Although not a particularly popular genre,stealth games are packed with masterpieces. Thanks to their innovative and engaging ideas, they have helped the interactive industry grow creativelythanks to their fascinating mechanics.
Between special abilities, a heavy emphasis on level design, refined AIs, and multiple other aspects, the genre boasts many notable features.
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High-stakes Hide and Seek
Over time, many series have built an entire identity around these gameplay concepts, achieving advanced experiences that demonstrate the genre’s meticulousness.
As a result, it’s always worth recognizing when a title is truly special, which is why I’m bringing youthe ten best unique mechanics in stealth games.
10Mark and Execute
Splinter Cell: Conviction
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction
Splinter Cell: Convictionis easily one of thebest stealth games of all timeand one of the series' most distinctive installments.
Sam Fisher’s most personal and visceral adventure is packed with new features and distinct approaches, most notably theMark and Executemechanic, which allows you to kill multiple targets simultaneously.
By encouraging exploration and positioning to use it properly,each level becomes a puzzle as you figure out the best sequence to execute your opponents after marking them.
Besides its superb cinematography,it feels like a sensational reward for being careful and properly recognizing the level layout, giving you a sense of power that fits quite well with the campaign’s tone.
9Going Through Vents
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Deus Ex: Human Revolutionis a video game that deserves praise for countless reasons, but one of the main ones is its magnificent level design.
Despite its broad nature that allows for various gameplay approaches,most elements encourage a stealthy path to take advantage of its levels' depth.
Although it sounds simple, the presence of so many ventilation ducts to explore, find secrets, and take advantage of alternative routes to avoid conflict or facilitate objectives is truly refreshing.
Especially for having been released in an era where war shooters and unbridled action reigned supreme,the vents inDeus Ex: Human Revolutionare an ode to planning and care that truly deserve to be appreciated.
8Breakable Silencer
The Last of Us Part 2
Through its post-apocalyptic world,The Last of Us Part 2shapes both its narrative and its gameplay, creating a truly remarkable coherence.
One of my favorite aspects of this approach is itsbreakable silencers, not only because they encourage exploration to find the resources needed to craft them, but also because ofhow they reflect the constant decision-making process of every fight.
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Given they’re scarce, they become a powerful resource that can help you traverse a location filled with enemies that outnumber and outgun you, but you have to know when to use them.
In addition to the satisfaction of its finely tuned gunplay,The Last of Us Part 2cranks up the tension to the maxwith a mechanic we take for granted in the rest of the genre almost completely.
Assassin’s Creed
Assassin’s Creed
The firstAssassin’s Creedentry hasn’t aged well in terms of gameplay, with repetitive systems that quickly run out of ideas.
However, the first time you enter one of its crowded cities and must camouflage your presence byblending in with scholars, you truly feel like an assassin.
Hiding in plain sight is a concept not widely used in stealth games, as they typically rely on the shadows as their main ally, to the point of hardly considering alternative paths to approach stealth.
Thus,Assassin’s Creedtruly feels innovative thanks to looking for the opposite focus, harmonizing setting with gameplay to create a natural and compelling result.
6Disguises
When talking about thebest stealth games, it’s always necessary to mention theHitmanseries, which has produced several of the best installments in the genre over the years.
However, perhaps the main difference from its competitors lies inits use of disguises to blend in with the environment, opening up endless gameplay possibilities very few stealth games can offer.
While the genre isn’t known for its realism,Hitman 3in particularmakes you feel like a cold, calculating manslayer in believable conditions, forcing you to think outside the box and use all your tools.
IO Interactive demonstrates its genre’s mastery by utilizing a mechanic that, despite being simple, demands a lot of quality from elements such as level design, enemy patterns, and ease of movement.
I’d venture to say disguises inHitmanare even underrated, asit’s a unique mechanic that no other game has managed to pull off so well.
Styx: Master of Shadows
Styx: Master of Shadowsis a highly creative title that exploits fantasy to cement a spectacular and eye-catching stealth experience.
The skill set at our disposal is select but deep,with abilities like Cloning that truly magnify its gameplay’s best aspects, even giving it a higher overall quality.
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When infiltration is an option, there’s no better alternative.
Using a second character to create distractions, open new paths, or safely explore routes is masterful, considerably enhancing the experience of being a magical goblin.
Thanks to the verticality ofStyx: Master of Shadows' levels and the number of threats that inhabit them,being able to clone oneself feels like a blessing that doubles the complexity of its gameplay, but also its satisfaction.
4Shadow Leap
Despite stealth games' close relationship with shadows, no title in the genre has respected them as much as the indie gameAragami.
The usual practice is to position yourself among them to avoid enemies' lines of sight, butAragamimakes you one with the shadows byallowing you to literally step into them and move around without being seen.
Leaping from one shadow to another, thus circumventing the levels' physical limitations and outsmarting the senses of the guards who threaten you, is among the most wonderful sensations a stealth game fan can experience.
Added to the rest of the abilities the title offers,Aragamiis a masterpiece of the genre, butShadow Leap is easily the main reason it deserves such an adjective.
3Water Arrows
Thief: The Dark Project
Making a stealth game is extremely difficult becauseyou have to consider the impact of certain elements that normally don’t have much weight in gameplay, such as lighting.
Therefore, the wayThief: The Dark Projectintegrates this challenge and turns it into one of its core mechanics is simply tremendous, creating a mind-blowing sense of immersion.
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The first-person stealth pioneer is made up of nothing but memorable adventures.
However,it’s more specifically the use of water arrows I findbewitchingand, above all, absurdly advanced for the technology and ideas of its time.
Turning off the lights from a distance, not being a magician but a highly trained thief, is astonishing. And if you decide to play the game without killing or knocking anyone out, you realize even more why it’s a magnificent mechanic.
2Cardboard Box
Metal Gear Solid
Metal Gear Solidis a franchise filled with unconventional ideas and even stranger executions, butthe use of a cardboard box for hiding takes the cake.
It’s an eccentric, unrealistic, and even satirical mechanic that not only works within the game’s context but is also extremely iconic, serving both gameplay and personality.
The first time you encounter it and use it to evade an enemy is easily among the most unforgettable moments of any player’s lifebecause it’s almost unbelievable.
If we’re talking about being unique, it’s complicated to overlook the superiority ofHideo Kojima and his works, especially since titles likeMetal Gear Solidhave been making the word ‘special’ their bread and butter since 1998.
Dishonored
Dishonoredis a stealth masterpiece that combinesthe best of being an assassinwiththe best of a steampunk setting, finding a perfect balance between realism and fantasy.
Any of Corvo Attano’s abilities could have made it onto this list, butBlink is easily among the best powers in video games of all time.
Everything in Dunwall is flawlessly positioned to make this ability the center of attention, with levels and enemies structured to make using itthe most satisfying,rewarding,powerful,and entertaining part of the entire game.
Jumping from building to building, corner to corner, and floor to floor with magical speed, pristine audiovisual design, and superb narrative explanation is simply unparalleled.
The freedom of movement and exploration Blink delivers is the most special thingDishonoredhas to offer, which says everything for a game that sits at the top of its genre.
