The Three Flavors of Stealth

Charting the evolution of stealth in game design

Stealth and horror tend to go hand-in-hand, as far as game design goes. They both occupy a very specific niche and are often experienced together in the same game. It is probably fair to say that they are also tough to nail in terms of evoking the desired emotions from players.

Although there are many variations on the theme, I believe that stealth — as a game design principle — can be roughly divided into three major categories. These categories represent the broadly different approaches that developers might make to design an effective stealth experience.

As an outsider looking in, it is easy to assume that a key principle of stealth is to restrict the player’s power within the game world — after all, an all-powerful player could simply punch their way through every given challenge, at least theoretically. And it’s certainly true that in many games, one of the important design elements is to make the player feel powerful — to enable them to perform actions that they couldn’t do in real life. As well, games have traditionally utilised some form of combat as the key mechanism for players to progress forward (whether it’s firing a gun, or jumping on your enemies’ heads).

In this context, stealth game design is even more interesting — especially when you consider games (usually horror-based) where combat options are withdrawn entirely by the designer. What’s fascinating in these cases is that, although you aren’t necessarily able to directly fight your enemy through traditional combat, it’s also true to say that power hasn’t necessarily been taken away from you. There are plenty of other ways to navigate the world and progress towards the end goal.

Examples: Outlast, Clock Tower series, Amnesia series

The first stealth flavor is all about avoiding confrontation. Whether you’re playing as a little girl or a full-grown adult, you’re essentially playing a game of hide-and-seek with your enemies. This category is never about direct engagement; the most successful players will never come into contact with an enemy. But as mentioned above, a lack of direct engagement with your foes doesn’t mean you’re entirely defenseless.

In series like Clock Tower, for instance, you’re able to lay traps for your enemies using the surrounding environment. These traps might physically stop enemies for a brief period, or they could be used as a distraction to escape from danger. When you consider the titles listed above, it’s obvious that The Hider is a popular approach among horror designers.