If you haven't heard, Jesper Kyd shared that the first two hitman soundtracks (Hitman: Codename 47 and Hitman 2: Silent Assassin) have arrived on vinyl! There are even special editions available now for pre-order!
BOOM! It’s Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, our most beloved retro indie (lie) classic. It’s all about elegant and graceful murders and the ways we completely mess those up and improvise our way around the messy and awful murders.
This time, it’s to save Reverend Emilio - who I have been hoping to save literally since I was a wee baby boy. TWO DECADES OF NOT HAVING SAVED HIM! Oh, the way the guilt weighs on me....please give me your support and maybe I’ll finally be able to get him back and correct this sick and twisted world...I can’t do it unless you subscribe and like the video though...oops....
My biggest problem with Hitman content on YouTube is that everyone always skips over caring about the story, meaning I bought the game expecting to only care about the gameplay.
And then it hit me with a story about self-identity and purpose which resonated so much that I can't stop thinking about it. Everything about 47 and Diana's journey is a brilliant escalation, one about the realization that even though Diana is slowly bringing out 47's ability to feel again, she's still continuing the cycle of him being used and controlled. It hit me right in the chest when 47 is doing his second mission without Diana, and repeats her line "I'll leave you to prepare" to Olivia. To see a cold-blooded assassin miss his one friend in the world, to see how worried he becomes when she's present for his next mission.
And damn, the way scene where they dance together was perfect, because you can just tell that the betrayal is coming. It almost feels like a premature goodbye. Diana cares deeply for 47 after all this time, and that's why she knows she has to let him go. It's not truly a betrayal - it's mercy.
When he takes out The Constant and goes off his own, they leave things a bit vague, but I love it. It doesn't matter who Diana is now, because her and 47 aren't together anymore. He's on his own, and while he's continuing the path The Constant taunted him for being stuck in, it's different. He makes the choices now. He works for himself.
I teared up watching him smile while talking to Diana. Agent 47, the cold blooded killer, is finally allowed to feel, to grow as a person, because he's free. It's the best conclusion I could've asked for.
The gameplay is amazing, obviously, but I wish less people ignored the story behind it all. I haven't even touched on Providence or Lucas Grey, which are both excellent in their own rights.
Maybe I'll touch more on those another time. I'm tired lol