Summary
Sneaking around the shadows and avoiding enemies can be thrilling and nail-biting. The stealth genre of video games brings to mindpopular series like Splinter Cell, Hitman, and Thief. However, there are titles made by independent development studios that don’t get enough attention.
Independent studios over the years have crafted some genuinely memorable stealth experiences, smaller on budget but not on fun. For fans of series like Metal Gear Solid, Deus Ex, and Dishonored, here are some excellent games you may have missed. These stealth titles show clear passion and hard work by genre enthusiasts. These indie developers understand stealth mechanics well and have produced immersive worlds worth exploring.
8Styx: Master Of Shadows
Styx: Master of Shadows is set in a medieval fantasy world filled with armored knights, massive castles, and flying airships. You play as the wise-cracking and cantankerous goblin Styx, who must navigate labyrinthian complexes with patrolling guards at every turn.
With a striking art style, incredible levels of verticality, and unique character abilities, this game should bring a smile to the face of nearly any stealth fan. One of the game’s standout features is creating short-term clones of Styx, who can travel to places otherwise inaccessible.
7A Plague Tale: Innocence
Journey to the time of the Black Plague in 14th century France and take control of the vulnerable Amicia along with her younger brother Hugo. With the volatile Inquisition hot on their heels, Amicia, a teenage girl, must sneak past enemies and deal with hordes of rats.
This game is a graphical showpiece and captures the gritty details of the environment with gusto. Since you are playing as a teenage girl with a young brother in toe, combat isn’t really an option. However, you can outwit, creep past, or set traps for unaware foes.
6Amnesia: The Bunker
How would you feel about being trapped in a World War I bunker and pursued by a mysterious creature as you attempt to escape? You don’t have to imagine this scenario with Amnesia: The Bunker. With a grim and heavily shadowed environment, you must solve various puzzles to facilitate your escape.
Unfortunately, light is a luxury and often only a brief reprieve from the impending darkness. Sounds attract a patrolling creature, so stealth is paramount to success. Weapons and ammo are scarce and only serve to drive the monster away temporarily, so you must use them sparingly.
The developers behind Dead By Daylight, Behaviour Interactive, are the largest indie outfit in Canada. The studio has seen the most success with its asymmetrical multiplayer horror game, initially released in 2015. However, the studio has continued supporting and releasing new paid content with tie-ins to popular horror franchises like Halloween.
One player takes on the killer role, while the other four are survivors who must escape the area. Stealth is crucial, as once the killer spots a survivor, a tense chase ensues with the possibility of being captured. Once a series of generators are activated, the exit door opens, but killers can disable survivors and thwart them at every step.
4Hunt Showdown
One of the most unique, unsettling, and gripping multiplayer extraction shooters to date, Hunt Showdown offers plenty of stealth opportunities. You play a bounty hunter in the19th-century southern United States bayou. A deadly rift has opened in this alternate reality, allowing all sorts of creatures to permeate the landscape.
With both PvP and PvE, you must battle against the AI and other human hunters trying to collect a bounty and escape the map. Sound is a critical element of the game and requires stealth to prevent giving away your position. Even crows, horses, and ducks placed throughout the game world will alert anyone nearby if you don’t tread lightly.
3Sons Of The Forest
This early access game has you searching through a remote wilderness for a missing billionaire. However, the cannibal inhabitants don’t take kindly to your visit. Initially small in number, these enemies can quickly overwhelm you without some base-building and sneaking tactics.
The foliage is your friend in this environment and can conceal your character from detection. Stealth kills can even increase your chances against cannibal invaders, if only briefly. With highly detailed graphics and a robust lighting system, the days become your only opportunity for shoring up before the terrifying nights.
2Outlast 2
This stealth horror title by Red Barrels puts you in a remote desert valley as opposed to the mountain asylum of the previous game. However, it’s no less frightening and requires you to carefully sneak around enemies as you have no means to defend yourself.
Trapped within a maze of dilapidated structures and sheer vertical canyon walls, you must traverse past members of a delusional cult. Use the shadows and environmental objects to your advantage as the deranged cult members patrol the dark Arizona desert. Like Red Barrel’s previous entry in the series, this game contains some disturbing visuals but edge-of-your-seat stealth sections.
1Styx: Shards Of Darkness
With the success of Styx: Master of Shadows, French indie developer Cyanide Studios released the sequel, Styx: Shards of Darkness. You are back playing the stealthy goblin with an attitude in an even more ambitious adventure.
This game includes larger environments, more detailed graphics, and more stealth than you’re able to shake a stick at. Experience new mechanics like rope swinging and more options for traversal than ever before. Climbing, platforming, thieving, assassinations, and deception form a cohesive package as you gather amber and square up against the dark elves.
