Stealth has been a featured idea and mechanic present in video games since the ’80s. Over the decades, we’ve seen it used brilliantly in title after title.
10 Best Unique Mechanics In Stealth Games
Between gadgets, powers, and special abilities, these titles are unique thanks to their gameplay.
Unfortunately, in more recent times,I must acknowledge that stealth has been largely relegated to a secondary role that rarely blends well into the adventure.
Whether it’s because they’re poorly executed, feel forced within the plot’s context, or break the action’s pace, these specific sections are more detrimental than positive, creating mixed feelings among players about their forced-stealth inclusions.
Even as a fan of the genre as I am, there are times when sneaking in the shadows has been terrible, as I can demonstrate with this list ofthe ten worst stealth sections in video games.
10Stealing Madd Dogg’s Rhyme Book
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
I always appreciate when a game subverts expectations and offers a completely unexpected experience, but I can’t say the same aboutGrand Theft Auto: San Andreas’Stealing Madd Dogg’s Rhyme Book objective.
For a game that clearly doesn’t have an authentic stealth component,the section is entirely archaic and rough, forcing you to crouch and watch your step in a game where the exact opposite typically prevails.
Thankfully, it ends quickly, which is perhaps why people barely pay attention to it, but I vividly remember how awkward its inclusion felt.
The series has improved when it comes to including these kinds of gameplay sections, but bySan Andreas' time,it wasn’tRockstar’s expertise.
9Port Authority
Assassin’s Creed 2
Assassin’s Creed 2
Before the series completely lost my interest,Assassin’s Creed 2was one of those titles that made me love video games, as it’s a practically perfect sequel.
However, that didn’t stop it from having its bittersweet moments, and thePort Authoritymission may be my worst memory of Ezio Auditore’s adventure.
Although it just involves assassinating a merchant on a ship, the number of guards, their positioning, and routes made this questa real ordeal that felt heavily dependent on the AI slipping up.
It feels so straightforward that I nearly lost my mind, because I thought the solutions were obvious, and I simply couldn’t execute them. After having replayed it recently, however, I realizedUbisoftreally went overboard with the demands.
8Escape from La Valette Dungeon
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
The Witcher 2
I’ve never been a fan of missions where you’re a powerful being left completely vulnerable and must rely on stealth to evade the most basic enemies from taking your life.
9 Iconic Video Game Prison Breaks
Nothing gets the blood pumping like a daring escape from a dark prison.
Consequently, I have despised theEscape from La Valette Dungeonmission inThe Witcher 2: Assassins of Kingssince my first playthrough. I understand why it exists from a narrative perspective, but it still feels like an annoying process that lures away the immersion.
You’ve just endured a castle siege against dozens of soldiers and abominations and witnessed one of the most epic intros in history,only to have to spend the next 15 minutes sneaking around guards while trying to escape from prison.
It makes sense, but it seems so abrupt that it’s among the few instances whereThe Witcher 2made me shut down my brain while playing because I didn’t want to pay much attention to it.
7Breaking and Entering
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
It makes me feel a little bad knowing I always include anUnchartedinstallment when I make predominantly negative lists, but in this case, I feel even more justified than usual.
Breaking and EnteringfromUncharted 2: Among Thieveshas to be among the most bland and frustrating gameplay instances I can recall from the entire series, asit’s truly annoying how limited the gameplay options are.
I appreciate the change of pace and applaud the attempt, but being the title’s second chapter,it rapidly takes awaythe mechanics andsequencesI expect from anUnchartedgame.
Even aside from the tediousness of having to start over every time a guard spots you, I find its placement in the campaign to be especially annoying so early on. I really can’t salvage anything from this mission, except for the dynamic between Nathan and Flynn.
6The Jail Break
Nine Solsis as extraordinary ametroidvaniaas it is experimental, allowing RedCandleGames to explore unusual mechanics within the genre.
Unfortunately, the most memorable outcome isn’t the most positive, asThe Jail Breakis a frustrating chapter in Yi’s campaign thatdeprives you of one of the last decade’s best combat systems for far too long.
It’s a convincing dynamic on paper, but having to escape from a powerful enemy instead of confronting it is truly unpleasant, especially because it goes against everything the game and the genre have accustomed us to.
Considering you’re even slower when injured, and you have to hide in pots to avoid being destroyed by the jailer,it’s the only bad section in the entirety ofNine Sols.
Hotline Miami
Speaking of sections that break the flow and only deprive you of thefast-pacedstyle that makes the game fun,Hotline Miami’s Trauma mission is truly traumatic.
15 Best Stealth Missions in Video Games, Ranked
The art of infiltration is responsible for some of the best levels in the history of video games.
I have a problem saying this, because it serves an important narrative and thought-provoking function. However, sneaking past enemies in a game where each room typically has you executing everything alive is disconcerting.
Furthermore, the character is in a fragile physical and mental state during the section, so the camera shakes, and the colors intensify,making the sequence even more confusing and annoying.
It may only take a couple of minutes until you reach the end of the mission, butHotline Miamionly lasts two hours, sothe interruption feels quite noticeable.
4Abyssal Woods
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
Elden Ring
Fextralife
If there’s one genre I never expected to see even a hint of stealth in, it’s Soulslikes.I certainly didn’t anticipate it to come directly from FromSoftware themselves.
I thinkElden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree’sAbyssal Woodsis a stunning area regarding aesthetics and atmosphere, but it’s a massive waste of gameplay.
The area is enormous, but it’s filled with basic enemies and entities that chase you at lightning speed, kill you instantly, and can only be defeated if you parry them, something you’d never dream of trying on your first playthrough.
Therefore, the usual thing to do is to crouch in the bushes, avoid their aggro, and run mindlessly until you come across the area’s main location, Midra’s Manse,creating a gameplay loop that’s everything but compelling.
If it weren’t for the fact that the Abyssal Woods' boss is among the expansion’s best elements, it would be the game’s most forgettable section, both due to its lack ofcontentand its strangely executed stealth.
3Mary Jane Missions
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
As much asMarvel’s Spider-Man 2is a stellar product and easily among the best in the entire franchise, I can’t help but viewMary Jane’s missionsas anything short ofhighlyquestionable.
These sequences are so easy that it’s impossible not to consider them filler, since they contribute absolutely nothing to the gameplay despite adding value to the narrative from another view.
Going from being a superhero to an ordinary human is annoying, not only because of the downgrade itself, but because there’s a loss of cohesion, asMary Jane can defeat enemies with an ease that not even Spider-Man himself possesses.
These sections are slow and feel alien to the game’s core purpose, especially since I’m sure there were ways to integrate Mary Jane into the gameplay or give Spider-Man more prominent stealth abilitieswithout so drastically disrupting the campaign’s flow.
2Agreus Garden
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2
I’m one of the rare individuals who likedCastlevania: Lords of Shadow 2, but even I can’t defend all the stealth mechanics the game misguidedly attempts to introduce.
Leaving aside for a moment the sequences where you become a rat, which in and of themselves deserve a separate post, I’d like to focus onAgreus Garden, because it’s a chapter that still baffles me to this day.
Imagine being Dracula, the almighty vampire, and having to avoid stepping on leaves doing parkour 5 centimeters off the ground to bypass a god while using bells to distract his attention…It’s among the most absurd sequences I’ve ever played.
I’m still a big fan of the game, and I truly believe it adds a lot of value toMercurySteam’s trilogy, butthose sections are reason enough to want to abandon the game altogether.
1Dream World
Outer Wilds: Echoes of the Eye
Outer Wilds
Despite everything said so far, I don’t doubt that the worst stealth section, and the one that pains me the most, isOuter Wilds’Dream WorldinEchoes of the Eye.
What is easily one of the best expansions ever created, with superb level design, magnificent lore, and novel gameplay that complement the base game’s mechanics,becomes a poor stealth experience in a matter of minutes.
You’re unable to see where you’re going withoutalerting enemies, instantly killed as soon as they’re near you, and within a hyper-confusing layout you can’t explore calmly tofigure out how it works.These are the game’s worst moments.
It’s a shame, because Echoes of the Eye is an outstanding DLC with unique and glorious ideas. Yet,turning the title into a stealth horror game is among the worst choices I’ve seen in the indie space of this caliber.
I’m sure there are people who have solved the sequence without problems and possibly even enjoyed it, but for me, it’s unanimouslythe stealth section that does the most damage to the game it belongs to.
