What The Hell Happened To The Stealth Genre?!

The Future Is In The Shadows

So in regards as of where to go, and the point of this retrospective, is what do we want from stealth gaming in the future? Whilst the classics like Chaos Theory and Blood Money, Deadly Shadows and Tenchu have had their time to shine, by modern standards they're too purist and difficult to get into.

Yet conversely, seeing sneaky gameplay being relegated to obligatory one-note missions or as a contextual setting isn't great either. We need a balance to be struck: make it accessible and user-friendly, but at the same time not deviating from its origins.

To use an example, Hitman's reboot(s) offers the Mission Objectives that lead you through scenarios to get you used to what to expect. The Last of Us 2 offers stealth and guerrilla warfare on the fly, but you're not forced to use nor depend on it.

It's all about striking that balance. The demand and want for stealth gaming is there, waiting eagerly in the shadows to welcome back those titles that allow it. Fans know it has to evolve from the early days, but don't want that spoon-fed, simplified or action-based "stealth" we saw in the early noughties.

Is it unrealistic to want to see Sam Fisher return in his own game again? Is wanting a remaster/remake of Chaos Theory too much to ask? Apparently so, as Ubisoft are happy to carrot-and-stick us by pimping him out in other titles. Would a return to Deus Ex or Dishonoured also be an ambitious want, given their apparent demise? Also yes, it seems.

But we know there's still a contingent of both fans that want it and developers that are keen to bring it back to its heights. The waters have been tested and formulas refined, now all we need are more dedicated titles catering to stealth as there are others.

...and a proper return of Sam Fisher. Please.