Always wanted to know what it would be like to be a warrior in the shadows, walking around unnoticed and striking silently? You don’t technically play as warriors in these games, but the stealthy part is there. Read on to learn more about my top 5 recommended stealth games to play in September 2022.
5. Hitman
Release date: March 12, 2016
Developed by: IO Interactive
Published by: Square Enix
Hitman is a third-person stealth action game for PC, Playstation and Xbox. While there are other Hitman games out there already, it’s always nice to go back to the one that brought Hitman games back to the mainstream. Following the story of Agent 47, a genetically modified killer, the player performs several murders. How the player handles these kills is entirely up to them. There isn’t one solution to each of the game’s missions, and that’s where the beauty of it all lies.
While shooting at the target may be the quickest way to take care of them, it may also be what warns the enemies the most. Poisoning the enemy can be difficult to execute, but can also be the most stealthy approach if done correctly. That’s where the replayability of the game comes from, allowing the players to play each mission differently every run. The possibilities are endless in Hitman, limited only by the player’s imagination.
The first game has a free trial on Steam, so you can try it out for yourself to see if you like it.
4. Assassin’s Creed 2
Release date: November 17, 2009
Developed by: Ubisoft Montreal
Published by: Ubisoft
Assassin’s Creed 2 is a third-person stealth action game in an open world for the PC, Playstation and Xbox. While not the newest game in the series, it is one of the defining games of the franchise. Assassin’s Creed 2, the first game in what will later be known as the Ezio Collection, follows the story of Ezio Auditore, a young boy from Florence who is driven by circumstances to become a hit man. He must use the skills he learned during his childhood, along with the skills he acquires along the way, to avenge his family.
As is the theme for all Assassin’s Creed games, stealth is an important part of this game, allowing Ezio to roam the land without being noticed by those who would see him dead. This is achieved through a combination of blending into the crowd, crossing the rooftops through parkour, and hiding in haystacks. Stealth is awarded in this game as most enemies die in one fell swoop when attacked while going undetected. Once detected, those same enemies take more hits to take down.
Assassin’s Creed 2 also upgrades and updates Assassin’s Creed 1’s combat system. The player has access to a wider range of weapons, from small and fast daggers to large and slow halberds. Ezio even has access to a firearm down the line. Unlike the first game, Ezio can use the killer’s signature hidden blade in combat. This allows for a wide variety of play styles that the player can adapt to.
Ezio’s story in the trilogy is no joke either. Once you’ve completed Assassin’s Creed 2, I highly recommend picking up the rest of the Ezio collection.
3. Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain
Release date: September 1, 2015
Developed by: Kojima Productions
Published by: Konami
Metal Gear Solid 5, or MGSV for short, is an open world stealth game for the PC, PlayStation and Xbox. It was intended by Hideo Kojima to be the Metal Gear Solid game that would connect all Metal Gear Solid games. It would answer any questions longtime fans of the series would have had. Unfortunately, it will also be his last Metal Gear Solid game, once Kojima and Konami broke up, leaving Kojima leaving Konami and taking much of his team with him. This split removed some of the potential Metal Gear Solid V had, but it’s still a solid game.
You play as Snake, the beloved protagonist of the Metal Gear Solid Franchise. After losing an arm and a leg after an attack on Mother Base, you’re tasked with rebuilding your mercenary company from scratch. You save your old allies, recruit new ones and take out anyone who stands in your way. Stealth is crucial in MGSV. Since you are almost always alone during your missions, you have to go undetected by the enemy as it is difficult to take them out on your own. Everything from sound, light and even smell is taken into consideration when sneaking around the game.
While it is possible to just kill any enemy you see, the player gets more if they use a non-lethal approach. This comes in the form of recruits, material rewards and reputation. One of the most valuable allies a player can get is only available if you take them out using non-lethal means. You have to discover who that ally is by playing the game.
2. Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist
Release date: August 20, 2013
Developed by: Ubisoft Toronto
Published by: Ubisoft
The latest game in the Splinter Cell franchise, Blacklist, is available on PC, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. It is a linear third-person shooter stealth game, with a very high focus on stealth. You play as Sam Fisher, a member of the Fourth Echelon, a group assigned to perform special operations. After a large-scale attack on a military base in Guam, they discover that the group responsible for the attack is planning more attacks on American soil. It is then up to Sam to track down and neutralize the leaders of this group.
As with previous games in the Splinter Cell series, there is a huge emphasis on staying in the shadows. While Sam Fisher can take part in gunfights, it is strongly discouraged unless you prepare for it. As with Assassin’s Creed 2, most enemies in this game can be neutralized easily when using stealth, but become difficult to subdue once warned. As such, Sam must use various gadgets to help him sneak around. Gadgets include noisemakers, sleeping gas and even tasers.
While stealth is key for most missions, there are three play styles that the player can use when playing this game called Ghost, Panther and Assault. Ghost is all about stealth and non-lethal approaches. Panther takes a similar approach in terms of stealth, but uses more of a deadly approach. Assault is the full firearms approach where the player throws stealth out the window and just shoots everyone they see.
1. Dishonest
Release date: October 9, 2012
Developed by: Arkane Studios
Published by: Bethesda Softworks
Dishonored is a first-person stealth action game for the PC, PlayStation and Xbox. The player follows the story of Corvo, the Empress’ bodyguard. When she is murdered by a group of killers with mystical powers, he is blamed for her death. Corvo must then use his bodyguard skills and the mystical powers he soon receives to uncover the truth. Along the way, he meets several formidable allies who will aid him in his battle for revenge. Over the course of the game, Corvo can get upgrades to both his weapons and his magical powers. These upgrades can help Corvo stay in the shadows more easily, or help him become the Incarnate Death.
With each mission in the game, Corvo is tasked with the murder of a target. While killing his enemies is the easiest way to complete the missions, it also serves to degrade the state of the city by increasing the chaos. Chaos is a system introduced to the game where the more deaths Corvo causes, the greater the chaos becomes. At higher levels of Chaos, there will be more guards and rats (the place is infested with carnivorous, pest-inducing rats, by the way), and may even affect the end of the game. It is up to the player to decide whether to go the hard way or the harder way.
For more gaming news, click here.
0 Comments