Stealth games have fallen out of popularity as the stealth genre is being implemented as a feature in games, rather than the focus of the game. For example, Splinter Cell was a game built around the concept of stealth but as open-world role-playing games dominate the gaming scene the idea of building a pure stealth game is less attractive to developers.
Gamers who love stealth are forced to enjoy stealth as an optional style in a game, like The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim'sfamous stealth archer build or even games like GTA implementing stealth mechanics. Here are some long-forgotten one-off stealth games that players should creep back to and revisit, so they can once again sneak, disguise, and surprise their way to victory.
7 Prisoner Of War
- Available on: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, and Xbox.
Prisoner of War is a fresh look at stealth games that makes it worth a mention. In most stealth games, there is some emphasis on violence however this is not the case in Prisoner of War. As the game exhibits little to no violence, it creates a truly stealth-focused experience for the player. There is no brute force way to win, players must be sneaky.
The only violence will come from the guards if players get caught escaping. One cool mechanic is that if the player is near the guard when caught acting suspiciously, the player will automatically surrender. These scenarios make the player think about stealth in ways that other games don't. Due to the focus on stealth, the game is a genuine challenge to complete due to the limited options for game style. The player is unable to fight any enemies and must rely on stealth and deception.
6 Manhunt (2003)
- Available on: PlayStation 2, Microsoft Windows, and Xbox.
Manhunt rose to infamous acclaim back in the early 00s and is one of Rockstar Game's most controversial releases. It was released for the PlayStation 2 around 20 years ago and has slipped from the memory of most gamers. Set within the fictional Carcer City, players control the criminal James Earl Cash, a fugitive that finds himself trapped with only one way to escape. Cash is forced to hunt criminals and take them out to earn his freedom while being given instructions by a mysterious man, known as the director. Manhunt is infamous for its brutality, but the game often goes under the radar.
The dark, gritty style won many fans over and Manhunt won several accolades. However, due to the amount of violence, there was a significant amount of controversy leading to the banning of the game in some countries. Rockstar Games never released a sequel, which is likely down to the amount of notoriety the game generated. There was a recent documentary made about the game and is available on YouTube on the channel GVMERS.
5 The Great Escape (2003)
- Available on: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox
Based on the famous film, The Great Escape game attempts to recreate some of the film's scenes while adding original storylines too. The early levels of the game are all original scenarios and the later levels of the game are nearly all based on scenes from the film. The four playable characters are also all featured in the film, and have a special skill related to stealth gameplay, like picking locks or impersonating a guard.
Despite a poor reception, the game is worth revisiting if players are fans of games inspired by films and wish to experience it in a different format. Players can experience their own great escape and even hear real dialogue from Steve McQueen taken directly from the film and used in the game.
4 Shadow Of Rome (2005)
- Available on: PlayStation.
Shadow of Rome follows a fictional story of the assassination of Julius Caesar. The two main characters are Agrippa, a soldier whose father is accused of murdering Caesar, and Octavianus, who tries to prove the innocence of Agrippa’s father. As a game of two halves, Shadow of Rome combines action and stealth by separating Agrippa and Octavianus.
When controlling Agrippa, the players will be in a hack-and-slash action game. However, when controlling Octavianus, the player will experience some fantastic stealth levels. Octavianus needs to rely on stealth as he cannot kill enemies. This often means Octavianus will have to attack them from behind rendering them unconscious or leaving traps and obstacles in their paths. Players must hide bodies, avoid detection, and find information by sleuthing. Players can wear disguises, peep through keyholes, and participate in thrilling Roman clandestine activities. It's worth revisiting for fans of ancient Roman history.
3 The Saboteur
- Available on: PlayStation 3, iOS, Microsoft Windows, and Xbox 360.
The Saboteur is an action-stealth game set in an open-world environment mostly set in Nazi-occupied Paris. The game experiments with color in those areas that are occupied by Nazis are represented in mostly black and white except for Nazi, French resistance, and other symbols. Players must weaken the German forces occupying the area and doing this then inspires the revolution. In doing so, the district will become more vibrant and full of color.
While there is a lot of action in the game, the player can opt to play a more stealthy version, like using the ability to scale buildings and run across rooftops to avoid detection. The player can use hand-to-hand combat or go pure stealth such as sneaking through and disguises. This is considered Pandemic Studio's final gift to the gaming community as the studio closed soon after the game’s release. As the studio released some classic games like Destroy All Humans, it only makes the last release more worthy of revisiting.
2 Chameleon (2005)
- Available on: Microsoft Windows
Chameleon was released by Silver Wish Games in around 2005 and quickly became a stealth classic. The sad part is that the game was only released to a limited amount of countries and has never been released in western markets. Though there are YouTube playthroughs that features the full gameplay, so players can revisit Chameleon in full.
The game had levels spanning across the globe and even one set in Belfast, which was one of the most iconic. Players were given the use of a vast array of spy equipment such as night vision goggles and spy cameras. Much like Splintercell and Metal Gear Solid, the addition of spyware was an exciting addition that made stealth games feel more immersive compared to more common action games. Unlike other stealth games, Chameleon contained a good amount of action and therefore weaponry, including the infamous mini-crossbow. The story is one of revenge as the main character hunts down his parent’s killers across the world.
1 Chicken Run (2001)
- Platforms: Android, Microsoft Windows, Game Boy, Playstation, Dreamcast, Game Boy Color
Many people will remember this classic children's film, but few will realize that there was a game adaptation released. The game loosely follows the plot of the film and requires the players to take control of some of the more well-known chickens like Ginger or Rocky and collect items that will help them escape the farm. Other than the chicken's need to escape Tweedy's farm the levels don't follow much of the film's scenes but are inspired heavily by them. The gameplay was more loosely based on classic stealth tropes, like avoiding the detection of guard dogs and searchlights.
The game gained favorable reviews at the time but is known as a one-off which is probably due to the lack of a film sequel and therefore lack of public interest. With that being said, there is a sequel planned for release in November 2023, more than 20 years after the release of the first film. There is little chance that the sequel will mean a new game, but there is always a chance.