option. Sometimes small gunfights are outright intended - usually like 4-5 guys you need to clear the area of. I think it's good that the combat mechanic actually gets used, while in the later games it's something you ideally should never rely on.
The soundtrack absolutely slaps. The main theme is one of my all-time favorites, and the rest of the score perfectly sets the tone for each level - Jesper Kyd did an incredible job. Visually, it still holds up in its own way. Obviously, the graphics are dated, but the locations themselves look diverse and interesting. They even managed to add some ambitious details for the time, like cloth physics and plenty of mirrors with reflections.
Yes, the jank is also there. Bugs, glitches, jerky animations, dated UI - you name it. The ragdoll physics were impressive for the time, but they can also produce even more jank. Bullets are actual projectiles that come out of the barrel realistically, but that sometimes makes them land way off the crosshair, especially when leaning. The movement gets criticized a lot, but to me it's fine once you get used to it - it does the job and isn't much worse than 2:SA or Contracts. The default controls are weird though, but you can easily rebind them.
The worst thing about this game, in my opinion, is the lack of polish in some levels, which makes them that much less enjoyable, especially on the first playthrough. For example, Say Hello To My Little Friend - one of the most infamous missions, and all it really needed to be decent was a few tweaks. If they toned down the tower guards' hivemind and fixed the confusing "go away" cutscene at the drug lab, it would be infinitely less frustrating and counterintuitive. One or two extra entrances, the ability to actually snipe Ochoa from the tower where you can find a sniper rifle - and the level would be great. The same thing applies to other problematic missions, but apparently, the development was rushed, and post-release patches weren't a thing yet.
The story is the most memorable in the series and my favorite by far. It’s simple yet really striking, almost like psychological horror. I'd also argue it's the most important, since it establishes 47's origin and lays the groundwork for everything that follows. Unfortunately, it's also the most overlooked one because the game never made it to consoles, and these days, not many people are willing to go back to it.
The Contracts is often called a remake of Codename 47, but it really shouldn't be treated as such. It's more of an impressionistic take on some of the Codename contracts among others, which are neither depicted accurately, nor story connected. If Codename 47 is too janky for you, you can skip it - but don't expect Contracts to be a proper replacement. It's good, but a different thing.
Hitman: Codename 47 is an ambitious eurojank banger. It kicked off a truly unique franchise that barely ever had competition - aside from that one Russian commie thing, which never really came close. It's definitely not for everyone, but if you like hardcore games and can tolerate some jank, it's absolutely worth checking out.
