Stealth and action are two sides of the same coin. It is one thing to have tense moments of quiet suspense, but by adding on more engaging and exciting sections, the game can feel far more enjoyable, as, rather than just crawling around sneaking the entire playthrough, players are instead tested on several fronts at once.
When placed in a first-person perspective, the stealth and action segments become all the more immersive, letting players truly feel as though they are hiding from a nearby guard, then dispatching them without ever losing focus. The best games in the stealth-action space respect both aspects of their design, perfectly encapsulating what it means to have the power of silence and aggression at the same time.
Thief (2014)
From The Rafters To The Streets
Details:
- High verticality in every section
- Transitions quickly between pure stealth and action
Thief, as a series, set a strong foundation for first-person stealth-combat balance long before it became popular, and the 2014 carries on that tradition in the best ways possible. Light, sound, and enemy awareness all play a role in how players sneak around the world, but at any point, the quiet tension can be broken with a clash of blades.
What makes Thief special is how well the combat feeds directly back into stealth. Drawing a weapon alerts nearby enemies and forces a complete alteration in the entire encounter, meaning that players have all the power to escalate the action from stealth whenever they choose in ways that make sense and are thematically grounded.
Dishonored
Complimenting The Sneaking With Powerful Abilities
Details:
- Choice to be completely silent from start to finish
- Each encounter incorporates chances for both approaches
Dishonored excels by treating stealth and combat as two equal systems rather than opposing ones. Every ability and tool gives players the chance to approach encounters in whatever manner they choose, whether with explosive action or by sneaking past every enemy from the shadows.
The brilliance lies in how seamlessly players can transition between the two, as a failed stealth approach doesn’t mean failure, but a chance to fight back. The levels are also designed with these styles in mind, making each approach equally viable and satisfying from start to finish.
Skyrim
An Entire Playstyle Dedicated To Stealth
Details:
- Stealth archer and rogue playstyles
- Bonuses for sneaking as well as pure aggression
Skyrimmay not be a traditional stealth game, but a lot of its systems allow stealth and action to coexist as organically. The stealth archer playstyle is easily one of the most popular in the game, letting players carefully position themselves out of sight, only to dispatch foes in a single shot without ever being spotted.
But that's just the tip of the iceberg, as players can go down routes of illusion magic or become sneaky rogues, each offering a unique take on the idea of stealth. All of these builds revolve heavily around player choice, as at no point are they forced down one specific route, meaning that at any point in time, they are free to quietly walk through an encounter or run with swords drawn and ready for a fight.
Deus Ex Mankind Divided
Switching Between Care And Guns Blazing In A Flash
Details:
- Augmentations that open the doors for endless stealth opportunities
- Routes within levels that favour specific approaches
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided offers a refined stealth-action hybrid that has stood at the top of the genre ever since it released. Augmentations allow players to cloak, hack, incapacitate, or eliminate enemies in seconds, but every choice has tactical consequences, meaning that planning becomes just as important as the actions themselves.
In terms of level design, every space supports multiple approaches, often simultaneously, which adds so much depth to the world purely from a gameplay perspective. There's also no downtime between modes of stealth or action, as firefights can break out pretty much instantaneously from a single cue, ensuring the enemies feel realistic and reactive in a way that few other games have even tried.
Cyberpunk 2077
Taking Out Night City From The Shadows
Details:
- Fluid combat that can be played however the player chooses
- Immersive environments that can include several paths to success
Cyberpunk 2077, like any good RPG, never imposes any limits on how players should play the game. There is a huge range of skills that support stealth approaches, where players can hack cameras and distract enemies in order to sneak by, but the combat abilities are just as effective, letting players slash, shoot, and blow their way through just about any enemy in their way.
And if players want to remain flexible during their playthrough, they are more than welcome to use both approaches in conjunction, creating more advantageous openings through an initial section of sneaking. The choice really is down to the player, but even in the missions themselves, there will be chances to experience each method individually and together as the story progresses.
Read the full article on GameRant
This article originally appeared on GameRant and is republished here with permission.
