Highlights
- PS1 revolutionized the stealth genre with games like Metal Gear Solid and Tenchu, showcasing refined mechanics and immersive gameplay.
- Fear Effect, with its cyberpunk aesthetic and advanced tactics, is an overlooked stealth adventure masterpiece that deserves a new entry.
- Syphon Filter series on PS1, with its confident gameplay and intriguing story, offers a globe-trotting stealth adventure with memorable characters.
The stealth genre took quite a bit to solidify itself in video games. While it eventually produced franchises such as Splinter Cell and Thief, some of the earliest attempts like Castle Wolfenstein were rudimentary at best. However, as time went on, the mechanics became far more refined, and with the PlayStation 1, stealth games took on a whole new life.
The PS1 managed to cultivate a remarkable library of over 1,900 titles, including a vast collection of stone-cold classics. Some of the best games on the PS1 belong to the stealth genre, where trope codifiers like Metal Gear Solid and newcomers like Tenchu all battled to see who could reign at the top of the mountain.
6 Fear Effect
Feeling like the cyberpunk offspring of Resident Evil and Metal Gear Solid, Fear Effect tapped into a brilliant aesthetic that lent itself well to the PS1's grown-up reputation. Utilizing three playable characters, it features polygonal characters on pre-rendered backgrounds, which made incredible use of looping video files as opposed to 2D images, leading to its staggering 4-disc requirement.
The cel-shaded characters move about the environments, using advanced tactics to evade enemies and when prompted, can perform a stealth kill. The slick combination of anime-influenced visuals and a world that still feels unlike others seen in the industry, Fear Effect is a forgotten stealth adventure masterpiece that is long overdue for a new entry.
5 Syphon Filter
Initially beginning as a one-page synopsis at Edetic, Syphon Filter underwent some radical story and gameplay changes over the course of development. Despite the comparisons, it was not a response to potential rival Metal Gear Solid. Instead, Syphon Filter began as a science fiction game about time travel before morphing into a GoldenEye 007-influenced super spy game.
Despite being the first title in a new franchise, Syphon Filter feels remarkably confident. It features a phenomenal collection of weapons and gadgets, with each one playing some sort of role in how you can approach sneaking through the levels. The silenced pistol feels very punchy while the sniper rifle has terrific feedback, along with the much-beloved taser that can light enemies on fire.
4 Tenchu: Stealth Assassins
The ninja genre feels like one that is still missing a truly great, historically accurate representation. This was even worse back in the 1990s, but a little studio called Acquire took the first steps to change the sad state of ninja games by developing Tenchu: Stealth Assassins.
Set in Sengoku-era Japan during the 16th century, Tenchu features two playable characters; Rikimaru and Ayame. Setting the player loose in sandboxes that are rife with possibilities, Tenchu creates an immensely satisfying loop of staying out of sight, waiting for the right moment and getting the kill. It's a brilliant, bloody stealth masterpiece.
3 Syphon Filter 2
As most good sequels do, Syphon Filter 2 hits the ground running with the established lore and sets heroes Gabe Logan and Lian Xing off on a globe-trotting stealth adventure that feels like the franchise at its absolute peak. The story feels tighter and more grown-up, the characters have become more defined and the implication of real-world historical events mixed with fiction is fantastic.
It also allows the player to control Lian for the first time in a few missions, adding some terrific new supporting characters as well in Theresa Lipan and Lawrence Mujari. The world of Syphon Filter was becoming bigger, but the objectives remained the same in tasking players with sneaking through hostile environments.
2 Tenchu 2: Birth Of The Stealth Assassins
Released just two years after the first entry, Tenchu 2: Birth of the Stealth Assassins is a prequel to the first game and shows the cataclysmic events that lead to Rikimaru and Ayame becoming loyal to Lord Godha. It ties brilliantly into the first game, including a post-credit scene that directly sets up the events of Tenchu: Stealth Assassins.
Improving on the first game in nearly every possible way, Tenchu 2 also introduced a stage editor mode that would allow players to challenge their friends. Altogether, Tenchu 2 was one of the best stealth experiences one could find on Sony's first console.
1 Metal Gear Solid
While the original Metal Gear released on the MSX2 in 1987 may have been one of the forerunners of the stealth game genre, it was Metal Gear Solid that took the genre out of the shadows. It was the first 3D Metal Gear entry and one of the first fully voice-acted games in the industry, paving the way for franchises like Splinter Cell to flourish.
Set in a singular environment over the course of a single night in an Alaskan military base known as Shadow Moses Island, this masterfully crafted hide-and-seek adventure is easily the PS1's greatest achievement. Shadow Moses feels rich and dense, packed tight with alcoves and hallways, while guards and cameras pepper the rooms. It's a master class in stealth game design.
