It has been a long time since Splinter Cell fans got to take up the mantle of Sam Fisher in another globe-trotting stealth-action adventure. Since the release of Splinter Cell Blacklist in 2013, the franchise has been mostly dormant, relegating the beloved Sam Fisher to only cameo appearances in Ghost Recon and Rainbow Six games. However, this all will change soon, thanks to the announcement of the Splinter Cell remake.
Ubisoft’s Splinter Cell remake was announced in late 2021 to the delight of many fans. The remake is far from release, and recent job openings indicate that Ubisoft Toronto is still actively recruiting directors and coordinators for what will surely be a significant undertaking. However, even twenty years since its initial release, the original Splinter Cell remains one of the key innovators in the stealth genre and should serve as the blueprint for the upcoming remake. Some of the franchise's best traits are in the past and are the reasons why fans fell in love with Splinter Cell many years ago.
A Return to Redefined Stealth Action
In 2002, Splinter Cell sneaked into player consoles and changed how stealth games were defined through its innovative use of environmental stealth. With new sound mechanics, Sam could sneak right behind guards as long he was slow and calculated, making sure not to let a single floorboard creak underneath his feet as he approached. Sam could even sneak right under enemies' noses as long as he was consumed by darkness, shooting out every light in the room to create an environment where he and his night-vision goggles became the apex predator. Splinter Cell’s light and sound mechanics would craft a new type of stealth experience where simply hiding behind boxes in broad daylight was not enough. Sam Fisher would become what Lambert calls “a ghost’s shadow.”
“Your gun should always be a last resort. Invisibility is your best weapon.”
These were Lambert’s guiding words to Sam during the opening hours of Splinter Cell and set the standard for the original game along with Pandora Tomorrow and Chaos Theory. Brazenly shooting every enemy in sight is a risk in the original Splinter Cell. Not only that, but it is a risk that the game routinely punished. Later Splinter Cell titles would see Sam become more of a gunslinger, trading in the applauded sound and light mechanics for a streamlined approach to stealth, along with a combat focus where Sam could clear a whole room in no time. For Ubisoft’s Splinter Cell remake to succeed and craft an authentic experience to the original, it needs to return to the methodical and tactical approach to stealth that the earlier games held as dogma.
Bringing Back the Classic Sam Fisher
Perhaps one of the most contentious changes in the Splinter Cell franchise was the removal of Michael Ironside as the voice of Sam Fisher in Splinter Cell Blacklist. However, this change wasn’t entirely unfounded. Ironside had to step away from the role due to health complications during Blacklist’s development and subsequent years. Moreover, later Splinter Cell titles would see Sam Fisher completely depart from the sarcastic and witty version of the character featured throughout much of the original trilogy. Double Agent, Conviction, and Blacklist had Sam take a more grizzled and commanding role, losing a lot of humor from the character while also changing his attitude towards other cast members.
The Splinter Cell remake should see a return to form for Sam Fisher and aim to bring back the iconic voice of Ironside with all of his dry wit and charisma. Part of the charm of the original Splinter Cell game was hearing Sam belittle the subjects of his interrogations or partake in deadpan banter with Lambert and Grimmsdottir as he crept through the shadows. This remake needs to channel that characterization of Sam Fisher to craft a faithful representation of the agent that fans enjoyed many years ago. There is also hope that Ironside will return for the remake. These days, the actor appears to be doing quite well in terms of health and even reprised his role for brief appearances in Ghost Recon Wildlands and Breakpoint. With any luck, he may just be able to voice a full-fledged game once more.
A Splinter Cell remake is currently in development.