Highlights
- Shoplifting Boy and Castle Wolfenstein were both early stealth games released before Metal Gear Solid , laying the foundation for the genre.
- Castle Wolfenstein incorporated stealth mechanics in 1981, with players sneaking into areas and avoiding detection while stealing secret plans.
- 005 , an arcade game released in 1981, introduced innovative stealth gameplay with 'cone vision' NPCs and a James Bond -inspired spy mission.
Stealth games were popularized by Metal Gear Solid, which placed players in the saddle of protagonist Snake and his sometimes outright bizarre adventures in the game's world. Originally released in 1998 for the PlayStation 1, it is often viewed as the earliest stealth game.
Gamers may be shocked to know that there are games in the stealth genre that were released before Metal Gear Solid hit the shelves. MGS was instrumental in making the genre popular, but these games had a hand in the franchise's inception, making them the parents of the stealth genre, a label often contributed to the first MGS game.
5 Shoplifting Boy - 1979
The stealth genre dates all the way back to 1979 in the form of Shoplifting Boy, or Manbiki Shounen as it is known in the country it was developed in, Japan. Players could experience this early stealth game on the Commodore in the simplistic graphics of the era, with its limited gameplay.
As the title suggests, this game places the players in the shoes of someone who is attempting to shoplift from a store. Players must walk around the aisles to collect as many dollar signs as possible without being detected by the owner. If caught, they will be led away by the Police, and the game will be over. Though very simple in presentation and premise, it is still an impressive game considering the era that it was released. In the following year, the sequel Shoplifting Girl was released, which featured similar gameplay but a female protagonist in place of a male.
4 Lupin III (Lupin the 3) - 1980
Anime or manga fans might recognize the title of this game, and it is indeed based on the beloved series. Developer Taito took inspiration from the previously released stealth game Shoplifting Boy for its own stealth game Lupin III; it was released to arcades across Japan in 1980. It was the very first Lupin the Third video game that was ever released and among the earliest stealth games to ever be released.
In this stealth title, players take on the role of the titular protagonist Lupin as he attempts to steal bags of money in order to please his sweetheart. He must obtain them from the top of skyscrapers and deliver them to his stash at the bottom while avoiding being caught by the guards. If the player is detected by one of the guards, they will be hauled off to jail. Its premise is very similar to that of Shoplifting Boy but with the legacy of a huge IP behind it.
3 Castle Wolfenstein - 1981
When players hear Wolfenstein, they probably don't think of a stealth game and instead remember bloody, gun-touting carnage, but it might surprise some gamers to know that the original Castle Wolfenstein incorporated stealth mechanics into its gameplay. Players would sneak into an area in order to steal secret plans and then try to escape, all the while avoiding detection. Alternatively, players could disguise themselves as a guard in order to slip past the other guards undetected.
As it was released all the way back in 1981, the graphics for Castle Wolfenstein are simplistic, as was the gameplay, yet it was still a fun and challenging stealth experience and one of the games that paved the way for Konami's hit stealth game series. With the gameplay elements of being able to disguise the player character to avoid recognition by the guards, Castle Wolfenstein was ahead of its time in some aspects.
2 005 - 1981
005 is an arcade game developed by Sega that was released in arcades in 1981. One of the earliest examples of a stealth game, and the first that utilized 'cone vision' for its NPCs, 005 was an innovative title for the stealth genre, bringing fresher and more challenging stealth gameplay for early fans of the genre to enjoy.
As players might have guessed from the title, this game took major inspiration from the spy film series James Bond, tasking the players with the mission to stealth into enemy territory and steal briefcases full of documents before delivering them to the awaiting helicopter, all the while avoiding detection of the patrolling enemies. Players will have to use the boxes provided on the maps to avoid falling into their flashlights or line of sight; otherwise, it's game over.
1 Beyond Castle Wolfenstein - 1984
1984 saw the release of another Castle Wolfenstein game and the last title in the Wolfenstein franchise to make comprehensive use of stealth mechanics. Though released three years after the original, the graphics and gameplay were largely the same, with the only difference being some additions to Beyond Castle Wolfenstein to innovate and expand on the gameplay of the first Castle Wolfenstein.
The 1984 title put more emphasis on the stealth gameplay, as players were given a knife for quiet, close-range kills and encouraged to take the uniform from a downed guard in order to disguise themselves as they infiltrate enemy bases.