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| source// Klei Entertainment/Suspicious Developments/Pandemic |
Following the stealth explosion of the early noughties that came with Metal Gear Solid 2, Splinter Cell and Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, we had our three founding pillars of the genre for all to build upon. On the one side, the ludicrously OTT plots and hilariously experimental A.I.-fiddling of MGS and Hitman, and on the other, the super-serious, Tom Clancy-framed exploits of the leather-clad Sam Fisher.
Sure, there had been stealth games before, but none quite so perfected as these three, and going forward you can point to any game with any stealth element, and trace it back to what these three games nailed so perfectly, some after immensely important first instalments.
Going forward all three series’ have maintained high pedigrees, but as the industry slowly started to feast on its own tail by pursuing endless military shooters and open-world third-person action adventures (one of which, Assassin’s Creed, had a far more stealthier start), the genre as a mainstay has become fairly underrepresented.
Or has it? Like the best shadow-clinging heroes of the genre itself, some of the best examples of the label have been under your nose this entire time…
12. Tenchu Z
Eight years before Assassin’s Creed: Unity would try and fail at the same premise, Tenchu Z bravely pioneered the idea of group infiltration over Xbox Live. By outfitting your custom ninja with all manner of appearance tweaks and ability modifiers, you could then team up with people across the globe to take on a huge amount of missions.
Alternatively, solo play was exemplary, too. Customisation carried across no matter what your assassin was up to, and where Tenchu Z excelled over its contemporaries was through a staggering away of items and animations. With the series’ occasionally supernatural bent, enemies ranged from standard thugs all the way through to mystical warriors, and you were free to cling to vertical surfaces, concoct various bombs and distractions, perform in-air kills and kite enemies into kill-rooms of your own design.
All this whilst dabbling in an innovative multiplayer that nobody else would attempt for almost another decade? Just what you’d expect from the developers of Dark Souls.
11. The Saboteur
Although it remains truly sad that Pandemic will never finish their initial version of Star Wars Battlefront III, another consequence that stemmed from various mid-tier studios shutting across the start of 2010 was their other projects barely getting to share any of the limelight.
The Saboteur was one such game, a uniquely-styled action-adventure that mixed Assassin’s Creed/Uncharted-style climbing mechanics with a colour scheme that highlighted elements in the world (or visually-arresting explosions) alongside gunplay that meant if things went sour, a reliable third-person shooter had your back.
Whilst it did fall down a little with some driving sections that were a little too arcady for their own good, Saboteur’s general setup as a French spy amongst Nazi-occupied Paris was one that had appeal and charm for days. Setting up a base HQ out the back of a cabaret club and having a button designated to lighting a cigarette for any occasion you’d find yourself overlooking the rainswept city? It had more style than Agent 47.
Speaking of which…
10. Hitman (2016)
You wouldn’t think one of the most critically-acclaimed entries in a given franchise was ‘underrated’, but the term also applies to cultural reception too. Which is to say, because of IO Interactive’s insistence on an episodic, ‘one map each month’ rollout model, 2016’s Hitman might play incredibly well, but is hampered by emerging as a shell of its future self.
Forget the pricing model for a second though, as by removing the linear elements of Absolution’s story and refocussing gameplay on the pure joy of experimenting with various A.I. scripts and NPCs in a given level, Hitman’s ‘reboot’ is one that revels in turning assassination into art. Gone is the ability to take a human shield or finish off groups of enemies at once, as the purpose is to streamline the core of every past entry in the series, reclaiming all that had gotten lost in the story-focussed likes of Hitman: Absolution.
Now you’re a contractual killer through and through; a wandering chameleon of death that’ll costume-swap their way into anywhere from a high security outpost to a chef’s kitchen and everything in between. You’re free to leave gas valves open to rig future explosions, get up close n’ personal with a variety of sharp and blunt objects – even rig it so you kill two targets by dropping one onto the other. It’s really up to you, and with a reft of optional challenges encouraging experimentation and replayability, IO might have fell short of delivering a full game, but they’ve exceeded in embracing what fans adore about the series.
9. Alpha Protocol
Granted, if you really wanted to ditch the shadows and whip out a beretta instead, Alpha Protocol has you covered, but the best way to play this design-your-own-spy RPG was to spec in the direction of stealth kills and tactile infiltration, clearing out any area, one guard at a time.
Obsidian are forever the developer with the best ideas, but some of the spottiest execution (looking at you, Fallout: New Vegas), as in the run-up to release, AP was being touted as ‘Mass Effect for spies’, only for bugs, previous generation-looking animations and weightless gunplay dragging it down. Those like myself who stuck with it found a truly engaging and unique spin on the stealth genre that honestly, when you look at the melding of real-world framing and RPG stat-tracking, hadn’t been attempted again until The Division.
Since launch, the various issues have been smoothed over, leaving this as a throwback to when mid-tier developers had the funds to try something completely unique, and although Alpha Protocol would ape Mass Effect’s dialogue system, the branching pathways that lead to various alternating levels and endings gave it a ton of replayability.
8. The Chronicles Of Riddick: Dark Athena
For a time, relative newcomers Starbreeze Studios were the industry’s wonderkids; a set of incredibly talented individuals who were fleshing out the potential-filled world of Riddick into the digital realm. However, whilst Riddick’s first outing, Escape from Butcher Bay, was an outstanding achievement in both first-person melee combat and graphical fidelity, Dark Athena arrived to an world that viewed it more as an optional add-on, as oppose to a full game.
It’s truly a shame, as although like Alpha Protocol there are a ton of action-heavy options available, Riddick now sported his twin Ulak blades, could kill from any direction relative to his enemy, and really came into his own when you took him into the darkness.
There’s no game quite like Riddick when it comes to the pendulum swing of power as you go from exploring to shadow-stalking your prey, and as his trademark ‘eyeshine’ ability tinted the screen purple whenever you were completely hidden, it meant you could lure entire swathes of enemies to their gory doom in quick succession.
7. Invisible Inc.
From incredible indie devs, Klei Entertainment – those of Mark of the Ninja and Don’t Starve fame – they set out to reinvent the stealth wheel all over again in 2015, applying an XCOM-style isometric strategy formula to a genre that’s formerly resigned to controlling characters directly.
In doing so – like Metal Gear Acid to some degree – it forces you to plan every move accordingly. Planting agents on doorways as you try to predict enemy movements, hacking into security systems to free up other pathways and methods of insertion, deploying special abilities and hiding bodies – everything unfolds piece by piece, and it’s all backed up by the studio’s exemplary, forever gorgeous animation.
Playing Invisible Inc. is like nothing else, and if you enjoy pre-empting which enemies you’re going to take out, how and when every step of the way in other stealth titles, it’s definitely for you.
6. Styx: Master Of Shadows
Stealth doesn’t always have to mean super secret agents, gadgets and evil villains in fortified bases. Instead, by taking the base staples of dodging enemy patrols, introducing some really cool levels with impressive amounts of verticality that let you get the drop on foes whilst surveying those ahead and topping it off with great characters and solid lore, Styx is the PS2-style throwback you never knew you wanted.
Sure his animations might not be as fluid as Metal Gear’s and his blade not as impactful as Riddick’s, but Cyanide Studios’ heart gives the lovable little goblin endless charm, thanks to the project being a spin-off from humorous cult-success, Of Orcs and Men.
The basic gameplay ‘loop’ of Styx is one of studying level layouts and enemy patrol patterns; it’s a tribute and continuation of every stealth title that emerged across the 2000s, sitting confidently as something that stands alone in doing so, especially when compared to the more expansive nature of things like Metal Gear Solid V.
5. Volume
If there’s one really cool thing about the industry being 30-plus years old, it’s seeing fans of certain genres and games we all grew up playing pay tribute by making one of their own. Enter Mike Bithell, the chap you might know from Thomas Was Alone, a really neat Pixar-esque setup that saw a bunch of individual pixels get to know each other before getting through levels together.
Bithell stated in the development of Volume that he’d used all the money from TWA to create a love letter to the original Metal Gear Solid, which he’d played and loved as a kid. As such, from the top-down camera, to deploying a range of items and staying out the way of the enemies’ cone of vision, Volume’s foundations are decidedly Kojima-esque. Where it breaks away is in a super-cool narrative, with you playing as livestreaming hacker Rob Locksley as he attempts to break into various installations in a bid to show a dystopian public how to reclaim their lost wealth.
Andy Serkis pops up as the villainous Guy Gisborne and Danny Wallace (the nerdy guy from Assassin’s Creed’s present day stuff) contributes as the titular software, guiding you through each level. All three have a ton of dialogue that paints a great picture of Britain as this rundown, V For Vendetta-style nightmare, and it’s through periodic rollouts of new abilities and items that keeps Volume fresh throughout.
4. Gunpoint
Coded almost entirely by one person in their spare time, Gunpoint is a side-on pixel art showcase of what happens when a games reviewer (Tom Francis) applies everything they’ve learnt to their own creation. By letting you play as a character that has instant access to any electrical system in any given building – thereby meaning you can rewire lighting systems, locks and plenty more any time you like – it manages to walk a fine line between being an out n’ out puzzle game, but also rewards quickfire reactions if you need to deal with any immediate danger.
That means guards can be leapt on and battered into submission if you’re fast enough (the game even makes a brilliant ‘Are you STILL punching them!?’ barb if you don’t stop) and any improvised tactics can be deployed on the fly once you get a handle on how the various systems interface with each other.
The best part though? You can tackle guards through windows if you aim right, and there’s nothing better than leaping deftly out the side of a high-rise, cushioning the fall with a wayward goon and strolling back off into the night.
3. Mark Of The Ninja
From one 2D side-scroller to another, and Klei Entertainment’s innovative ‘stealth goes 2D’ mishmash of styles is more solid than Clash of Clans’ sales figures. By applying the studio’s incredible art design and eye for fluidity in character movement with abilities and level layouts that are a dream to play, you’ll rocket through the healthy 15 hour campaign and be begging for more.
Your ninja’s abilities are upgraded and fleshed out in the coolest way after every couple of environments, unlocking everything from spike traps to gliding kills – even a time-freezing teleportation ability lets you disappear in a cloud of smoke if you get spotted.
If the heart of the best stealth games is in letting you feel like an incredibly powerful character, rationing out the pain in short bursts by way of dazzling special abilities and confident, tactile controls, Mark of the Ninja is outstanding.
2. CounterSpy
PlayStation Plus’ monthly offerings continue to divide opinion to this day as to their true worth, but one of the best in the service’s history was CounterSpy; a supremely slick-looking side-on stealth title that dynamically switches to a cover shooter whenever you hop out the line of fire.
As all levels are rendered in full 3D, Shadow Complex-style, it effortlessly melds the two styles into one, meaning you’re free to leap fluidly around levels with varying amounts of verticality, taking out guards with ease, before snapping to cover and engaging in intense firefights or targeted headshots, should the need arise. The narrative sets you up as a neutral agent garnering power for your own faction during the Cold War, and everything from the character’s slinky animations to the menus and backdrops are fully cloaked in 60s spy nostalgia.
By pulling off such a unique blend of two tried n’ tested formulas, it’s a wonder we’ve not seen more of it from Dynamighty – but here’s hoping increased exposure to their work prompts an eventual sequel.
1. Splinter Cell: Blacklist
Unlike MGS V, which managed to skirt by on franchise reputation alone after losing the veteran voice of its main character, swapping out Michael Ironside as Sam Fisher after a couple of fairly average Splinter Cell games only served to completely bury Blacklist in the public conscious.
It didn’t matter that Sam was back to dissolving into the shadows across its duration, it didn’t matter that you had more gadgets and infiltration options than ever – it didn’t even matter that gameplay was slicker than ever, and built on everything Chaos Theory so expertly laid out through additional animations and kill opportunities.
The public turned their nose up at newcomer Eric Johnson slipping on the iconic three-light goggles, and that was that. But it doesn’t have to be; Blacklist still remains the finest stealth game that side of The Phantom Pain, one that comes replete with a 24-style thrill-filled storyline reminiscent of the Mission: Impossible movies, setting up a globe-spanning series of missions that are all expertly designed, encouraging replayability through sheer experimentation.
You can play Sam as a gung-ho bullet-lover if you like, or you can hang back, pick off enemies one by one, charge up a chain-kill special move and wipe out the remaining group in one fluid motion. When it all comes together, SC: Blacklist is right up there with Chaos Theory, and that’s a sentiment not anywhere near enough outlets have put out.
What’s the most underrated stealth game of all time? Let us know in the comments!
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