There have been a lot of spy games and stealth games in gaming history, but over the past few years there’s been a downturn in both. Fans hope that this doesn’t last too long. There are, however, some very iconic characters in the genre such as James Bond, and every single Snake iteration.
A lot of spy games are full of espionage, creeping around, silent kills, and stealth. But some of them leave a lot to player choice. In most of these games, players can still do the missions stealthily — but often, there’s no point in doing so, or it is even easier not to. While these spies are and can be stealthy, popular player choice has left players to remember them as anything but that.
5 Adam Jensen — The Deus Ex Series
The Deus Ex series is known for its sci-fi cyber espionage plot and themes around autonomy in choice, technology that goes too far, and class warfare. In this incredibly dense background, players get to play as Adam Jensen. Jensen is everything from an ex-cop, a security chief and a terrorist hunter. A lot of his missions heavily revolve around sneaking about and gathering information.
Getting in and out quickly is the name of the game. However, Deus Ex Mankind Divided and its predecessors are known for their challenging stealth mechanics. While many players partake in them and love the thrill, a lot more opt to just go in guns blazing, and just shoot or fight their way through the game’s tasks. It's very easy for this shadowy character to just become a killing machine.
4 Batman — The Arkham Games
A lot of people might not consider Batman a spy, but the caped crusader is a detective, and he’s well versed in espionage. The Arkham series recognizes this and has solid stealth sections that complement the core gameplay very well. Batman uses his gadgets and tools to gather information and whatnot.
Yet there is an elephant in the room: every room The Dark Knight enters ends up being full of bodies of injured bad guys. These games are after all, and the combat leads to a lot of fighting and not-so-stealthy quests. While this doesn’t take anything away from the games, it is definitely notable that this would-be detective, in his game of wits with the city’s most intelligent criminal minds, ends up punching people an awful lot, rather than choosing subtlety.
3 Corvo Attano — Dishonored
The Dishonored protagonist is the Lord Protector to the Empress. He’s also an assassin, and most importantly, Corvo is a spymaster. Dishonored is definitely a stealth game, and if played as such, Corvo would be the master of sneaking about and doing spy-like things.
The key factor here is that the entire game can be played without stealth. While sneaking around and avoiding confrontation makes the game a lot easier and has positive impacts on the in-game world, it is definitely not necessary. Players can, if they choose to, go in and murder everyone with their crossbow and firearm. There is also the possibility of having multiple enemies to fight at the same time, making players think they’re playing an action-adventure game. In these playthroughs, Corvo is possibly the worst spy ever. This does also lock players out of the "good" ending.
2 Venom Snake — Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Metal Gear Solid is the quintessential espionage, global conspiracy spy game series. Featuring a host of iconic characters such as Ocelote, Solid Snake, and Big Boss, the series is globally renowned for its stealth mechanics, challenging and fun gameplay, and of course, its complicated and intriguing plot.
Phantom Pain is no different. In fact, many would say it’s the best game in the series. Particularly its unique and well-designed gameplay mechanics. The game features an open-world sandbox where Venom Snake builds up his Diamond Dogs carrying out anti-Soviet missions for the CIA. The game has some really cool stealth mechanics (everyone loves the cardboard box). The best thing about Phantom Pain, however, is that players have ultimate freedom of choice. Players can choose to tackle missions in virtually any way they want. This includes stripping away all stealth notions and fighting through every mission with no regard for silence or covertness.
1 Emily Kaldwin — Dishonored 2
The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. This rings true for both Emily Caldwin and the game as a whole. Dishonored 2 features everything that made the first game so good, and it does it all better. It is one of the best sequels out there.
Working with Corvo, Emily fights her way through the drama and intrigue in Dishonored 2 to reclaim her rightful throne. This can be done in many ways. Most of these ensure Emily is the stealthiest spy out there. But similar to its predecessor, Dishonored 2 lets players fight and kill their way through the game, the trade-off being in-game consequences. Regardless, it is an option, and it doesn’t make for the best spy.